Do cats in the wild have hairballs? (eating, male, pukes)
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After picking up the umteenth puked up hair ball from Oscar the Ragdoll, I started wondering if lions, tigers and other wild cats puke up hairballs too? Anybody know? I bet they are huge. I realize Oscars' are a problem because he is long haired but his brother never pukes hairballs . They both eat the same thing, groom each other frequently and get brushed frequently. He fights me when I try to give him laxatone.
After picking up the umteenth puked up hair ball from Oscar the Ragdoll, I started wondering if lions, tigers and other wild cats puke up hairballs too? Anybody know? I bet they are huge. I realize Oscars' are a problem because he is long haired but his brother never pukes hairballs . They both eat the same thing, groom each other frequently and get brushed frequently. He fights me when I try to give him laxatone.
I just checked my Merck Veterinary Manual and two other books. I found nothing on the question of wild animals. I did an internet search and got only opinions from nonprofessionals.
Animals who like to groom as much as cats must always get them. I've seen clips of lions grooming each other in natural settings.
The problem isn't long hair; short-haired cats get them just as much.
They must if their fur sheds at all. I don't think it's a function of food, since hairballs are comprised of...ummm...hair.
I've read that plain canned pumpkin given twice daily (1 tbsp) can be useful to keep hairballs at bay. I've also read that a little petroleum jelly can be used, instead of laxatone.
My cat gets an occasional hairball but she also occasionally throws up after eating. Not very often for either, thankfully, but every 2 or 3 months...ugh.
Interesting question, one that I also have long wondered about, and have never gotten a definitive answer. Neither of the two vets queried at my clinic knew the answer either. Perhaps a wildlife biologist that specializes in wild felines? Fun to speculate about the size of such a thing. My 8 pounder will on occasion cough up a hairball the size of one of my fingers. An average African male lion weighs 400 pounds, 50 times her size. A large Siberian tiger can go 600. Would that mean a hairball the size of my forearm? That would be something to see.
Yes, they do. I've come across both hair filled fecal matter and hair filled *** from bobcats in the wild.
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