Cat-Boy and Hairballs

I've had Cat-Boy now for about three months. He's settled into his new
home and is very normal and happy. He has a lot of Maine Coon in him,
so his fur is not only long, but very dense. At a casual glance he
looks fat, but not after you pick him up and realize that there is way
more hair than cat.

When I first got him he was puking up hairballs about once a week.
We're talking serious hairballs, so big I am amazed he can get them
through his throat. He's a good boy about it, though. As soon as he
throws up he comes to me and meows to get my attention, then goes to
the pile of puke on the floor and tries to cover it up. Since there is
no litter to cover it with the exercise is unsuccessful, but on the
other hand he manages to get his papa to go clean it up with a paper
towel, and that satisfies him.

Someone here suggested the hairball remedy type food, so I bought
some. It worked great until the past couple of weeks. Now he's back to
throwing up about once a week. I suspect the problem is that it is
spring here and he is probably shedding some of his old hair. Even the
hairball remedy cat food can't handle the volume.

I've tried brushing him, but he doesn't seem to like being brushed.
He's extremely affectionate, loves sitting in my lap, being petted and
getting attention. But when I bring out a comb or brush he reaches for
it and tries to bite it. He doesn't really complain or scratch me when
I try to brush him, but constantly fighting with him for control of
the brush makes it just about impossible to accomplish anything.
Furthermore, surprisingly, when I do brush him I don't get a lot of
fur in the brush. He grooms himself all the time, so I suspect he's
taking care of the fur all by himself, leaving little for me to brush
out. That's great, except when I have to clean it up off the floor.

What I'm wondering is if there might be a better hairball remedy food
I can get -- maybe one with more hooks in it to catch the hair. He
won't touch canned food (I've tried over and over). But he'll eat most
any kind of dry food. I've been giving him Purina One and Iams
Regular, both the hairball remedy kind. I put out a bowl of each and
he eats from both bowls, although I think he eats a little more of the
Purina than the Iams.

Or does anyone have any other suggestions?

--
Bogus e-mail address, but I read this newsgroup regularly, so reply here.

in article , Marek Williams at
wrote on 3/4/04 8:10 PM:

I've had Cat-Boy now for about three months. He's settled into his new
home and is very normal and happy. He has a lot of Maine Coon in him,
so his fur is not only long, but very dense. At a casual glance he
looks fat, but not after you pick him up and realize that there is way
more hair than cat.

When I first got him he was puking up hairballs about once a week.
We're talking serious hairballs, so big I am amazed he can get them
through his throat. He's a good boy about it, though. As soon as he
throws up he comes to me and meows to get my attention, then goes to
the pile of puke on the floor and tries to cover it up. Since there is
no litter to cover it with the exercise is unsuccessful, but on the
other hand he manages to get his papa to go clean it up with a paper
towel, and that satisfies him.

Someone here suggested the hairball remedy type food, so I bought
some. It worked great until the past couple of weeks. Now he's back to
throwing up about once a week. I suspect the problem is that it is
spring here and he is probably shedding some of his old hair. Even the
hairball remedy cat food can't handle the volume.

I've tried brushing him, but he doesn't seem to like being brushed.
He's extremely affectionate, loves sitting in my lap, being petted and
getting attention. But when I bring out a comb or brush he reaches for
it and tries to bite it. He doesn't really complain or scratch me when
I try to brush him, but constantly fighting with him for control of
the brush makes it just about impossible to accomplish anything.
Furthermore, surprisingly, when I do brush him I don't get a lot of
fur in the brush. He grooms himself all the time, so I suspect he's
taking care of the fur all by himself, leaving little for me to brush
out. That's great, except when I have to clean it up off the floor.

What I'm wondering is if there might be a better hairball remedy food
I can get -- maybe one with more hooks in it to catch the hair. He
won't touch canned food (I've tried over and over). But he'll eat most
any kind of dry food. I've been giving him Purina One and Iams
Regular, both the hairball remedy kind. I put out a bowl of each and
he eats from both bowls, although I think he eats a little more of the
Purina than the Iams.

Or does anyone have any other suggestions?

--
Bogus e-mail address, but I read this newsgroup regularly, so reply here.

This time of year, buy some petromalt at the pet store. And keep combing
him. Try buying a shedding tool. They really can get a lot out and keep
brushing.

Karen

in article , Marek Williams at
wrote on 3/4/04 8:10 PM:

I've had Cat-Boy now for about three months. He's settled into his new
home and is very normal and happy. He has a lot of Maine Coon in him,
so his fur is not only long, but very dense. At a casual glance he
looks fat, but not after you pick him up and realize that there is way
more hair than cat.

