National Hairball Day

Really? when did this become a holiday???

well whatever. 

I did read several articles on the subject, and most were what you would expect, keep your cat combed well, give hairball remedies, etc.  but one really stood out to me.  It said hairballs were not a natural occurrence for cats, and it was a result of a diet that was inappropriate and or inflammatory responses.

How fascinating.  I have one cat, Ollie, who occasionally throws hairballs, and I generally groom him and they stop.  It got to the point that when I groom him (because he HATES it) I have started to shave his belly down by an inch or two (leaving an inch or two).  When his excess fur is removed and his belly shaved, he doesn't get them any more.  But this definitely got me thinking at the situation completely differently - especially since he once became constipated and now has cancer.  Might this be a symptom of something more???


I remember when I used to work at the vet, and we did fecal samples (poop tests) and from time to time I would get a sample that was mostly hair.  Those were always so interesting to me, because you couldn't tell until you went digging around in them. 


But then part of me wonders about the fact that humans bred cats to have long hair, and maybe that is outside the norm of what happens with a normal cat??  I know cats were designed to have barbs on their tongue that causes them to swallow hair when groomed.  It would only make sense they would be designed to be able to handle that.  But then we go mucking about the genetic code adding longer more beautiful hair...  *shrug* 


I'm all for new ideas and new ways to think of things that are different "from the way they have always been" which is why I'm sharing.  Make of this what you will.