Is It Normal for a Cat to Keep Throwing Up Hairballs?
📝 Summary
Cats swallow fur while grooming, and vomiting the resulting hairball is normal — but constant hacking risks hairball syndrome, a gut-blocking mass. Ease it with cat grass, hairball paste, or a little cod-liver oil, and brush often to limit swallowed fur.
1 Why Cats Throw Up Hairballs
A cat’s tongue is covered in tiny backward hooks that groom and clean, so it swallows fur as it licks. Over time the hair balls up in the gut; because it can’t pass easily, the cat vomits it up. If a ball can’t be expelled, it becomes ‘hairball syndrome’ — a hard mass that blocks the intestine and causes loss of appetite and lethargy.
2 What to Do
Liquid cod-liver oil: a drop or two by mouth helps the cat pass hairballs; pair it with a vitamin supplement, since frequent vomiting stresses the gut.
Cat grass: chewing grass aids hairball formation and expulsion, so grow some rather than let the cat nibble possibly toxic houseplants.
Hairball paste: most pastes are nutritious and prevent ball buildup, but dose exactly — never overdo it. Above all, brush your cat often, especially during shedding season, to cut down the fur it swallows.
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