The Real Scoop on Hairballs: What Every Cat Parent Should Know
Whether you're a seasoned cat parent or a first timer, navigating the world of hairballs is a sticky reality in most feline companionships. Unravel the mysteries of hairballs, exploring their causes, sharing practical tips, and ultimately finding humor in the unique quirks that make life with our feline friends both charming and, at times, a tad hairy. This week Michelle Fern welcomes back best-selling author and cat behavior expert, Pam Johnson-Bennett, along with Fear-Free certified veterinarian Dr. Amy Shirley to talk about what are the causes and symptoms of hairballs in cats, what you can do about them, and much more!
Listen to Episode #230 Now:
BIO:
Pam Johnson-Bennett is one of the most popular and sought-after cat behavior experts in the world. She has a private cat-consulting practice in Nashville, appears on Animal Planet UK and Canada, and lectures on cat behavior at veterinary and animal welfare conferences around the world. She's been featured on CNN, Fox News Channel, CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox & Friends, Animal Planet Radio, and many more shows. Print profiles include Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Real Simple, Better Homes & Gardens, Woman's World, Newsweek, Prevention, USA Today, Family Circle, Complete Woman, Newsday, Chicago Tribune, USA Weekend, Washington Post, and Parade. She was VP of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and founded the IAABC Cat Division. Pam served on the American Humane Association's Advisory Board on Animal Behavior and Training. She lives in Nashville, TN.
Dr. Amy Shirley, originally from Tracy City, Tennessee, first came to Murfreesboro as an MTSU student and met her husband Michael while both were studying Animal Science in college. Dr. Shirley went on to graduate with her veterinary degree from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in 2005. After graduation, Dr. Shirley moved back to Murfreesboro to practice as a small animal veterinarian including 10 years as an associate doctor and 3 years practicing as a relief doctor in the greater Middle Tennessee area.
Dr. Shirley and her family have lived in the Buchanan area since 2007 and accepted the opportunity to purchase Black Fox Veterinary Hospital in the Murfreesboro/Buchanan community in 2018. Later that year, they renamed the practice Family Pet Health. Since that time, she has worked to provide trusted care and be the family doctor for the pets in the community.
Dr. Shirley set out with a mission to create a positive and collaborative work environment that cares about the wellbeing and mental health of her doctors and team as a top priority. She believes that if she can take care of her team, they will take care of the clients and patients. She also is focused on the emotional well-being as well as the physical well-being of her patients. She was an early adopter of the Fear Free approach to veterinary medicine which helps diagnose and treat fear, anxiety, and stress in our patients especially when receiving medical attention. Dr. Shirley and her team at Family Pet Health were proud to become the first Fear Free Certified veterinary hospital in Rutherford County in 2019. Dr. Shirley hopes to build on this foundation to improve the lives of her team and patients. Dr. Shirley loves all species of animals but has a special devotion to the feline patient and small mammals such as rabbits and guinea pigs.
Dr. Shirley developed a love for the human-animal bond growing up and was very active in 4-H. She has fond memories of showing sheep and horses. Now she and Michael have 3 children of their own and enjoy seeing them participate in 4-H and finding their own interests and activities. Their family enjoys taking day trips and vacations together such as hiking and camping in their pop-up camper with a goal of visiting all the state parks in Tennessee. She and her family love their local church family at New Vision Baptist Church at Buchanan. Her children say that she enjoys working as a vet and cleaning the house as this is where she spends much of her time!
Transcript:
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Announcer: This is Pet Life Radio.
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Announcer: Let's Talk Pets
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Michelle Fern: Hello, cat lovers, welcome to Cattitude.
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Michelle Fern: I'm your show host, Michelle Fern.
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Michelle Fern: Okay, what is the most disgusting thing your cat does?
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Michelle Fern: Okay, besides missing the litter box, it's hairballs.
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Michelle Fern: They look like poo, but they're not.
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Michelle Fern: And I hate seeing them suffer, and I don't get them.
