Conference misery::feline_v1

    Worry not.  It's the season - sometimes I feel like making a cat-hair
    pillow (king size).  If one of the kids is on my lap and I start
    patting or rubbing, the stuff is everywhere.  I try to comb anyone
    that shows up on the couch (comb is always on the coffee table)
    - in the course of a week everyone gets done 2 or 3 times. Or I'll
    get down on the rug (just after I've vacuumed, of course) with the
    brush and say "anyone want their hair*s* combed - usually 5 or 6
    will show up and sort of sit and wait their turn.  Most of them
    love it!  Katenka is usually the first to come by - she really
    loves having her hairs combed & brushed.  She's cute - she will
    close her eyes and sort of get a silly look on her face.....
    it's fun and a good way to spend quality time with each baby.
    
    

    Aja's fur not only falls out and flys about the house but has the
    amazing ability to actually weave itself into my clothes.
    
    Just try taking a single cat hair and, while holding one end, try
    to weave the other end into some finely woven cloth. Nope. You
    can't make the hair do it. Only cats can and they're not telling
    you how. Phhhttt.....
    
    Edd (Red_Carpet_and_White_Cat_means_pink_floors)

    i have the same problem with verne and shirl.  white kitties too!
    i just wish the carpet was too.  
    
    is  there anything that can help this shedding?  say some kind of
    food?  because one of my babies was sick the other day and i assumed
    its hairballs.
    
    thanks in advance.
    

    Re: .3
    
    I brush my guys a lot.  They like it and I assume I'm reducing the
    shedding and also the chance they'll get hairballs from grooming
    the hair out themselves, since I do comb out quite a bit of hair.
                             

If you were stuck with a fur coat, you'd shed too!  No food will help stop
shedding, and you wouldn't want it - shedding is the cats way of regulating
the ambient body temp during hot weather.  However, you should be feeding
your little loves a fur ball eliminator (I use PETROMALT) at least twice
a week - 3 times a week for long haired lovelies in this weather.  This
way, the fur ball will pass through, not jump back up on your carpet.

I know what you guys mean about flying hair, Samson has long black hair
and Hannah has shortish cream colored hair - we get EVERYONE and EVERYTHING
covered around here - even though I brush and comb daily!

    While we are on the subject, how would I know if my cats were having
    a problem with furballs?  They groom themselves constantly, and
    they are bothe shedding considerably nowadays.  However, they have
    never vomitted furballs, nor do they appear to have any problem
    with them.  Should I be giving them some type of fur ball eliminator?
    Or, should I wait until their is a problem before I start?
    Thanx.
    	-Nancy

    I was wondering why Zildjian has been vomitting (daily).  Actually,
    I know why, all I have to do is look at it and I can't believe she
    injests furballs that size.  No wonder she has to vomit!  I heard
    vaseline (rubbed on the front paws) helps this, but as of yet, it
    has not helped her.
    
    I feel so bad for her, but she feels *much* better after getting
    it out of her system.  What's a poor mother to do?  Just lots of
    hugs and kisses, and don't get too upset that the bedspread has
    to be washed every other day.
    
    Anna/Zildjian/Spunky
    

    Re: .7
    
    Is this happening even with brushing all the furfaces in the house
    (don't forget, they groom each other)?  I don't know how effective
    vaseline is, maybe you should try one of the products made specifically
    for this, like Laxatone or Petromalt.
    

    You could also try Femalt (sp?) it's fishy flavored!  Most of my
    guys will lick it from the tube - the ones that resist have it
    rubbed on their paw - much to their dismay.    I sometimes wonder
    why my guys aren't bald from the amount of hair I can comb out!
    
    Funny, this morning when I sat down here in the office, I looked
    at my blue chair and saw white Yurii,Katenka,Malinka,Victoria hairs
    all over the back of this chair.  The d^&^m hair even chases me
    into work!  Guess it's because whoever is in my path as I leave
    the house gets a hug!                                          
    
    E.T.

    Last Friday when I finished brushing my guys, I looked at the huge
    lump of multi-colored fuzzy and realized that I had enough left
    over to knit myself an entire new cat!
    