When I first got him he was puking up hairballs about once a week.
We're talking serious hairballs, so big I am amazed he can get them
through his throat. He's a good boy about it, though. As soon as he
throws up he comes to me and meows to get my attention, then goes to
the pile of puke on the floor and tries to cover it up. Since there is
no litter to cover it with the exercise is unsuccessful, but on the
other hand he manages to get his papa to go clean it up with a paper
towel, and that satisfies him.

Someone here suggested the hairball remedy type food, so I bought
some. It worked great until the past couple of weeks. Now he's back to
throwing up about once a week. I suspect the problem is that it is
spring here and he is probably shedding some of his old hair. Even the
hairball remedy cat food can't handle the volume.

I've tried brushing him, but he doesn't seem to like being brushed.
He's extremely affectionate, loves sitting in my lap, being petted and
getting attention. But when I bring out a comb or brush he reaches for
it and tries to bite it. He doesn't really complain or scratch me when
I try to brush him, but constantly fighting with him for control of
the brush makes it just about impossible to accomplish anything.
Furthermore, surprisingly, when I do brush him I don't get a lot of
fur in the brush. He grooms himself all the time, so I suspect he's
taking care of the fur all by himself, leaving little for me to brush
out. That's great, except when I have to clean it up off the floor.

What I'm wondering is if there might be a better hairball remedy food
I can get -- maybe one with more hooks in it to catch the hair. He
won't touch canned food (I've tried over and over). But he'll eat most
any kind of dry food. I've been giving him Purina One and Iams
Regular, both the hairball remedy kind. I put out a bowl of each and
he eats from both bowls, although I think he eats a little more of the
Purina than the Iams.

Or does anyone have any other suggestions?

--
Bogus e-mail address, but I read this newsgroup regularly, so reply here.

This time of year, buy some petromalt at the pet store. And keep combing
him. Try buying a shedding tool. They really can get a lot out and keep
brushing.

Karen

On Thu, 04 Mar 2004 18:10:12 -0800, Marek Williams
wrote:

I've had Cat-Boy now for about three months. He's settled into his new
home and is very normal and happy. He has a lot of Maine Coon in him,
so his fur is not only long, but very dense. At a casual glance he
looks fat, but not after you pick him up and realize that there is way
more hair than cat.

When I first got him he was puking up hairballs about once a week.
We're talking serious hairballs, so big I am amazed he can get them
through his throat. He's a good boy about it, though. As soon as he
throws up he comes to me and meows to get my attention, then goes to
the pile of puke on the floor and tries to cover it up. Since there is
no litter to cover it with the exercise is unsuccessful, but on the
other hand he manages to get his papa to go clean it up with a paper
towel, and that satisfies him.

Someone here suggested the hairball remedy type food, so I bought
some. It worked great until the past couple of weeks. Now he's back to
throwing up about once a week. I suspect the problem is that it is
spring here and he is probably shedding some of his old hair. Even the
hairball remedy cat food can't handle the volume.

I've tried brushing him, but he doesn't seem to like being brushed.
He's extremely affectionate, loves sitting in my lap, being petted and
getting attention. But when I bring out a comb or brush he reaches for
it and tries to bite it. He doesn't really complain or scratch me when
I try to brush him, but constantly fighting with him for control of
the brush makes it just about impossible to accomplish anything.
Furthermore, surprisingly, when I do brush him I don't get a lot of
fur in the brush. He grooms himself all the time, so I suspect he's
taking care of the fur all by himself, leaving little for me to brush
out. That's great, except when I have to clean it up off the floor.

What I'm wondering is if there might be a better hairball remedy food
I can get -- maybe one with more hooks in it to catch the hair. He
won't touch canned food (I've tried over and over). But he'll eat most
any kind of dry food. I've been giving him Purina One and Iams
Regular, both the hairball remedy kind. I put out a bowl of each and
he eats from both bowls, although I think he eats a little more of the
Purina than the Iams.

Or does anyone have any other suggestions?
Have you tried one of the gloves used for grooming? I think they are
great -- they really remove loose hair.

On Thu, 04 Mar 2004 18:10:12 -0800, Marek Williams
wrote:

I've had Cat-Boy now for about three months. He's settled into his new
home and is very normal and happy. He has a lot of Maine Coon in him,
so his fur is not only long, but very dense. At a casual glance he
looks fat, but not after you pick him up and realize that there is way
more hair than cat.

When I first got him he was puking up hairballs about once a week.
We're talking serious hairballs, so big I am amazed he can get them
through his throat. He's a good boy about it, though. As soon as he
throws up he comes to me and meows to get my attention, then goes to
the pile of puke on the floor and tries to cover it up. Since there is
no litter to cover it with the exercise is unsuccessful, but on the
other hand he manages to get his papa to go clean it up with a paper
towel, and that satisfies him.

