# Is my cat actually pooping hairballs?



## Palanggingging (Oct 10, 2004)

Sorry, I first posted this in Behavior but I think this is more of a health issue.

We have 2 cats, 5 years old, indoor. Today, Snowball came up from downstairs where the litter box is and was frantic and agitated, then started dragging his butt across the floor. He was very distressed about it. I went to have a look (did the old pet-the-cat-on-the-back-to-make-him-lift-the-tail routine), and there was something there on his butt which I first assumed would be poo that didn't properly detach. I pulled it off with a paper towel, and was surprised that it didn't appear to be poo. I'll try to describe it as best I can: it was about the size of a quarter (well not as wide) and looked like a clump of partially rotted hairs that you would pull out of the drain from a clogged shower. It was very wet, spongy and squishy. It was not at all poo-like, and I don't mean to be gross but it also didn't have any obvious smell. It also reminded me a bit of what a hairball looks like when it is puked up but just not as long, but I have only witnessed them puking up a hairball twice... once was the other cat several years ago, and once was Snowball just a few days ago. 

Additional data points: 3 or 4 days ago, I walked over to my favorite chair to sit down, and suddenly there was a SQUISH as I put my foot in front of the chair. Horrified, I picked it up with a paper towel but it wasn't a poo -- it was the identical type of squish hairy clump, same size as the one I saw today. It didn't leave any residue on my bare foot, or the floor or the paper towel like I'd expect a poo to do. It did not look like it was puked up; I suspect it was wiped off his butt like the other one.

A week ago, he pooped twice (same evening) on the floor in the same basement as the litter box (but not near it). The poops looked normal, except they weren't where they were supposed to be, and this has not happened since he was a kitten. After that, nothing new appeared for 2 days (I expect one per day per cat) which I also found odd.

Any idea what is going on here and what I can do? Is it possible for a hairball to come out a cats butt? And if so, why would it not smell? No, I do not believe this is just some clump of hair from his body -- it is wet, squishy and digested-looking. It also would not make any sense to puke out a hairball and somehow get it stuck on one's butt -- that does not seem possible. Plus these butt hairballs are far smaller than a puked hairball.


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## irishdanza08 (Aug 30, 2009)

If you brush your cat regularly, then only a small amount of hair will be left for the cat to pull off with her tongue and ingest. That hair goes through their system and is pooped out, without causing any problem. However if your cat is shedding very heavily, and/or you are not brushing regularly, then the hair gets into the cat's stomach in such a volume that it rolls up into a ball. The cat then either poops out the ball - which can get stuck along the way and cause intestinal problems - or the cat pukes the ball back up. 
is this of any help to you?


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