Cat question

[Readytogo]

Well, this is an RV forum but you all are such a wealth of knowledge on everything! I have not owned as many cats as dogs and have a question. My kittycat Fluffly is very furry and Ive noticed last couple of days HUGE furballs hes spit up. Im afrtaid they might hurt him somehow they arer so big, is there special food or something for this? I also am starting to brush him everyday. Thanks kittycat owners. Wendy

[sharon]

That's pretty normal for cats....it's also pretty normal if you only have one rug in the whole house for them to hack up a hairball on that rug. Go to petco or one of the other pet supply stores or your vet and get some hairball remedy. It's pretty much just flavored vaseline. Works well on the Sam-cat when I remember to give it to him. Sometimes he'll lick it off my finger and other times I have to try and get it in his mouth...or at least the general vicinity of his mouth so he'll clean it off. Sometimes you can just put it on top of their paw and they'll lick it off, but I don't like that greasy feel on his paw for the couple of days it takes for him to get it all off. Cat's that clean themselves often hack more than those that don't. And of course, this time of year they're shedding more than usual losing their winter coat. Sam sheds a LOT!!

Funny you brought this up today, I had to clean a big one off of the carpet this morning. Obviously, I've been neglectfull in giving him the stuff. Nothing like stepping on cold hairball first thing in the morning.

[BirdbyBird]

What that Sharon lady said...... And as long as they are hacking them up...they aren't getting blocked up Brushing will help...

[flick4411]

Hiya...with three cats in the house, I"ve become a pro. Try a wire brush then a softer brush. The wire will get the soft fluffy underhair, and the softer brush will pull the longer hair. And yes, there are some great foods for long haired cats. I buy food from Pet Food Direct. You can check for the different types including the various ones for hair balls. The malt or salmon flavored hairball remedies (flavored vaseline) work too, but it can get messy. My mom swears by plain vaseline...her kitty eats it right from her fingers. My girls are not interested in any gooey stuff. So we brush every night...my big cat waddles down the stairs, and I brush all three one by one. Everyone gets a turn and, mostly, they respect the pecking order. If I skip a few days, say when I'm away on business, I come home to fur balls here and there. Oh goodie! On top of the food or gooey stuff for the kitty, get yourself a bottle of "Resolve"! It honestly cleans anything including cat barf and cat food coloring. I couldn't live without it!!!

[Readytogo]

Well, at least he's not staining the carpet, they come up in neat little compact stringy things. Oh Ill leave, this is gross!

[DeeRV]

There are two views on hairballs. One is to leave them alone, cause it's a natural cat thing. The other is to be pro-active and help to prevent them. I'm in that category, if only because when I see one in the distance I pray "Please don't let it be a mouse or poop"!

I've used the "goo in the tube" but my cats don't like it at all. I've also forgotten at times to use it. It is the product that works the best because it essentially acts as a laxative which moves things along and out. It's not without problems though (the former pharmacist in me needs to say that). If not given a minimum of 2 hours before food it can interfere with mineral and nutrient absorption. Also please read directions carefully or/and check with your vet prior to administration. It is not meant for daily use (unless directed by vet of course). Daily use (a max usually of 5 days) is only used when there are hairballs already formed that the cat can't get out by either hacking, vomiting or pooping.

With that said, it is a good product for use several times a week, in the dose recommended to help prevent the formation of hairballs.

I currently brush my cats daily, and use Iams' Hairball Care Proactive Health dry kibble for their meals instead of the "goo". It contains fiber to help with digestion and help reduce hairballs, is chicken flavored which they love, contains omega-3 fish oils for their coat, and antioxidants for all that other good stuff. Tho it doesn't prevent hairballs entirely, it helps greatly.

I also give them a teaspoon to tablespoon of Libby's 100% pumpkin (not the filler which contains sugar) a few times a week for the fiber. This also helps prevent hairballs. I always keep a can handy at home or on the road to give in case of diarrhea or constipation. It works for both. They love the taste of it.

Here's a good article to read about hairball prevention:

http://www.essortment.com/pet-cats-hairballs-22444.html

Dee

[sharon]

Must be nice, guys....The Samcat belonged to my DH...to say he spoiled him is the understatement of the year. Maybe the decade. He used to get a small can of food in the morning and if he turned his nose up at it, Jack gave it to the dog and got him a different flavor. Needless to say that crap stopped about a week after Jack passed. He flat refuses to eat ANY dry cat food that is good for him. I've spent a small fortune trying all of the good stuff and gave it all away after a week. Meow Mix is his favorite. Jack brushed him and clipped his claws. He won't let me do either. When Jack called him he came at a dead run. If I call him, he MAY, depending on his mood, come at a slow stroll. He walked with Jack every evening when he took his walk....I walked a 100# German Shepherd. If you can imagine a 6'4" 250# guy walking a cat, and a 5'3" 120# woman walking a huge dog....the neighborhood got their evening giggle. So, that being said, I do what I can to keep him healthy and happy, put up with the hair everywhere, clean up his puke, keep his litter box clean (he always has access to the outside, but likes to sit and watch me clean it with a big cat smile on his face ) and give him lovin's whenever he wants, and take him whenever I go. He's a big PITA, but I do this for my beloved husband.

[VickieP]

a big cat smile on his face

Maybe you could introduce Sam to Dee's Suzy and her cute little outfit, he'd get a really big smile on his face!

[sharon]

a big cat smile on his face

Maybe you could introduce Sam to Dee's Suzy and her cute little outfit, he'd get a really big smile on his face!