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Michelle Fern: But I have two amazing guests today, and we're gonna learn about hairballs, and why your cat does, you know, gunk them up, and vomit them up, I should say, and what we can do about it.
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Michelle Fern: Or, if we need to do anything about it.
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Michelle Fern: Stay tuned, we'll be right back after this break.
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Announcer: Let's Talk Pets on petliferadio.com.
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Michelle Fern: Welcome back, everyone.
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Michelle Fern: I would like to welcome back Pam Johnson-Bennett.
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Michelle Fern: She is a best-selling author and a cat behavior expert, and she's been on Cattitude several times, and I love having her on the show.
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Michelle Fern: And then I would also like to welcome Dr.
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Michelle Fern: Amy Shirley.
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Michelle Fern: She is a veterinarian, and she also is a Level 3 Fear Free Certified Professional.
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Michelle Fern: So welcome, ladies.
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Michelle Fern: I'm so happy to have you on Cattitude.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: Hi, thank you so much for having us, Michelle.
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Michelle Fern: Before we go on and talk about hairballs, can you both give a little background about yourself to our listeners?
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Dr. Amy Shirley: Well, I'll start.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: I'm Dr.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: Amy Shirley.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: I have been practicing veterinary medicine for 17 years and have been a practice owner for the past five years and have a Fear Free Certified Veterinary Hospital, which means that we've gone through an accreditation process.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: And what that means is that we think about the emotional health of our patients as well as their physical health, because we know that it can be stressful to bring your pet to the veterinary office.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: It can be stressful for their families, the pet parents that have to come in because their pets are stressed out.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: And it can be something that we don't look forward to.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: And so we try to make it as minimally stressful as possible.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: And we also look at, you know, can we treat their anxiety or can we treat their stress and do things to minimize that?
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Michelle Fern: Okay, thanks so much.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: And I am a certified Cat Behavior Consultant.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: I have been doing Catt Behavior for, I guess it's 41, 42 years now, and I have eight books out.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: The first few books, I don't really want anyone to read because there were just so many mistakes as we've learned more about behavior.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: But what I love as I've gone through this field is watching now more attention paid to behavior and the effects of stress on animals.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: And just as Dr.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: Shirley mentioned, with Fear Free and the approach to getting animals to the veterinary clinic and their experience there emotionally, it's wonderful that that's all, all the pieces of the puzzle are coming together.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: We still have a long way to go, but oh my gosh, we're doing so much now, and animals are benefiting from it.
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Michelle Fern: Thank you both, and I absolutely agree.
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Michelle Fern: We have come a long way.
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Michelle Fern: I think about when I was a kid, and we only had a dog then, and how we treated that dog, and I want to beat myself up because it would be very different now.
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Michelle Fern: And if we had a cat, it would be very different now too.
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Michelle Fern: So I'm glad we've come a long way.
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Michelle Fern: Let's talk about something that's a concern for so many cat pet parents, hairballs.
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Michelle Fern: So like I had an interesting intro to this show, but the first time my cat threw it up, it looked like a cigar.
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Michelle Fern: And I didn't know what it was the first time I saw that.
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Michelle Fern: It's scary watching your cat go through this.
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Michelle Fern: And then when it comes up, it's just, ugh, it's just disgusting.
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Michelle Fern: But you're glad your cat feels better.
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Michelle Fern: What exactly is it?
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Michelle Fern: I mean, we know it's hair from when they're groomed, but there's more to it than that, right?
