The Cat Hairball Phenomenon

Dear Diary,

It was a first for Jamie last week. 

Like a baby’s first tooth or first steps.

His first ever thrown-up hairball. 

After nearly 2 years!

Well, this doesn’t sound very appealing, yeah, but I did feel like a proud cat mom for a second.

The Day it Happened

Back to how it all happened.

It was quite an exciting start to the day. For both of us.

He’s never thrown up anything before.

So he probably wasn’t quite sure what was happening to him. Yes, he’s an animal. It’s all instinct … 

I for myself, have never seen a hairball before. 

I’ve read about it. It is a very common thing cat owners love to discuss.

I’ve heard about it. A lot of my friends were really surprised - “What do you mean, he has never thrown one up? That’s impossible.”

Nope, Jamie is living proof. He can build and nurture a hairball inside him for a looooong time. 

The Moment it Happened

Basically, I’ve missed the exact moment. I was in another room. Bummer.

But I was quite shocked (understatement) to see this weird-looking thing on the floor next to his litter when I found it.

Thankfully Jamie was polite enough to not display it on the carpet. Apparently, that’s what most cats do. Well, he’s had a good upbringing.

So, both Jamie and I kept staring at it for a while. Paralysed.

Me wondering what on earth this is and from which part of the cat it came from. 

He with a slightly apologetic look on his cute face. Maybe he felt ashamed. 

Analysing the Object

Soon, I started to analyse this thing. 

Colour: yellowish
Smell: none
Texture: weird, some hair on the closeup
Shape: not like a ball at all, more like a sausage, a couple of cm in length

Should I be worried? Is he sick? He didn’t look sick at all. Playful as always. Greedy as always. No other symptoms.

And as most of the time, Google had the answer.

I found an identical image.

It was a hairball! No doubt. His first ever.

Cats and Hairballs

Hairballs are totally normal and cats groom themselves a lot.

And depending on the breed, cats can throw up a hairball on a weekly basis.

So, is there a way to prevent this?

Well, brush your cat regularly. Especially during shedding season.

Oh, and apparently cat grass can help as well. I might give this a try.

Jamie’s first encounter with cat grass