The next time the family kitty hacks up a hairball, the tale of Ty the tiger may come to mind.
The 400-pound resident of the Florida facility run by Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Inc., a non-profit organization that works with Florida law enforcement to provide housing for animals that have been seized, had a giant hairball lodged in his throat and went two weeks without eating --- until his handlers realized there was a problem and took him to the veterinarian, CBS reported.
The staff at at BluePearl Veterinary Partners in Clearwater, Fla. Took several X-rays, and conducted an ultrasound before internal medicine specialist Brian Luria peered down the feline's throat with a camera scope and ran up against the basketball-sized ball or hair, which was so large surgery was needed to remove it.
Dr. Mike Reems, a board-certified surgeon from BluePearl, and Dr. Don Woodman, owner of another area animal hospital, successfully pulled out the four-pound hairball.
"I'm just extremely thankful for the help Dr. Woodman, Dr. Reems and the staff at BluePearl provided," Vernon Yates, founder of the wildlife rescue, said in a press release.
Hairballs are a natural byproduct of the feline grooming process, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
When cats of all stripes groom themselves, they may swallow hair, and while most of it will pass through their system, some of it collects in the small intestine, creating hairballs. The felines will then try to hack, gag or retch to vomit up the offending clump, Medical Daily reports.
That's what Ty most likely trying to do, after he accumulated the large amount of hair through his daily hygienic routine.
Cats with large hairballs usually experience a loss of appetite, constipation, and diarrhea. Reoccurring hairballs may point to more serious problems in the gastrointestinal tract, such as inflammatory bowel disease, or even cancer.