    Marion

    I've actually heard of people who save fur and make yarn from it.
    Anyone know how to card (or whatever it's called)? :-)
                                                      
    

    Don't know anyone who makes yarn or sweaters out of cat fur, but
    I know it can be done because our dog's breeder saves her dogs'
    fur for that purpose.  One of her kennel helpers makes her own
    yarn and knits sweaters from the fur.  They're pretty but kind 
    of itchy.
    
    Karen, Tristan and Tenzing.

re: question about when to treat for furballs...

I treat continually, year around, thereby avoiding the possibility of
getting a furball so big it cannot be passed....then there is a need
for surgery.  I have had GOOD results using petromalt and I've heard
it isn't particularly healthy for cats to eat vasaline - besides, my
babies LIKE petromalt...I'd be willing to bet they DON'T like vasaline.
I use petromalt once a week during the winter, and up to 3 times a week
during the summer.  A quick smear on a paw or just offering a large
glob on a finger works for me and keeps my "fur generators"
healthy.

    
    I think the only things that suffer from fur balls in my house are
    my chairs, my carpet and me!!!
    
    My boys malt all year round....I guess its because of the weather
    over here...I day sunny the next its raining again - their coats
    must get really confused!!!
    
    Sharon, Dillan and poorly Sammie - UK
    

    I saw a report on our local news programme the other night about
    a woman who knitted cardigans from her cat's fur.  I forget what
    breed the cat was but she had beautiful, browny coloured fur and
    the cardigan was super!
    
    It was the first time I'd ever heard of this!
    
    Karen

    
    The only thing I've seen on telly recently about knitting things
    from animals fur (apart from sheep that is) was this lovely Angora
    rabbit sat on a womans lap while she tugged great clumps of fur
    from it...it's a wonder it wasn't bald (poor little thing).
    
    Sharon
    

    Well, maybe it didn't hurt.  Perhaps it was like combing a cat.
     Did the rabbit seem to mind?
    

We saw some rabbits at a local fair last summer, and they explained that
you have to remove fur or it would become matted and uncomfortable.  The
preferred method of removal is to pull it out.  We thought it looked like
cruel and unusual punishment, but the rabbit owners assured us it didn't
hurt and that in fact the animals even liked it!  I don't know if I'd have
the heart...


Jan  who_has_a_neighbor's_bunny_who_visits_but_isn't_plucked

    My groomer explained that the increased shedding could be due to
    dryness and sold me a bottle of dietary supplement to be put in
    the food.  I forget the name off hand, but...it works a LITTLE ;').
    
    
    

    BUY SOME KITTY MALT, AT YOUR LOCAL PET STORE, OR GET SOME FROM YOUR
    VET (WHICH HAS IRON IN IT AND SOME OTHER HELPFUL THINGS IN IT)
    
    THIS HOT WEATHER HASN'T BEEN HELPING EITHER, ALONG WITH THE HUMIDITY.
    

    We have some friends who have a rug made out of their dog (his fur
    that is!).  He was (RIP) a samoyed and had beautiful white hair.
    Since his death, the have moved the rug up to the wall as a wall
    hanging.  (out of respect)  Whenever we visit, we stop by and pet
    the wall hanging.  I can't believe this... I am sitting here cracking
    up as I write this!! 8^) 8^) 8^)  I never thought it was that funny
    until I tried to write it here!
    
    I have used vaseline on my cats and they love it.  I usually use
    Petromalt, but we have been out of it.  A couple of my guys actually
    prefer the vaseline.
    
    Jo
    
    Please forgive me if the dog story was offensive to you.
    Also - forgive me if it sent you into gales of laughter and everyone
    in the cubes around you now thinks you are looney tunes!  
    

    My baby has very long fur and he too sheds like mad.  The fur flies
    all the time.  I use Vaseline and though he hates it, he licks it off
    as quick as I put it on.  As far as brushing is concerned he get
    brushed as often as I can, but HATES it.  
    
    The only solution I can find on de-shedding so the fur doesn't follow
    me to work, is that I keep a lint brush near the door and on the way
    out I de-shed.  I still find Nickie's fur here and there but atleast
    I don't look like I bathed in it.
    
    Deb/Nicolas Peabody