Cat owners know there’s nothing more rewarding in life than falling asleep with a furry ball of love purring by your side — then suddenly waking up at 4 a.m. to the sound of: gyugck, gyugck, gyugck …. BLECH!
Ah yes, the hairball.
The best part is when you get to lie there in bed, trying to guess from the volume and intervals of retching whether you’re about to find your cat’s present on the bathroom tiles (excellent), hardwood floor (pretty good) or carpeted stairs (brutal).
Unfortunately, it’s not so easy trying to explain to Sophie that, if she’d just make sure to barf on a hard surface, I wouldn’t have to use so many paper towels to clean it up. So I’m going to be more proactive as of today, taking the preventative route of grooming her more often, which means there will be fewer hairballs and random tufts of dander-laden fur to clean up.
Plus she loves being brushed, and a happier kitty means a happier owner.
Best brush ever. Our kitties detest the metal brush but come tearing through the house to get brushed when I pick up the little rubber one. They fight over who gets to go first.
I can so relate to this! With 7 kitties at Rosehaven Cottage we have our fair share of this dilemma. I love the grooming brush you have pictured. It looks like a kitty’s dream! Where did you get it? Cindy at Rosehaven Cottage
Aww… Your cat’s adorable.
So is your cat a Russian Blue? – could almost be a littermate for ours- who is very blue, but not Russian. We don’t have to worry about grooming. sigh. He’s male- and such a sweet tempered creature we decided NOT to fix him, on the theory we might like his kittens some day. As a mature intact tom, he’s still very gentle and sweet with the family- but he does act like a tomcat at night- “battlescarred” would be the best adjective, and it includes I think being groomed by coyotes periodically. We usually wish he had more hair…
Greenpa, I hope your beloved tom isn’t out there fathering a slew of unwanted kittens- since you say he’s battlescarred and such, sounds like he’s an outdoor cat. You may want to check with the neighbours- there may already be a ‘blue’ kitten of his out there waiting for you. Then you can neuter him and save all those other unwanted kits from being put down or getting distemper or (if you live in the country) getting taken by abovementioned coyotes as lunch.
Re: blue rubber brush
Thanks to the wonders (not) of globalisation I have the exact same blue rubber brush sitting on my porch, half a world away in Australia. I got it free with some flea treatment (and a red rubber dog brush with my next packet). It never occurred to me how far it travelled – and I’m sure it did come from north america (probably via china).
Esme- I understand your concern- but the reality is- males make NO difference in the birth rate; of any species, anywhere, at any time. Seems unfair, but there you are- males truly are irrelevant. I say this as one who has studied the mathematics of population dynamics extensively, at the PhD level..
basically, if there’s a fertile female who truly wants to be pregnant, she’ll find a way. And the males never have babies.
Esme- boy, that sounded a kinda snooty, huh? Sorry- I was really just in a hurry and thinking only of MY situation- which includes a huge population of really feral cats- hundreds, in the woods and farms. SURE; if you live in a suburb, or city where the cat population is at least a little under control- an unfixed tom CAN make more babies than might otherwise happen.
The brush is called Kong Zoom Rubber brush for cats, and it’s made in USA. They also have a dog shaped rubber brush for dogs.