It can be a little scary watching your cat cough up a hairball. She’s just sitting there, playing with yarn and all of a sudden she starts convulsing. Then she’s back to normal, like nothing happened.
There’s a really simple reason for this spontaneous upheaval of fur: grooming. Cats groom themselves by licking their coats, and in the process they sometimes accidentally ingest loose hair. That hair might pass through her digestive system, but other times, it sits in kitty’s stomach, aggravating the lining.
One way or another, you want your cat to pass these balls of hair so they don’t block her gastrointestinal tract—which can cause serious problems.
If your cat vomits up hairballs more than three or four times a month you may want to visit your vet.
