Tiger gets hairball surgery

Photo: The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

In this photo provided by BluePearl Veterinary Partners, Vernon Yates, founder of Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation, lays his hands on Ty, a 400-pound tiger, as staff prepare to surgically extract a 4-pound hairball from the big cat on Wednesday, May 22, 2013, in Clearwater, Fla. (AP Photo/Courtesy BluePearl Veterinary Partners, James Judge)

It's not unusual for a cat to get a hairball, but a 400-pound (180-kilogram) tiger needed help from veterinary surgeons when he couldn't hack up a soccer ball-sized hairball by himself.

The 17-year-old tiger named Ty underwent the procedure Wednesday at a veterinary centre in the Tampa Bay area community of Clearwater. Doctors said in a statement that they safely removed the 4-pound (1.8-kilogram) obstruction from Ty's stomach.

The tiger, which is cared for by Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation in Florida, was brought to veterinarians after not eating for nearly two weeks. Doctors said they detected the hairball using a scope with a camera.

Vernon Yates, whose non-profit group regularly assists law enforcement agencies with seized animals, says he's thankful the hairball was removed and Ty is doing fine.