Cat Hairballs Have a Surprisingly Fancy Name

Every cat owner knows the sound. That distinctive hacking, gagging, retching noise that sends you scrambling for paper towels. But here's something to make that cleanup feel slightly more dignified: what your cat just deposited on your carpet has a proper medical name. It's called a bezoar.

The term sounds like something out of a fantasy novel, and honestly, it kind of is. The word comes from the Persian pādzahr, meaning "antidote" or "counter-poison." For centuries, bezoars were believed to have magical healing properties.

Not Just for Cats

While we most commonly associate hairballs with our feline friends, bezoars can form in the digestive systems of many animals—and humans too. A bezoar is technically any mass of indigestible material that accumulates in the gastrointestinal tract.

There are several types:

• Trichobezoars — made of hair (what cats produce)
• Phytobezoars — made of plant fibers
• Lactobezoars — made of milk protein, sometimes found in infants
• Pharmacobezoars — made of medications that clump together

So your cat's hairball is specifically a trichobezoar. Feel free to use that at your next dinner party.

Why Cats Get Them

Cats are meticulous groomers, spending up to 50% of their waking hours cleaning themselves. Their tongues are covered in tiny hook-like structures called papillae that catch loose fur with every lick. Most of this hair passes through the digestive system without issue, but some accumulates in the stomach.

When enough hair builds up, the cat's body does what it does best—rejects it dramatically, usually on your most expensive rug at 3 AM.

The Magical History of Bezoars

Here's where it gets interesting. Bezoars found in the stomachs of goats and other ruminants were once considered priceless treasures. Medieval physicians believed these stones could neutralize any poison, making them essential equipment for paranoid royalty.

Queen Elizabeth I kept a bezoar set in a silver ring. The stones were passed down through royal families like crown jewels. Some bezoars sold for ten times their weight in gold.

Of course, they didn't actually work. When French surgeon Ambroise Paré tested a bezoar on a condemned prisoner who'd been given poison in 1575, the man died in agony. Science: 1, Magic: 0.

Modern Bezoar Problems

Today, bezoars are recognized as a medical condition that occasionally requires treatment in humans. People with certain psychological conditions may develop trichobezoars from eating their own hair—a condition called Rapunzel syndrome when the hair mass extends from the stomach into the intestines.

For cats, frequent hairballs can indicate overgrooming due to stress, skin conditions, or dietary issues. Regular brushing and specialized hairball-control foods can help reduce the frequency of those unwelcome 3 AM surprises.

So the next time your cat presents you with a slimy gift, you can at least appreciate that it has a name befitting its dramatic delivery. A bezoar. A trichobezoar, if you want to be precise about it. Your cat, of course, will remain completely indifferent to the terminology.