Someone here suggested the hairball remedy type food, so I bought
some. It worked great until the past couple of weeks. Now he's back to
throwing up about once a week. I suspect the problem is that it is
spring here and he is probably shedding some of his old hair. Even the
hairball remedy cat food can't handle the volume.

I've tried brushing him, but he doesn't seem to like being brushed.
He's extremely affectionate, loves sitting in my lap, being petted and
getting attention. But when I bring out a comb or brush he reaches for
it and tries to bite it. He doesn't really complain or scratch me when
I try to brush him, but constantly fighting with him for control of
the brush makes it just about impossible to accomplish anything.
Furthermore, surprisingly, when I do brush him I don't get a lot of
fur in the brush. He grooms himself all the time, so I suspect he's
taking care of the fur all by himself, leaving little for me to brush
out. That's great, except when I have to clean it up off the floor.

What I'm wondering is if there might be a better hairball remedy food
I can get -- maybe one with more hooks in it to catch the hair. He
won't touch canned food (I've tried over and over). But he'll eat most
any kind of dry food. I've been giving him Purina One and Iams
Regular, both the hairball remedy kind. I put out a bowl of each and
he eats from both bowls, although I think he eats a little more of the
Purina than the Iams.

Or does anyone have any other suggestions?
Have you tried one of the gloves used for grooming? I think they are
great -- they really remove loose hair.

I have a Maine Coon mix too (plus two short hair cats) and all three of them
get Laxatone. It's basically a flavored petroleum jelly (suggested by my
vet) and they lick it off my finger! It seems to be working very well!
Judy F

"Marek Williams" wrote in message
...
I've had Cat-Boy now for about three months. He's settled into his new
home and is very normal and happy. He has a lot of Maine Coon in him,
so his fur is not only long, but very dense. At a casual glance he
looks fat, but not after you pick him up and realize that there is way
more hair than cat.

When I first got him he was puking up hairballs about once a week.
We're talking serious hairballs, so big I am amazed he can get them
through his throat. He's a good boy about it, though. As soon as he
throws up he comes to me and meows to get my attention, then goes to
the pile of puke on the floor and tries to cover it up. Since there is
no litter to cover it with the exercise is unsuccessful, but on the
other hand he manages to get his papa to go clean it up with a paper
towel, and that satisfies him.

Someone here suggested the hairball remedy type food, so I bought
some. It worked great until the past couple of weeks. Now he's back to
throwing up about once a week. I suspect the problem is that it is
spring here and he is probably shedding some of his old hair. Even the
hairball remedy cat food can't handle the volume.

I've tried brushing him, but he doesn't seem to like being brushed.
He's extremely affectionate, loves sitting in my lap, being petted and
getting attention. But when I bring out a comb or brush he reaches for
it and tries to bite it. He doesn't really complain or scratch me when
I try to brush him, but constantly fighting with him for control of
the brush makes it just about impossible to accomplish anything.
Furthermore, surprisingly, when I do brush him I don't get a lot of
fur in the brush. He grooms himself all the time, so I suspect he's
taking care of the fur all by himself, leaving little for me to brush
out. That's great, except when I have to clean it up off the floor.

What I'm wondering is if there might be a better hairball remedy food
I can get -- maybe one with more hooks in it to catch the hair. He
won't touch canned food (I've tried over and over). But he'll eat most
any kind of dry food. I've been giving him Purina One and Iams
Regular, both the hairball remedy kind. I put out a bowl of each and
he eats from both bowls, although I think he eats a little more of the
Purina than the Iams.

Or does anyone have any other suggestions?

--
Bogus e-mail address, but I read this newsgroup regularly, so reply here.

I have a Maine Coon mix too (plus two short hair cats) and all three of them
get Laxatone. It's basically a flavored petroleum jelly (suggested by my
vet) and they lick it off my finger! It seems to be working very well!
Judy F

"Marek Williams" wrote in message
...
I've had Cat-Boy now for about three months. He's settled into his new
home and is very normal and happy. He has a lot of Maine Coon in him,
so his fur is not only long, but very dense. At a casual glance he
looks fat, but not after you pick him up and realize that there is way
more hair than cat.

When I first got him he was puking up hairballs about once a week.
We're talking serious hairballs, so big I am amazed he can get them
through his throat. He's a good boy about it, though. As soon as he
throws up he comes to me and meows to get my attention, then goes to
the pile of puke on the floor and tries to cover it up. Since there is
no litter to cover it with the exercise is unsuccessful, but on the
other hand he manages to get his papa to go clean it up with a paper
towel, and that satisfies him.