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Dr. Amy Shirley: Right, yeah, it actually has a medical term.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: So like when we were a veterinary student, we couldn't just put hairball.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: We had to put the official scientific name, which is a trichobesor.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: And basically what it is, is it's a mass of hair that forms in the stomach.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: And then typically a cat, I do sometimes see it in other species like rabbits, and cats are meticulous groomers, and so they will often ingest a lot of hair.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: And if it doesn't pass through their digestive system and it sits in their stomach, it can form kind of this mass of fur called a hairball.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: And a lot of times people will see it.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: And of course, a rite of passage for every cat parent is to step on it in the middle of the night in bare feet.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: But many people will think it's poop at first, because it kind of looks, it's that shape, like you mentioned, a cigar shape.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: And people will also disregard it, thinking, well, my cat just has hairballs, but it can be serious if you don't pay attention to it.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: And there are many causes for hairballs too, and you have to also pay attention to that.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: For example, from a behavior aspect, I see cats who do excessive grooming because of stress.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: So those cats are developing more hairballs than normal.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: Or if you have a multi-cat environment, you have cats who are grooming each other, and you may have a short-hair cat grooming his long-hair cat companion.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: So then the short-hair cat is getting a lot more long-hair hairballs.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: So it's important to pay attention to it.
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Michelle Fern: Is it better if your cats don't have hairballs at all, or does that mean that they're just not expelling it?
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: You want the cat to, if they do groom and get the hair, you do want them getting rid of it.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: So if the cat does vomit up some hair, it's better that it's vomited up than to end up with any kind of a blockage.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: But I also recommend, and Dr.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: Shirley can speak more about this, is also when you scoop the litter box, that's a time to monitor what's going on, not only in terms of what's going on with urination, the size of the urine clump, but also what's going on in the poop.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: I mean, do you see a lot of hair in there too?
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: So those are red flags to pay attention to.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: Absolutely.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: Yeah, I know I agree with what you just said.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: And I think the reason it looks like a cylinder or looks like poop is that if you think about the esophagus as a tube, you know, when it comes back up through that tube, it'll form the shape of that esophagus.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: And so it gives it that shape.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: But yeah, I think ideally we don't want it just to sit in the stomach.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: You want it to ideally pass through and out the GI system and into their poop.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: And you want, you know, the occasional hairball, because cats do a lot of grooming, the occasional hairball is, for the most part, nothing really to worry about.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: It's if it's constant or the cat is trying to vomit it up and it doesn't come up.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: But there are things that we can do to help the, to control the amount of hairballs, to control and keep the hair in better condition and to also help from a behavior standpoint so that the cats don't feel stressed and do all that extra grooming too.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: Absolutely.
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Michelle Fern: So thank you.
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Michelle Fern: And so what are some forms of treatment for hairballs?
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Dr. Amy Shirley: So there are various things that you can do.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: There's over-the-counter, like hairball remedies.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: Like a lot of those are petroleum based, like lubricants.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: And so what that does is it's often in like a gel or a paste form.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: And so they'll coat the hair in the digestive tract and making it easier to pass through their system.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: And then more recently, a lot of the pet food companies have come out with hairball formulas or indoor cat formulas often have hairball prevention in the food.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: And so how that works is it typically has higher fiber.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: And so fiber helps that cellulose helps bind up the hair and help it to pass.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: Sometimes there's oils in the food, and that also helps just things to stay slippery and help it pass through.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: And then sometimes you could even supplement like fiber supplements and things like that.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: But those are the three main things.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: And then I think to remember, you're right, like the occasional hairball is no big deal, but it can also be a sign of something else going on if they're having frequent hairballs.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: Definitely can be a sign of a medical condition.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: It means pay attention.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: Pay attention and monitor what's going on and see if more treatment is needed, if it's something you have to look into from a behavior standpoint or a medical standpoint.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: Also when we think about cats outside, the cats outside, how do they deal with their hairballs?
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: They deal with them by eating grass.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: And so we can do that for our indoor cats too by supplementing with grass, which provides that fiber, and that's a natural behavior that cats crave that.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: They have that natural craving.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: And so you can grow or you can purchase cat grass.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: And my recommendation is that you not use the grass that's outside, the lawn grass.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: You don't know what chemicals are on it.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: You don't know what animals have eliminated on it.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: So to use something, I love pet greens, and it is an easy cat grass.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: You can buy it already grown, the live grass that is easy to maintain.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: And you can just snip off a little bit for your cat or just let your cat munch on it, put a little bit in the food, or you can buy the kit that you grow yourself.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: So cat grass is an easy way, and you may have to also incorporate things like the hairball remedy and other things if it's more serious.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: But cat grass is something that on a maintenance level, it's fun for your cat.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: It's something that's natural for your cat.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: When you think of cats who hunt outside and they get their prey, they get their fiber and their grass from what that prey has eaten.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: So it's a natural way to help control hairballs too.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: I'll add to that too, just to say that you've experienced this too, but sometimes when they eat grass, they will vomit.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: And sometimes that helps get it up too.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: So one way or the other, if they eat the grass, they may vomit, but it does help kind of purge what's in their stomach.
