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.

Introduction to food

I know it was a little early, but the kits kept seeming to be interested in food, and I was wondering how far that interest went.  I personally think the face kits make when they taste food for the first time - good or bad - is quite humorous, so I generally can't resist (no matter how many times I tell myself that kittens will wean on to food on their own with out my help).

The boys both really liked the taste of the food, but they couldn't quite make the connection to the stuff they were smelling and the stuff I put in their mouth.  That's OK.  The girl however LOVED food, and quickly made the connection to the food mom was eating to the stuff I put in her mouth, and went up to the bowl and started eating!!  :)

it was really cute

Skippy

He's such a silly boy.

More Picts

Refresh Everything

I was surfing around kitten blogs (as I'm liked to do when I'm bored) and saw over at Forever Foster a plug for a charity that is listed on the Pepsi Refresh Project.  I thought what a good idea.  I've gone over there a time or two but nothing regular, which I'm a little sad for because there are so many great animal causes.


This one is very close to my heart.  I dream of being able to set up clinics like this for people - well that and a mobile spay neuter RV - and their pets.

Signing up is very easy, and I've never been spammed by them.  You get ten votes a day to vote on ten different projects. So proud of Pepsi for doing this, and a little ashamed of myself for not participating more.  I am so going to have to actually put this in my to-do list so I don't forget.