Someone here suggested the hairball remedy type food, so I bought
some. It worked great until the past couple of weeks. Now he's back to
throwing up about once a week. I suspect the problem is that it is
spring here and he is probably shedding some of his old hair. Even the
hairball remedy cat food can't handle the volume.

I've tried brushing him, but he doesn't seem to like being brushed.
He's extremely affectionate, loves sitting in my lap, being petted and
getting attention. But when I bring out a comb or brush he reaches for
it and tries to bite it. He doesn't really complain or scratch me when
I try to brush him, but constantly fighting with him for control of
the brush makes it just about impossible to accomplish anything.
Furthermore, surprisingly, when I do brush him I don't get a lot of
fur in the brush. He grooms himself all the time, so I suspect he's
taking care of the fur all by himself, leaving little for me to brush
out. That's great, except when I have to clean it up off the floor.

What I'm wondering is if there might be a better hairball remedy food
I can get -- maybe one with more hooks in it to catch the hair. He
won't touch canned food (I've tried over and over). But he'll eat most
any kind of dry food. I've been giving him Purina One and Iams
Regular, both the hairball remedy kind. I put out a bowl of each and
he eats from both bowls, although I think he eats a little more of the
Purina than the Iams.

Or does anyone have any other suggestions?

--
Bogus e-mail address, but I read this newsgroup regularly, so reply here.

Marek Williams wrote in
:

I've had Cat-Boy now for about three months. He's settled into his new
home and is very normal and happy. He has a lot of Maine Coon in him,
so his fur is not only long, but very dense.

[snip]

I've tried brushing him, but he doesn't seem to like being brushed.
He's extremely affectionate, loves sitting in my lap, being petted and
getting attention. But when I bring out a comb or brush he reaches for
it and tries to bite it. He doesn't really complain or scratch me when
I try to brush him, but constantly fighting with him for control of
the brush makes it just about impossible to accomplish anything.
Furthermore, surprisingly, when I do brush him I don't get a lot of
fur in the brush. He grooms himself all the time, so I suspect he's
taking care of the fur all by himself, leaving little for me to brush
out. That's great, except when I have to clean it up off the floor.

[snip]

Or does anyone have any other suggestions?

[snip]

Try one of those brushes with the tiny needle-like (but flexible) metal
bristles; they may penetrate the dense coat and pick up hair a little
better. (Maybe something like the "Easy Groom Cat Soft Slicker" at
Petsmart, product #054159). Make sure the bristles aren't too stiff, so
it's not too scratchy on the cat's sensitive skin.

Sometimes I brush with two brushes (one in each hand): one for the cat to
play with, the other to do the actual brushing.

Marek Williams wrote in
:

I've had Cat-Boy now for about three months. He's settled into his new
home and is very normal and happy. He has a lot of Maine Coon in him,
so his fur is not only long, but very dense.

[snip]

I've tried brushing him, but he doesn't seem to like being brushed.
He's extremely affectionate, loves sitting in my lap, being petted and
getting attention. But when I bring out a comb or brush he reaches for
it and tries to bite it. He doesn't really complain or scratch me when
I try to brush him, but constantly fighting with him for control of
the brush makes it just about impossible to accomplish anything.
Furthermore, surprisingly, when I do brush him I don't get a lot of
fur in the brush. He grooms himself all the time, so I suspect he's
taking care of the fur all by himself, leaving little for me to brush
out. That's great, except when I have to clean it up off the floor.

[snip]

Or does anyone have any other suggestions?

[snip]

Try one of those brushes with the tiny needle-like (but flexible) metal
bristles; they may penetrate the dense coat and pick up hair a little
better. (Maybe something like the "Easy Groom Cat Soft Slicker" at
Petsmart, product #054159). Make sure the bristles aren't too stiff, so
it's not too scratchy on the cat's sensitive skin.

Sometimes I brush with two brushes (one in each hand): one for the cat to
play with, the other to do the actual brushing.

"Laura R." wrote

That is one seriously considerate cat! Mine just drop the bombs and
wait for me to step in 'em, then snicker at me behind their little
paws. ;-)

:') Cheeks is still new enough around here that she worries over
barf. If she is extra sweet in the morning I usually find something.
She waits until I spot it, then watches my reaction carefully. So now
she has me trained to soothe her while I am cleaning up kitty puke.


That's not necessarily indication that he doesn't like being
brushed-
in fact, it's more often a sign that the cat *likes* it. Get two
brushes and let him gnaw on one while you brush him with the other.
One of my dearest friends has a very long-haired cat who *has* to
chew on a brush while he's being groomed, so she got a really small
cat brush that she simply sticks in his chest fur while she brushes
the rest of him. It works like a charm.

Yep. Brushing is absolutely necessary--and as with other things, they
get used to it and come to expect and like it.