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Dr. Amy Shirley: And I've seen that bring up some hair that's accumulated in their stomach.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: Right, it's almost like they know they want to get rid of something and the grass will help them do it.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: And I also recommend that when you start doing cat grass, that you do it slowly, a little bit at a time.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: You don't just want to let the cat munch.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: You know, my cat Pearl, if I let her have it, she would just mow down the whole container.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: So I have to monitor how much she eats.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: So you start slowly and a little bit so that your cat gets used to it.
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Michelle Fern: Alright, we're going to take a short break and we'll be right back.
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Announcer: Let's Talk Pest.
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Michelle Fern: Welcome back, everyone.
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Michelle Fern: We're talking to Pam Johnson-Bennett and Dr.
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Michelle Fern: Shirley about hairballs.
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Michelle Fern: I have a question on this.
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Michelle Fern: What can I do as a pet parent to help groom my cats?
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Michelle Fern: And I know cats groom, and I've heard different reasons why.
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Michelle Fern: One, that it seemed like it was out of the box, but then I thought, hmm, it makes sense, is that it's one of their innate behaviors, and it was originally to keep the smell of food off of them.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: Right.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: That is actually because they're predators, and they're also prey.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: They groom themselves after they've eaten prey to get rid of the scent of the prey so that they don't alert other prey that a predator is in the area.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: But they also don't want to let predators know that they're available.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: So they do that.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: They also groom to keep the coat in good condition, to remove parasites and dust and debris and dead hair.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: And they will also groom for not so great reasons.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: And that's what we've talked about with getting stressed because it becomes a displacement behavior.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: They have to do something.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: It's also a way that they create their own scent, and they will groom each other as a social behavior.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: That's a social bonding behavior.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: So grooming is really complex.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: And it's a good thing to groom your cat because it's, even if you have a short hair cat and you think you don't have to groom them, it's good to groom because you are removing the dead hair.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: And the more you remove through grooming, the less hair balls the cat will have.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: It's also a way for you to monitor what's going on with their health.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: Do you see any lumps or bumps?
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: Or have you noticed that your cat lost some weight or anything that you have to be aware of?
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: But it's also a bonding behavior.
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Pam Johnson-Bennett: And if you start gradually and make it positive, you don't want to, you know, hold the cat down and make it a miserable experience.
00:14:55.738 --> 00:15:04.838
Pam Johnson-Bennett: If you make it very positive and use treats and praise and whatever the cat views as a reward, it's a great way to start the trust building process.
00:15:05.118 --> 00:15:07.238
Michelle Fern: What if your cat's kind of afraid of you?
00:15:07.258 --> 00:15:08.578
Michelle Fern: I have one cat like that.
00:15:08.898 --> 00:15:12.758
Michelle Fern: And then I have another that's, he's lazy and he's long hair.
00:15:12.798 --> 00:15:14.718
Michelle Fern: So we brush him daily.
00:15:14.738 --> 00:15:26.258
Michelle Fern: And then there's another that she's so sensitive to touch that I don't know what I could groom her with other than I could barely touch her, like her back with my hand.
00:15:26.518 --> 00:15:30.658
Pam Johnson-Bennett: Well, you can start with just very light petting and rewarding her.
00:15:30.978 --> 00:15:32.778
Pam Johnson-Bennett: You can use a baby brush.
00:15:33.258 --> 00:15:40.378
Pam Johnson-Bennett: That's how I have my clients start with their cats who were either very sensitive to touch or very skittish.
