Ty the tiger has basketball-sized hairball surgically removed from his stomach It's not unusual for a cat to get a hairball, but a 400-pound tiger needed help from veterinary surgeons in Florida when he couldn't hack up a basketball-size hairball by himself. The 17-year-old tiger named Ty underwent the procedure on Wednesday at a veterinary center in the Tampa Bay area community of Clearwater. Doctors said in a statement that they were able to safely remove the four-pound obstruction from Ty's stomach. Big cat: Ty, a 17-year-old tiger, which is cared for by Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation in Seminole, Florida, was brought to veterinarians after not eating for nearly two weeks Massive: Doctors were able to safely remove the four-pound hairball from Ty's stomach after performing surgery on the tiger The tiger, which is cared for by Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation in Seminole, was brought to veterinarians after not eating for nearly two weeks. Despite the reputation associated with tigers, doctors said Ty was a great patient. Dr Don Woodman, Animal Hospital Northwood, told News 13: 'This tiger specifically is a very, very, nice, very, very, sweet tiger, which is not usually what people think of with tigers - but this individual is a very, very, nice cat.' Doctors said they detected the hairball using a scope with a camera. Surgery: Dr Mike Reems and Dr Don Woodman surgically extract the four-pound hairball from Ty's stomach Vernon Yates, whose nonprofit group regularly assists law enforcement agencies with seized animals, says he's thankful the hairball was removed and Ty is doing fine. Yates told News 13: 'He's sort of like my biggest baby. This is my kid. This tiger means more to me than any cat that I have. He is expected to make a full recovery, doctors said. Father's love: Vernon Yates, who calls Ty 'sort of like my biggest baby' lays his hands on the animal as veterinarians prepare to surgically extract the hairball