Hairball

Hairball

A hairball is a small collection of hair or fur formed in the stomach of animals that is occasionally vomited up when it becomes too big. Hairballs are primarily a tight elongated cylinder of packed fur, but may include bits of vomit or recently swallowed food. Cats are especially prone to hairball formation since they groom themselves by licking their fur, and thereby ingest it. Rabbits are also prone to hairballs because they groom themselves in the same fashion as cats, but hairballs are especially dangerous for rabbits because they cannot regurgitate them. Because the digestive system of a rabbit is very fragile, rabbit hairballs must be treated immediately or they may cause the animal to stop feeding and, ultimately, die by dehydration.

Cattle are also known to accumulate hairballs, but, as they do not vomit, these are found usually after death and can grow quite large.

Although uncommon in humans, some hairballs have been reported, often in young girls as a result of trichophagia, trichotillomania and pica. In 2003, a 3-year old girl in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada had a grapefruit-sized hairball surgically removed from her stomach and in 2004, an 18-year old woman from McAdam, New Brunswick, Canada had a 5-lb hairball surgically removed from her lower intestine. Hairballs can be quite hazardous in humans, since hair cannot be digested or passed by the human gastrointestinal system, and (assuming it is identified) even vomiting may be ineffective at removing the hair mass. This can result in the general impairment of the digestive system.

See also

*Trichobezoar


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  • hairball — hair ball , hair ball hair ball (h[^a]r b[e^]l ), n. a compact mass of hair that forms in the stomach of animals as a result of licking fur; as, the cat coughed up a hairball right on the new rug. [WordNet sense 1 + 2] [WordNet 1.5] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • hairball — (n.) 1712, from HAIR (Cf. hair) + BALL (Cf. ball) (n.1) …   Etymology dictionary

  • hairball — ► NOUN ▪ a ball of hair which collects in the stomach of an animal as a result of the animal licking its coat …   English terms dictionary

  • hairball — [her′bôl΄] n. a rounded mass of hair that may form in the stomach or intestines of a cow, cat, or other animal that licks its coat …   English World dictionary

  • hairball — 1. AND furball n. an obnoxious person. □ I wish that the guys I date didn’t always turn out to be hairballs. □ Stop being such a furball, Wally. 2. exclam. How awful! (Usually Hairball! An exclamation of disgust. From the name of the undigested… …   Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions

  • hairball — noun a) A small wad of fur or mass of hair formed in the digestive system of a cat or other animal, from hair ingested while grooming. The contract negotiations are turning into a real hairball. b) A messy, tangled …   Wiktionary

  • hairball — /hair bawl /, n. a ball of hair accumulated in the stomach or intestines of a cat or other animal as a result of the animal s licking its coat. [1705 15; HAIR + BALL1] * * * also called  furball        gastrointestinal obstruction occurring in… …   Universalium

  • Hairball — A wad of swallowed hair. Hairballs can sometimes be found to cause blockage of the digestive system, especially at the exit of the stomach. Interestingly, in the Far East culture, hairballs are felt to have medicinal properties! Also called a… …   Medical dictionary

  • hairball — n American an unpleasant and/or despicable per son, by analogy with something vomited by a cat. The phrase owes its usage from the 1980s partly to the fact that, while offensive, it is not obscene and can therefore be used in television dramas… …   Contemporary slang

  • hairball — n. mass of hair found in the stomach of a cat or other animal …   English contemporary dictionary

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