hairball
Enable an agent to recognise a hairball, record its composition and formation context, assess its observed state, and identify appropriate handling or escalation.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
5 bundles · 9 layers · 13 findings · 21 questions
Hair aggregate identity Establishes whether the candidate is a discrete mass structurally dominated by hair.
Hair composition
Records the evidence that hair is the defining constituent.
Hair as structural component
The model must distinguish identified hair from fibres that merely resemble it and record whether hair predominates.
- What observation or examination establishes that the principal strands are hair? definition
- Is hair the main structural material, or an incidental inclusion in another aggregate? boundary
Aggregate boundary
Distinguishes a detached mass from loose strands and attached hair mats.
Discrete detached mass
An identifiable aggregate boundary is needed without requiring a round shape or disturbing the mass to test it.
- What visible entanglement or compaction makes this one mass rather than scattered hairs? definition
- Is any part still attached to hair-bearing skin, making an attached mat the more appropriate classification? boundary
Formation and origin Separates the source of the hair from the place and process of aggregation.
Hair source attribution
Records which organism or organisms supplied the hair and how that attribution was made.
Source versus host
Hair-source attribution and association with a host must remain separate unless evidence connects them.
- Which organism is the hair attributed to, and what evidence supports that attribution? provenance
- Is the associated host known to be the hair source, or is that relationship uncertain? provenance
Aggregation context
Captures evidence for internal formation, external accumulation or an unknown history.
Formation evidence
The model must preserve the distinction between a witnessed history and an origin inferred from appearance.
- Was the mass observed internally, witnessed being expelled, or simply found outside an organism? provenance
- What evidence supports the proposed aggregation context beyond its appearance? provenance
Mass form and integrity Describes hair entanglement, geometry and accompanying material.
Geometry and compaction
Records dimensions and the arrangement of the hair mass.
Measured aggregate form
Measurements must state whether they describe the intact mass, a compressed mass or recovered fragments.
- What are the length, width and thickness of the mass in its observed condition? measurement
- Is the hair loosely entangled, coherent or densely compacted, and how was this assessed? measurement
Admixtures and alteration
Tracks non-hair material and changes introduced after recovery.
Condition-dependent composition
Moisture, adhering material and preparation history belong with any recorded mass or composition estimate.
- Which non-hair materials are observed, and which identifications remain tentative? measurement
- Was the aggregate weighed or examined before or after drying, washing or separation? provenance
Retention, recovery and response Connects the mass's location and evidence status to handling and professional assessment.
Body location and status
Records whether the mass is retained, expelled or recovered without an established bodily origin.
Retention evidence
The model records attributed findings about internal location and effects without inferring them from a recovered specimen.
- What examination or witnessed event establishes the mass's current or last confirmed location? provenance
- What professional assessment, if any, links this mass to obstruction, irritation or other effects? provenance
Specimen and assessment actions
Supports documenting, retaining or disposing of a recovered mass and linking unresolved concerns to assessment.
Evidence-preserving next action
Actions depend on whether the mass remains in an organism, is needed as a specimen or is ready for disposal.
- Does the retained or suspected mass require veterinary or medical assessment, and who owns that decision? action
- Should the recovered mass be photographed, retained for examination or disposed of under the applicable handling guidance? action
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Check these first
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these check these first hold for the sense of hairball this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Kinds and varieties
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of hairball this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of hairball this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of hairball this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of hairball this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- PHY
- Domain
- PHY.OBJ
What it is Filled
A hairball is a compact, entangled mass formed from swallowed hair in the gastrointestinal tract and subsequently expelled through the mouth, often by a cat.
In scope
- The expelled hair aggregate and its observable boundaries are in scope.
- Hair content, associated material and degree of cohesion are in scope.
- Evidence of gastrointestinal formation and expulsion through the mouth is in scope.
- The mass's current location and observed condition after expulsion are in scope.
- Observation, specimen handling and links to relevant assessments are in scope.
Out of scope
- The host organism and its overall health are separate subjects.
- Grooming, hair ingestion and hair-pulling behaviours or conditions are separate subjects.
- Loose individual hairs without a coherent aggregate are excluded.
- Matted hair still attached to skin is excluded.
- Externally accumulated clumps of hair without gastrointestinal origin are excluded.
- Hair masses retained within the gastrointestinal tract are excluded from this expelled-hairball sense.
