4-Pound Hairball Surgically Removed From Tiger’s Stomach

4 pound hairball Ty the Tiger

Ty the tiger, living in Clearwater, Florida, can finally rest now after a basketball-sized hairball was safely removed surgically from the feline’s stomach.

After noticing that the 400-pound cat had not eaten on his own for nearly two weeks, Dr. Brian Luria did an ultrasound and then took X-Rays before finally using a scope with a camera to assess the problem.

ty in surgery

The big cat underwent surgery in order to get the huge hairball removed, which weighed in at 4 pounds! Now the 17-year-old tiger, who is old as far as tigers go, and has lost 100 pounds during his fast, is being force fed, according to Associated Press.

Hairball Ty the Tiger

Vernon Yates, who is best known for capturing the Mystery Monkey and who is with the nonprofit Wildlife and Rescue and Rehabilitation Inc., which brought in the tiger, said, “He’s sort of like my biggest baby, my kid.” Yates regularly assists law enforcement with seized animals and says Ty is doing fine.