Hairballs.

susie

Hi, I was just wondering how you can tell if your cat has a hairball? As my male cat occasionally has abit of a cough, but then is fine again. Also he seems to be grooming himself sore in a few places, but he has been checked for fleas and is all clear.

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11 Mar 2009 09:00

Cat the Vet

Hi Susie,

Often the only way you know if your cat has a hairball problem is when they cough one up! However, long haired cats or ones who are over-grooming can have an intermittent, dry, hacking cough which is the effect of the hairs in their throat.

The more pressing problem in your case is the fact he has sore skin and you should probably take him to your vets for an examination. The most common cause of over-grooming and irritated skin in cats is fleas and the only way you can be 100% sure they are not causing the problem is by treating him (and any other pets) with a spot-on product from your vet and also treating your house. There are other things which will make a cat itchy (and don´t forget when a cat is itchy they won´t scratch like dogs they will groom and lick excessively) such as other parasites or allergies but these are much less common than fleas. However, once a cat has licked itself sore it will often introduce infection to the skin and this will perpetuate the problem, and so even if you get rid of fleas the cat will need further veterinary treatment to sort out the problem.

Cat