00:15:40.638 --> 00:15:47.398
Pam Johnson-Bennett: You start with a very soft baby brush or a grooming glove, and you just do it very briefly and give a reward.
00:15:47.438 --> 00:15:51.398
Pam Johnson-Bennett: You want it to be over before the cat has a chance to go, hey, wait a minute, what was that?
00:15:52.058 --> 00:15:58.338
Pam Johnson-Bennett: And so if you make it positive and end on a positive note, then the next time the cat will be a little more receptive.
00:15:58.578 --> 00:16:02.718
Pam Johnson-Bennett: A big mistake cat parents make is they do too much for too long.
00:16:03.138 --> 00:16:11.158
Dr. Amy Shirley: And I'll just add on there is from a veterinary standpoint is we've unrecognized a lot of these cats that don't like to be touched or painful.
00:16:11.178 --> 00:16:19.898
Dr. Amy Shirley: It's not always the case, but especially if they're middle age or geriatric osteoarthritis is highly under diagnosed in cats.
00:16:19.918 --> 00:16:24.458
Dr. Amy Shirley: Like if you look at x-rays, most of them have evidence that they have arthritis.
00:16:24.458 --> 00:16:27.078
Dr. Amy Shirley: And that's another reason they'll sometimes have aversion.
00:16:27.098 --> 00:16:29.018
Dr. Amy Shirley: So that's something to talk to your veterinarian about.
00:16:29.438 --> 00:16:38.878
Dr. Amy Shirley: If you feel like they maybe even used to want to be touched or brushed and then something changes and they no longer, especially around the backend area, that could be a sign of pain.
00:16:39.858 --> 00:16:41.078
Pam Johnson-Bennett: Such a good point, Dr.
00:16:41.098 --> 00:16:41.538
Pam Johnson-Bennett: Shirley.
00:16:42.238 --> 00:16:47.658
Michelle Fern: What are some reasons why that it would be normal for cats to vomit besides hairballs?
00:16:47.858 --> 00:16:52.038
Michelle Fern: I know that one of my cats does this once in a while when he eats too fast.
00:16:52.498 --> 00:16:54.298
Dr. Amy Shirley: So cats were funny.
00:16:54.318 --> 00:17:00.238
Dr. Amy Shirley: Like honestly, vomiting is a differential for an innumerable number of problems.
00:17:00.258 --> 00:17:04.118
Dr. Amy Shirley: Like it's the number one symptom of heartworm disease in cats is vomiting.
00:17:04.538 --> 00:17:08.018
Dr. Amy Shirley: So they will vomit for various reasons, sometimes very benign.
00:17:08.038 --> 00:17:10.278
Dr. Amy Shirley: Like, I don't know, they just they ate too fast.
00:17:10.298 --> 00:17:11.818
Dr. Amy Shirley: They call that scarf and barf.
00:17:12.438 --> 00:17:13.798
Dr. Amy Shirley: So it can be really difficult.
00:17:13.818 --> 00:17:15.618
Dr. Amy Shirley: But what we look for are patterns.
00:17:15.638 --> 00:17:19.718
Dr. Amy Shirley: Like if they're vomiting frequently, that's not normal.
00:17:20.278 --> 00:17:23.498
Dr. Amy Shirley: Sometimes it can be a consistency thing with with the food.
00:17:23.518 --> 00:17:26.818
Dr. Amy Shirley: So some cats will vomit dry food, but not wet food.
00:17:27.338 --> 00:17:38.638
Dr. Amy Shirley: But also vomiting hairballs frequently, going back to hairballs, that can be a symptom of chronic small intestinal disease, because what can happen is they have decreased mobility of their GI track.
00:17:38.658 --> 00:17:44.658
Dr. Amy Shirley: And so the stomach is not moving things out like it normally would because of infiltrative disease.
00:17:44.678 --> 00:17:51.818
Dr. Amy Shirley: Like it can be inflammatory bowel syndrome, like a form of IBS, or sometimes even like a cancerous condition like lymphoma.
