It is normal for cats to spit out hair balls, because they lick their hair and clean themselves every day. However, some new cat owners don’t know how to judge whether the cat is spitting out hair balls or vomiting? What is the difference between vomiting and vomiting hairballs? Let’s see how to distinguish whether a cat spits out a hair ball or vomits.
1. Check the cat's vomit
Normally, if the cat vomits hair balls, you can see a small amount or a large amount of hair in the vomit. For simple vomiting, vomit is generally food, foamy mucus or yellow water. Therefore, when the cat vomits, the owner can look through the cat's vomit. If it finds hair, it is vomiting hairballs, which is a normal phenomenon.
2. Observe the frequency of vomiting in cats
The frequency of vomiting in cats is very low, and there is a certain regularity, generally not more than 2 times a day. The frequency of vomiting is generally relatively high and irregular, and is often secondary to certain digestive tract diseases, and vomiting will occur multiple times within a day. Therefore, if the cat is found to vomit multiple times within a day, it is like being sick and you need to take the cat to the pet hospital for examination and treatment in time.
3. Observe the mental state of cats
When cats vomit hairballs, they will experience dry retching and vomiting like vomiting. Some cats may have a relatively lower appetite due to vomiting hairballs, while some cats will not be affected. If it is vomiting, the cat's mental and appetite will drop significantly, becoming particularly poor, and may also have symptoms such as diarrhea, drowsiness, and fever. Therefore, once the cat is found to have obvious abnormalities in its mental state, it is necessary to take the cat to the pet hospital for further examination and treatment as soon as possible.