Hairballs (trichobezoar) are actually composed of hair and other indigestible material that forms a ball in the digestive tract. Cats are prone to hairball formation because of their grooming habits, where they tend to swallow fur. A cat’s tongue contain rough barbs that are oriented toward the cat’s throat, thus anything that is caught on them is eventually swallowed. Grooming presents excellent opportunities for ingesting hair, considering that they do it every day, several times a day.

Most of the hair that cats swallow pass through the digestive tract without any problem, and end up in their feces. However, there are instances when hairs accumulate and form a tight knot or ball which can’t pass out of the stomach. The cat will eventually try to cough out the hairball, and when it comes out, it looks more like a thin sausage than a ball as a result of passing through esophagus, which is long and narrow.

Frequent vomiting of hairballs is not normal and should be brought to the attention of your Wake Forest, NC veterinarian. To know more, visit this link.