00:17:52.018 --> 00:18:11.018
Dr. Amy Shirley: So our concern definitely goes up to where you're saying, yeah, my cat used to vomit a hairball once a month, but now it's weekly or it's biweekly, especially if we're starting to see other symptoms like weight loss, changes in their bathroom habits, you know, diarrhea or constipation, then that increases our level of concern.
00:18:11.458 --> 00:18:30.338
Pam Johnson-Bennett: And also if they vomit and they don't feel better after getting whatever they vomited up out, you know, sometimes they vomit if they have eaten too fast or they ate something, you know, that disagreed with them, or it's a hairball, they vomit, and then they return to normal behavior because it's like, oh, I got that out, I feel better.
00:18:30.618 --> 00:18:34.218
Pam Johnson-Bennett: But if they don't feel better after that, that's also a red flag.
00:18:34.558 --> 00:18:37.398
Michelle Fern: Can anxiety cause vomiting?
00:18:37.618 --> 00:18:49.198
Michelle Fern: Like, do some cats get so anxious, they just will sometimes, from a behavior, something different maybe in their pet parents' lifestyle, can that cause a cat to vomit?
00:18:49.438 --> 00:18:51.478
Michelle Fern: Not all the time, but once or twice?
00:18:51.678 --> 00:18:52.618
Dr. Amy Shirley: Yeah, for sure.
00:18:52.638 --> 00:18:58.678
Dr. Amy Shirley: I think, you know, just like certain people, you know, they may vomit as a response to severe anxiety.
00:18:58.898 --> 00:19:01.358
Dr. Amy Shirley: And so, and every cat is just like a person or different.
00:19:02.278 --> 00:19:11.118
Dr. Amy Shirley: And I'll often see, you know, patients, you know, eliminate, like urinate or defecate when they come into the office or in the car right over because they're so stressed.
00:19:11.698 --> 00:19:13.338
Michelle Fern: I actually experienced that.
00:19:13.418 --> 00:19:16.218
Michelle Fern: It was funny, but not so funny, but it's how we found Dennis.
00:19:16.378 --> 00:19:23.078
Michelle Fern: I learned that you really have to make sure that when the cat is in the carrier, the carrier must be strapped down.
00:19:23.498 --> 00:19:27.198
Michelle Fern: Otherwise, they can open it and it's not pretty.
00:19:27.478 --> 00:19:29.318
Michelle Fern: But we had to find out if he was chipped.
00:19:29.338 --> 00:19:30.398
Michelle Fern: That's how I got Dennis.
00:19:30.418 --> 00:19:31.178
Michelle Fern: He was abandoned.
00:19:31.198 --> 00:19:32.398
Michelle Fern: A little side note.
00:19:32.558 --> 00:19:33.558
Michelle Fern: So let's talk more.
00:19:33.858 --> 00:19:36.558
Michelle Fern: What should a cat-pet parent not do?
00:19:36.618 --> 00:19:40.878
Michelle Fern: What is something that's a real big no-no when it comes to hairballs?
00:19:41.998 --> 00:19:42.958
Pam Johnson-Bennett: Don't ignore it.
00:19:43.318 --> 00:19:48.058
Pam Johnson-Bennett: Pay attention to how often it's happening, how much hair is in there.
00:19:48.078 --> 00:19:59.118
Pam Johnson-Bennett: I think that's, for me, that's the number one thing, is if it's an occasional hairball, or are you just assuming that cats vomit hairballs and your cat is vomiting them once or twice a day?
00:19:59.178 --> 00:20:00.318
Pam Johnson-Bennett: Don't ignore that.
00:20:00.678 --> 00:20:01.958
Dr. Amy Shirley: I agree with that for sure.
00:20:01.978 --> 00:20:10.598
Dr. Amy Shirley: And I just was going to bring up another symptom that's often associated with hairballs as people will think coughing or hacking is a symptom of hairballs.
00:20:10.618 --> 00:20:12.278
Dr. Amy Shirley: And so a lot of times that will go ignored.
