Hairball Trouble

Henry is a 3 year old Maine Coon cat who came to see us in the middle of July because he had been off his food and had started vomiting. We strongly suspected that Henry may have a hair ball stuck in his intestines that was causing an obstruction.

We proceeded to give him some sedation to have a better feel at his abdomen when he was relaxed, and also performed some X-rays using our digital X-ray machine. Hair doesn’t show up that well on an X-ray but there was an area that our vets were concerned about.

We tried 24 hours of medical treatment to see if the hairball would pass by itself. This included rehydrating Henry, using medication to stimulate the gut and a laxative treatment to help break up the hairball. Unfortunately the hair ball did not pass, and as Henry was still vomiting and becoming weaker, the decision was made to remove the hairball surgically.

Henry stayed with us overnight following his operation; with 24 hour care from our nurses. He went home the next day and has recovered very well indeed.

Unluckily for Henry’s owners, his sister Lucy also presented with a hair ball obstruction which needed surgery to remove it a few weeks later!

Maine coon cats have very thick fur and even though they are very good at grooming themselves, sometimes hair can become clogged together in the intestines and cause issues. They often need a helping hand with grooming to try and remove some of the longer and denser fur. One of the grooming tools we would recommend is a Furminator brush. A special hair ball diet is also a good idea – these contain natural laxatives to help break up and digest the hair as it moves through the gut. If you would like any more information about avoiding problems with hair balls, then please speak to a staff member.

Posted 22nd August 2015