Christina's Voice: Hairballs are common for cats.

Hairballs are common for cats, and are definitely an inconvenience for their owners who may question what they just stepped on. Often they turn to our good friend Google to search for answers about how to fix this perceived problem.

·   Hairballs are common for cats, and are definitely an inconvenience for their owners who may question what they just stepped on. Often they turn to our good friend Google to search for answers about how to fix this perceived problem.
·   Cats ingest quite a bit of hair because their tongues are covered in tiny barbs (papillae) that act like brushes when they clean.
·   This hair builds up in their system until it is expelled, which is when the owner finds it.
·   Indoor cats that get bored may groom themselves more often which can result in more hairballs.
·   April 27th, 2012 is National Hairball Awareness day – Yes, there’s a day to celebrate hairballs!!
·   Hairball activity can be more active in the spring and fall- when shedding is at its peak.
·   Brushing your cat helps remove excess fur, and decrease hairballs. Brushing once a day may be often enough for long haired cats, 1-3 times a week for short haired cats.
·   When a hairball occurs, hair often does not come up alone; any food in your cat’s system may come up too, causing an even bigger mess.

Generic Hairball Article
If you have a cat, then you know hairballs! Those icky, little surprises your precious friend leaves around the house are a big inconvenience for both you and your cat. Whenever your cat grooms itself, its specially designed tongue gently lifts away loose fur. The problem is the loose fur is then swallowed and may collect in the esophagus or stomach of your feline friend until it’s irritating enough for your cat to bring it back up in the form of a hairball.

So what do you do if your cat has chronic hairballs? Is there anything you, as a pet owner, can do to help your little buddy out? Sure there is! For cats, it’s critical they are able to remove the extra fur, and their tongue is the only tool they have. You can help your cat by brushing every day, or every other day with a grooming brush to help remove excess fur. The additional benefit of brushing your cat is it gets used to brushing and enjoys the activity. If you have kids, put this on their chore chart and have them get involved with the responsibility of animal ownership; the kids will love it and your cat will reap the benefits of a clean and smooth coat.

In addition to grooming, you can also adjust your cat’s nutrition to assist what fur your cat ingests passes safely through its system. For example, Hill’s® Science Diet® has a number of products specifically designed to help with hairballs. The specifically designed kibble shape and unique fiber technology help cats avoid hairballs in just 30 days.

The GOOD NEWS: There are options if this is a chronic issue for you and your cat. Do you have a remedy you’ve tried that has worked? Let us know in the comments.

Eww… What is that?
Your cat wakes you up in the middle of the night retching. What was he doing you ask? As you get up in the morning you see the answer; a wet remnant of his midnight activity, the famous hairball. Don’t freak out, hairballs are a common problem for cats that have difficulty moving hair down their G.I. tract.

Most cats spend up to 30% of their time grooming themselves and in the process up to two-thirds of what a cat sheds can be ingested. Even though it’s a natural part of your cat’s life, there are still plenty of ways to help minimize hairballs. The first way to combat the “hairball battle” is to get in the habit of grooming your kitty daily. This will remove a majority of the excess fur so what they do ingest will pass through with no problem. The second is to ensure your cat is eating a food with a perfect balance of fatty acids. Fatty acids are the fundamental building blocks for healthy skin and coat. With the right nutrition and good grooming habits, your cat can celebrate national hairball day free of the horrible hairball.

The Trouble with Trichobezoars
If you have a cat, you have probably seen a trichobezoar or two. So what is a trichobezoar? Perhaps you’re used to the normal word for this too common feline condition – hairballs! Unfortunately, hairballs are a common problem when you have a cat but they’re not something you have to live with. As spring approaches, we enter the season for the dreaded hairball as the weather warms and shedding increases. Normal cats spend up to an unbelievable 30% of their time grooming themselves and in the process up to two-thirds of what they shed can be ingested. How much they ingest really depends on the length and density of your cat’s fur, but did you know you can have an impact on how many hairballs your cat has? You can help minimize hairballs from your cat in 2 simple ways. First, help them in their grooming. They won’t be thrilled at first, but over time they will come to appreciate and even like the attention they get as you help remove the excess fur. Specifically in the spring and fall during prime shedding season, your cat’s undercoat loosens resulting in more loose hair. If your feline is strictly an indoor cat he will shed year round, but it will increase when it warms up outside. The second way to help them out is to adjust their diet. Nutrition is the single biggest external factor for animals and for hairball problems the right diet can pay dividends. Feeding your cat food with a perfect balance of fatty acids promotes a healthy skin and coat which means your pet will shed less. Hill’s® Science Diet® also makes a Hairball Control formula product that has both the ideal fatty acid balance and also contains a unique fiber technology and kibble design to help any hair that has been ingested to pass through the cat’s system. Nobody likes hairballs, but with a bit of time and expertise on your side, you can minimize how many times they will rear their ugly little head on your living room floor.