- Bezoars composed predominantly of material other than hair are excluded.
- Clinical diagnosis, treatment protocols and preventive product models are excluded.
Why it exists Filled
Enable an agent to recognise a hairball, record its composition and formation context, assess its observed state, and identify appropriate handling or escalation.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Recognisable hair strands form the main structural component, rather than merely appearing as incidental inclusions.
- The strands constitute a discrete entangled or compacted mass, rather than a scattering of separate hairs.
- The mass is detached from living hair-bearing skin, distinguishing it from an attached coat mat.
- Identification depends on composition and aggregation, not on a spherical shape.
- Identification in this sense requires contextual evidence of gastrointestinal origin and expulsion through the mouth.
- Appearance alone leaves identification unconfirmed when gastrointestinal origin or expulsion is unknown.
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Advise giving medicines or remedies to a pet that a vet has not recommended.
- Suggest that repeated retching, vomiting or a swollen belly can wait instead of prompting veterinary care.
- Diagnose a hair mass in a person, which may signal a condition needing medical and mental health care.
- Mock or shame a person who pulls out or swallows their own hair.
Only with a human decision
- Any treatment decision for an animal or person with a suspected blockage.
May
- Explain why cats and other animals bring up hairballs and when a vet should be consulted.
- Record how often a pet brings up hairballs on its keeper's instructions.
- Suggest regular grooming to reduce swallowed hair.
Moral aspects Filled
- Animals cannot report pain, so keepers must watch for signs of blockage.
- Hair swallowing in people is often linked to a mental health condition that deserves compassion.
Who is affected
- Pets
- Pet keepers
- People with hair-pulling disorders
Owners Filled
Steward
Nobody owns it; the pet's keeper or the treating clinician answers for care.
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q851415 - registry parent class
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.hairball
- Wikidata: Q2360566 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2360566)
Direct properties required Filled
- Hair predominance: predominant; mixed or uncertain; incidental; unassessed
- Hair source: Linked organism or sample identification, with attribution confidence
- Formation context: gastrointestinal; external accumulation; other; unknown
- Current location: Linked anatomical site, recovery location or specimen container
- Disposition: retained internally; observed during expulsion; recovered externally; unknown
- Dimensions: Length, width and thickness in mm, with measurement method
- Mass: g, with wet or dry condition and preparation recorded
- Cohesion: loosely entangled; coherent; densely compacted; unassessed
- Associated material: Observed non-hair constituents, each marked identified or suspected
- Assessment linkage: Linked veterinary, medical or specimen assessment, with date and conclusion status
Recognition required Filled
- A tube-shaped or oval wad of matted fur, often wet, brought up by a cat.
- Usually the colour of the animal's coat and mixed with fluid.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- Document the mass through photographs, dimensions and composition observations.
- Classify it as a confirmed or suspected hair aggregate while preserving uncertainty about origin.
- Link it to an observed expulsion event, recovery site or internal examination.
- Record collection, containment and changes caused by specimen handling.
- Route concerns about a retained mass or associated symptoms to the relevant veterinary or medical assessment.
- Compare successive recovered masses without assuming that they came from the same internal aggregate.
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- A large hair mass can block the stomach or intestine and need surgery.
- Frequent hairballs can signal skin, digestive or behavioural problems.
Standards and interfaces not applicable Not applicable
Not applicable
No generally applicable product standard or dedicated regulatory classification governs a naturally formed hairball itself.
Context of use required Filled
- Hairballs are encountered during animal care, particularly when grooming cats swallow loose hair and later expel an accumulated mass.
- They also occur as retained gastrointestinal masses and can be relevant to veterinary or medical assessment.
- Observations help distinguish expelled hair from food, other foreign material or an unexplained episode of retching.
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q2360566: hairball - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Hairball - general description of the item
Open questions
- Does vr.tr.hairball cover externally accumulated hair masses, or only masses formed within an organism?
- Does an existing Vercy model already own the concept of a hair bezoar or trichobezoar, requiring a link rather than a duplicate model?
- What evidence and terminology should distinguish hairballs from mixed hair-and-fibre aggregates without imposing an unsupported composition threshold?
- Which veterinary or medical sources should govern host-specific assessment links and escalation criteria?
- Which measurement and specimen-preservation practices allow useful comparison without destroying evidence about the original mass?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q2360566/spec.json