Why do cats get hairballs?
Have you ever seen a cat giving him or herself a bath? Cats clean themselves using their special tongues!
Because a cat's tongue is brush-like, some of their hair gets caught in the tongue when they lick themselves clean. Usually this hair passes when the cat goes to the bathroom, but sometimes a little bit of it will stay in the stomach .When a little bit of hair has built up in the stomach, cats spit it back up in the form of a hairball!
Certain cats, like cats with longer hair or cats who groom themselves a lot, are more likely to get hairballs than others. Since we clean ourselves with soap and water instead of with our tongues, we don't have to worry about spitting up a hairball! Instead of licking to get clean, we just have to suds up a nice, warm washcloth!
Exploration
Cool Cat! Here are some cool facts about cats!
Cats can tell if a space they walk through is big enough for their whole body by using their whiskers to measure! A cat can jump between five and seven times as high as the length of its tail! A cat's nose has a unique pattern on it that is unlike that of any other cat! (Similar to people's fingerprints!)
What other neat facts about cats have you learned??
Further Information
Even though it can be yucky, most cats who get a hairball spit it up without any problems. However, hairballs can occasionally be troublesome for cats. If you think something is wrong, always tell a grown-up.