00:20:12.818 --> 00:20:21.258
Dr. Amy Shirley: And they can, especially right before they vomit, they can have some hacking kind of abdominal push, that kind of thing with a hairball.
00:20:21.298 --> 00:20:27.078
Dr. Amy Shirley: But for far more reasons, coughing is a symptom a lot of times of lung disease.
00:20:27.218 --> 00:20:31.238
Dr. Amy Shirley: We do have things like feline asthma, and you don't want to ignore those things.
00:20:31.418 --> 00:20:35.838
Dr. Amy Shirley: Feline heartworm disease is also primarily a lung disease in cats.
00:20:36.178 --> 00:20:40.298
Dr. Amy Shirley: So I'm in Tennessee, and so we have a really high heartworm prevalence here.
00:20:40.318 --> 00:20:44.058
Dr. Amy Shirley: And then also heart disease in cats can cause coughing.
00:20:44.238 --> 00:20:48.578
Dr. Amy Shirley: So again, you don't want to ignore those symptoms and just say, oh, it's probably, it just sounds like a hairball.
00:20:48.598 --> 00:20:50.458
Dr. Amy Shirley: That's one of the complaints that they'll come in.
00:20:50.478 --> 00:20:55.418
Dr. Amy Shirley: They'll be like, yeah, my cat is acting like he's got a hairball, but we'll find out, oh, it's something else.
00:20:55.718 --> 00:20:58.938
Pam Johnson-Bennett: So pay attention to changes in behavior.
00:20:58.958 --> 00:21:03.098
Pam Johnson-Bennett: I feel your relationship with your veterinarian is so important.
00:21:03.778 --> 00:21:17.498
Pam Johnson-Bennett: And any change in behavior, any change in appetite, anything that is a potential red flag, you should be in partnership with your veterinarian so that your cat doesn't have to suffer one moment longer than necessary.
00:21:18.478 --> 00:21:31.518
Pam Johnson-Bennett: And from a hairball standpoint, just overall, you know, practice good maintenance in terms of make sure you're feeding appropriate food, make sure you're grooming your cat on a regular basis.
00:21:32.078 --> 00:21:36.778
Pam Johnson-Bennett: If you need to use hairball remedy, incorporate cat grass, make it fun.
00:21:36.778 --> 00:21:39.378
Pam Johnson-Bennett: That's also an enrichment part for your cat too.
00:21:39.898 --> 00:21:44.538
Pam Johnson-Bennett: And be aware of these things, you know, just cats for so long.
00:21:44.738 --> 00:21:48.378
Pam Johnson-Bennett: And sadly, some of them still are viewed as low maintenance.
00:21:48.918 --> 00:21:58.318
Pam Johnson-Bennett: And so we ignore things in cats until they become these major issues that require, you know, the cat has a blockage and has to go for surgery.
00:21:58.578 --> 00:22:02.438
Pam Johnson-Bennett: So practice good maintenance so that you can prevent these things.
00:22:02.778 --> 00:22:03.738
Michelle Fern: Thank you so much.
00:22:03.978 --> 00:22:11.298
Michelle Fern: So Pam, you mentioned cat grass, and you mentioned that you can purchase cat grass, and there's also kits for it.
00:22:11.718 --> 00:22:12.898
Michelle Fern: What do you prefer?
00:22:13.258 --> 00:22:16.558
Pam Johnson-Bennett: As I said before, I do not like using the grass outside.
00:22:16.578 --> 00:22:22.058
Pam Johnson-Bennett: I like, there's a company called Pet Greens, and I like them because it's organic.
00:22:22.338 --> 00:22:27.518
Pam Johnson-Bennett: You can get delivered live grass that's easy to maintain.
00:22:27.538 --> 00:22:29.218
Pam Johnson-Bennett: You keep it in the refrigerator a little bit.
00:22:29.238 --> 00:22:33.358
Pam Johnson-Bennett: You put it in indirect light, and it's very easy.