PRNewswire, 4/11/12

Building on the successful launch of Hill's®Science Diet® Ideal Balance™ and MyBowl for Dogs – the first of its kind interactive tool designed to put dog nutrition in terms people can understand – Hill's® Pet Nutrition and petMD.com, the largest global source of pet health information, are now offering the same balanced diet options and educational resources to families who own felines.

Science Diet® Ideal Balance™ and MyBowl for Cats provide pets a precisely balanced diet and a tool that helps their owners understand the importance of balanced nutrition for their feline.

MyBowl for Cats

MyBowl for Cats puts pet nutrition in easy to understand human terms to:
Illustrate the proper proportion of essential nutrients cats need – carbohydrates, protein, minerals, vitamins, fats and oils
Educate owners about the specific benefits each nutrients delivers when fed in the right balance
Decode the cat food label so owners ensure their cat is receiving the proper balance of nutrients at each meal

A Chance to Win

During the month of April, cat owners can test their pet nutrition knowledge with an interactive online quiz at www.petmd.com for a chance to win one of four $2,500 pet retailer gift cards. All participating owners will also receive a rebate for a free bag of Hill's® Science Diet® Ideal Balance™ (up to $12.99).
"The positive response we received for MyBowl for Dogs confirmed that pet owners are looking for simple-to-understand information about proper pet nutrition," said Mark Champ, Product Manager, Hill's Pet Nutrition. "MyBowl for Cats provides feline-specific tools to help cat owners easily demystify nutrition labels and determine the best, balanced diet for their pet."

Science Diet® Ideal Balance™ for Cats

An important part of maintaining a pet's optimal health is selecting a food that provides the right balance of essential vitamins and nutrients. Hill's® Pet Nutrition is making this choice easy with the launch of their new Hill's® Science Diet® Ideal Balance™ food for cats. Formulated with the precise amount of natural ingredients in the exact proportions cats need, this new formulation features fresh chicken as its first ingredient, an assortment of fruits and vegetables and contains no corn or artificial colors. Ideal Balance™ provides cat owners a natural pet food choice while still delivering the right balance of high-quality ingredients owners have come to expect from the Science Diet® portfolio of products.

Cat Nutrition Center
The MyBowl tool will be housed on petMD.com, which now features a newly created Cat Nutrition Center, in addition to its Dog Nutrition Center. Now both cat and dog owners can find detailed nutrition information and tools for their pets including:
MyBowl for Cats & MyBowl for Dogs
Nutrition Articles and Slideshows
"The Nutrition Nugget" Nutrition Blog by Dr. Jennifer Coates
Dog & Cat Nutrition Quizzes and FAQ

Science Diet® Ideal Balance™ for cats is now available at Pet Specialty stores, Farm and Feed stores and select Veterinary Clinics.About Hill's Pet Nutrition

Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc. manufactures Hill's® Prescription Diet® brand pet foods, therapeutic pet foods available only through veterinarians, and Hill's® Science Diet® brand pet foods sold through veterinarians and finer pet specialty stores. Founded more than 60 years ago with a unique commitment to pet nutrition and well-being, Hill's is committed to its mission to help enrich and lengthen the special relationships between people and their pets. Hill's produces high-quality, great-tasting pet foods owners can trust and give to their canine and feline companions as part of a veterinary health care team recommendation. This ultimately improves patient health and the health of the practice. For more information about Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc., and Hill's Evidence-Based Clinical Nutrition™ visit HillsPet.com.

About petMD

petMD is a leading online resource focused solely on the health and well-being of pets. The site maintains the world's largest pet health library, written and approved by a network of trusted veterinarians. petMD was founded to inspire pet owners to provide an ever-increasing quality of life for their pets and to connect pet owners with pet experts and other animal lovers. petMD is a subsidiary of the Pet360 family of brands, which also includes PetFoodDirect.com – the most complete pet food and supply retailer online, and NationalPetPharmacy.com – a fully certified, full-service pet pharmacy delivering pet meds, vitamins and comprehensive pet health and wellness products.

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