Miss Claeson, Flickr
Many cat owners discover wads of wet fur -- hairballs -- late at night when they step on them with bare feet. Cats seem to instinctively choose to decorate the most stainable portions of the carpet.
It's normal for cats -- especially those with long fur -- to experience hairballs once in a while. Cats spend up to 50 percent of their time awake grooming, and swallow fur in the process. What doesn't end up in the litter box comes out the other end as nasty cigar-shaped hairballs.
But swallowing lots of fur isn't healthy, and hairballs are more than a nasty nuisance. Kitties that produce three or more hairballs a month should be checked by the vet to rule out other health issues. Hairballs cause diarrhea, appetite loss, coughing, retching, constipation -- or even deadly intestinal blockage. Cats have had hairballs as big as baseballs that require surgery to be removed! Most cases won't need surgery, though, and most hairballs can be easily eliminated. Refer to these tips to untangle your cat's hairball problems.