00:22:33.398 --> 00:22:36.318
Pam Johnson-Bennett: Or you can buy the Self Grow Kit.
00:22:36.498 --> 00:22:37.678
Pam Johnson-Bennett: It's good quality.
00:22:37.758 --> 00:22:39.658
Pam Johnson-Bennett: It makes it very, very easy.
00:22:39.658 --> 00:22:40.818
Pam Johnson-Bennett: It's a great company.
00:22:41.178 --> 00:22:50.098
Pam Johnson-Bennett: You can order through Amazon, or you can buy it at Petco, or you can go to petgreens.com and find out where you can purchase it or learn more about it.
00:22:50.358 --> 00:22:57.978
Pam Johnson-Bennett: But in general, cat grass is a great addition, but start slowly and help your cat get used to it.
00:22:57.998 --> 00:22:59.618
Michelle Fern: Okay, thank you for that.
00:22:59.918 --> 00:23:03.558
Michelle Fern: So where can people find out more about both of you?
00:23:03.578 --> 00:23:10.258
Dr. Amy Shirley: Yeah, you can find us at our website is familypethealth.com, and we also have a podcast.
00:23:10.578 --> 00:23:15.898
Dr. Amy Shirley: It's called the Family Pet Podcast, and my husband and his brother do that one.
00:23:16.038 --> 00:23:17.258
Dr. Amy Shirley: And it's for pet parents.
00:23:17.278 --> 00:23:18.738
Dr. Amy Shirley: It's not for the veterinary community.
00:23:18.758 --> 00:23:21.978
Dr. Amy Shirley: It's for pet owners, and it usually has the interview.
00:23:21.998 --> 00:23:25.138
Dr. Amy Shirley: They've had Pam Johnson-Bennett, you know, as a wonderful guest.
00:23:25.158 --> 00:23:28.958
Dr. Amy Shirley: And so we've had people on there that will talk about just a host of topics.
00:23:29.378 --> 00:23:35.038
Michelle Fern: Okay, and Pam, I know you have a wonderful website, and you have information on your books on your website.
00:23:35.058 --> 00:23:36.518
Michelle Fern: Can you let people know what that is?
00:23:37.198 --> 00:23:41.398
Pam Johnson-Bennett: Sure, my website is www.catbehaviorassociates.com.
00:23:42.018 --> 00:23:52.458
Pam Johnson-Bennett: And even though I'm an author and I love to sell books, I have a lot of articles on my website that are in-depth, because what's most important to me is that you get the information.
00:23:52.978 --> 00:24:01.058
Pam Johnson-Bennett: So if you can't afford to buy a book, don't want to buy a book, or just have a question about one issue, you can find the answer for the most part there.
00:24:01.178 --> 00:24:03.178
Pam Johnson-Bennett: I just want the education out there.
00:24:03.638 --> 00:24:05.878
Michelle Fern: Thank you, Pam and Dr.
00:24:05.898 --> 00:24:07.558
Michelle Fern: Shirley, for coming on Cattitude.
00:24:07.578 --> 00:24:09.778
Michelle Fern: This has been a fantastic show.
00:24:09.798 --> 00:24:13.538
Michelle Fern: I want to also thank everyone that listens to Cattitude.
00:24:13.558 --> 00:24:18.458
Michelle Fern: You've made this one of the most popular podcasts out there, so thank you so much.
00:24:18.838 --> 00:24:20.718
Michelle Fern: Thanks, of course, to my cat crew.
00:24:21.078 --> 00:24:22.818
Michelle Fern: They teach me stuff every day.
00:24:23.078 --> 00:24:25.978
Michelle Fern: So thank you, Charlotte, Molly and Dennis.
00:24:26.338 --> 00:24:35.018
Michelle Fern: And of course, thank you to my amazing producer, Mark Winter, because he makes this podcast so much better than it would be without him.
00:24:35.418 --> 00:24:38.558
Michelle Fern: And remember, lose the attitude, have cattitude.
00:24:39.198 --> 00:24:44.558
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