Yeah, except Sam isn't fond of other kitties, female or otherwise. He was actually acquired for one of my shephards that loved cats. She was going into renal failure and her cat had just died, so my daughter came home with Sam. He was less than 6 weeks old, but the mom had quit feeding the kittens. Roxy raised Sam until she died 6 months later, which is why he doesn't understand he's a cat and not a dog. At that time he decided he belonged to Jack, who only tolerated the cats because of the field mice. Jack finally gave up and they became best buddies. He's the only animal we ever had that he let on the bed. (He said Sam was lonely) He likes dogs, not so much other cats.

[BarbaraRose]

There are treats now that are for furballs. I've never had a cat yet that even tolerates the furball stuff. I've tried putting it on their paw and they just shake their paw and the stuff goes flying everywhere! The ferrets, on the otherhand, loved that stuff and would steal the tube whenever they got the chance! I would rub it on their bellies and then clip their claws while they were busy licking it off!

Also, the Furminator brush is great for getting the loose undercoat off but you need to do that outside since the fur will be coming out by the handfulls and flying around all over, at least for awhile.

[sharon]

Have the furminator and the claw marks to prove it.

[flick4411]

OMG, Sharon, I'm howling with laughter--with you but not at you!

Unfortunately, we share this adventure. My Habibi kitty was owned by another family before I got her. The husband, my boss at the time, adored her and vice versa. The wife hated the cat. Each time my boss went on duty travel away from Kuwait, the wife kicked the cat out of the house. Didn't matter if it was raining or 130 degrees outside, the cat went out when the boss was gone. When he'd get home, he'd call Habibi and she come running home and back into the house. When they left, my boss swore on bended knee (really!!) he would send for Habibi once they got settled in the US if only I could watch her for a month or six weeks. So I agreed... But in the end, they never really tried to get her back. Habibi was a nut case at first...she howled all the time to go out. She lived under the couch or chair for weeks. If I'd had a place to put her, I would have...I had two senior felines waiting for me at my mom's house in WA. But eventually Habibi decided to be friendly--she was lonely I think. Fast forward to today...I have spent over two years getting her to fully trust me...I can cut the back nails, but can only get the occasional front claw before risking bites and scratches. She continually stalks the two old cats, causing them great angst.

And yet, she in two years, she has been one of the sweetest cats I've ever known. But ONLY ON HER TERMS! And either I accept that or we have no relationship. She is a cute, smart, and PITA cat. I don't know how old Sam is, but cats can learn. He's obviously got cheap taste...all cats love the cheap food. Why? I dont know. I, like you, have spent a bunch of money on food no one will eat. My cats won't eat canned food of any variety. After finally finding a good quality food all three would eat for a few years, the old girls started to have gastro problems with it. Had to go through four different foods to find another one that everyone could/would eat. What a waste of good money. For now, we've found one (Royal Canin) everyone will eat and can tolerate for now. I've cleaned up more barf than I care to admit. Some were fur balls, most were not. Most were, "I ate too fast," "I don't like this anymore, " or "I can't tolerate this food anymore."

Give him time...keep "asking" him to interact with you. If he's not too old, he'll come around, but it takes time and patience on the hooman's part! Forcing a cat to do anything is impossible--hooman's always lose that battle! And while Sam smiles when you clean the litter box, mine like to wait til I walk away with the poop and pee clumps and then they jump right in again and use the clean box again! REALLY? You had to wait until I cleaned it to jump back in??? REALLY???

Just remember, "Dogs have owners; Cats have staff..."

[sharon]

Oh, there's not a problem with interaction...he sits on my lap all of the time and sheds. He loves to be petted and gives me kitty kisses on the chin with his sandpaper tongue. Sleeps with me up close and personal when he's cold. He just doesn't let me do the necessary maintenence on him that he let Jack do. He even brings me presents and is nice enough not to kill them so I can play with them too...mice, moles, anything that's furry that he thinks I might like. Even a couple of birds that I was able to capture and release back outside. That really makes him mad! How could I after all of the trouble he went to to get them for me????? He's 9 now, so I expect he'll be traveling with me for quite a few years to come. Jack used to worry about how he would take to traveling and what were we gonna do when we started to fulltime. I told him we were gonna throw him in the rv and leave...and that's what I did. 0430 in the morning, still dark, got thru the interchanges, started up Cajon Pass, he's pacing in the front window, then he decides he wants out the window, all of my controls are on a board there, I've got mirrors going in and out, sun shades going up and down, exhaust brake on and off, air horn blaring on and off and I'm trying to drive, change lanes, dodge trucks and shoo him off. It got real exciting there for a while. (First time towing, too, in my other coach, 38ft pusher) I found a place to pull off, got everything reset, grabbed the fly swatter and everytime he put a paw towards the controls I slapped at him. He finally got the message and settled down and rode in the left front corner of the window. Now he's a pro traveler with 50,000 miles under his fur. Sorry for the long post, I've just really really been missing Jack the last couple of days. No reason for it, either. Anyway, I love him to pieces, he's just a PITA a good part of the time. Thought you might like these:

[mitch5252]

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I'm lovin' that last picture...could he maybe get a LITTLE more relaxed?

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[sharon]

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I'm lovin' that last picture...could he maybe get a LITTLE more relaxed?

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Give him a break, little guy had a hard day's driving! It's not easy making sure mom gets to where she's headed w/o getting lost and watching to make sure she doesn't hit those trucks with her mirrors when she passes ya know!