National Hairball Awareness Day

Today is National Hairball Awareness Day.  As Jan says, if you live with a cat, you're aware of hairballs.  (Cat hairball problems are just naturally common in cats, all cats, because of their self-grooming habits. Their rough tongues are made to clean themselves thoroughly and , in doing so, they ingest a lot of hair.)

Jan complains, if you live with a number of cats, you wish someone would invent a self-operating hairball sucker machine so you don't have to use a toothbrush to clean the air conditioning unit in the window, or step into a wet slipper in the middle of the night, or -.  As Buddy, Merci & Sam explain, if you live with cats, don't eat those icky things!  Let your human clean up the mess. (Hairballs generally consist of compacted fur, but they often also include food and a coating of mucus.)

We received a FURminator and Jan used it to brush the cats and create a Fur-lebrity.  (The most important and most effective way to prevent hairball formation is frequent grooming to remove the dead undercoat before it is swallowed.)

You might remember that we fired Jan because she isn't very creative and this was the best could come up with for the contest. 

We had a complaint from Bill Gaither's Homecoming Radio that we set Bill's popularity back 40 years.  Well, maybe not 40 years, but at least 40 minutes worth.  No one recognized him.

UPDATE: Um, before readers start stoning Bill or the Homecoming crew, the above is a joke.  No one - neither Bill nor anyone from HR - has complained.  In fact, Tori Taff, one of the co-hosts laughed so hard when she saw it, she asked permission and then posted it on Homecoming Radio's Facebook page.earlier this month.  Thankfully, they all have a good sense of humor, one of the reasons we picked Bill as our Fur-lebrity.  We'd seen Jan's previous artwork.  :)

Sam is still laughing at Jan's first attempt.  Cameron was our biggest fur contributor this year and he couldn't help it that he's a black tuxie dude.

The winner of the contest will be announced today, so be sure to check out FURminator's Facebook page. Even if you aren't on FB, you can still use the link to view their wall.

Thanks to Romeo the Cat and Furminator for allowing us to participate in the contest.  It's been fun.

Percy, Sparky and Miss Peach

Hey, Percy here. Romeo the Cat is posting rescue stories for Global Rescue Cat Week and my story is one he is featuring today. Rescue Cat Week Day One I was one lucky kitten to be rescued. Not by Jan, though. By my furry pal Merci. Romeo will be posting these short stories all week, so be sure to stop by and read them.

We don't know how many of you have met Sparky. He hasn't been posting regularly for a while, but we think he's not only cute but talented too, so we'd like to share his June post with you. We think you'll enjoy Sparky as one cool dancing dog. And afterward you can stop by his blog and let him know you think he's cute and talented too.


If the video doesn't play, click here.

We're sending special purrs and wags to Miss Peach.

National Hairball Awareness Day

I am the perfect choice to present today's subject. I'm Rusty, and my coat is the floofiest - longest and thickest - of all the Funny Farmers. I'm also uncooperative and won't stay still when Jan tries to brush me. She wants to keep me from swallowing my hair and hacking up hairballs. I prefer to hack up hairballs in unexpected places. I'm a hack cat. Being obstinate is natural to me. Enough said.

We joined with Romeo and FURminator for National Hairball Awareness Day -  Friday, April 30 - with a badge in our sidebar through the month of April.

To observe the day, we'd like to give you a few facts on the cat: feline wellness, aging, instincts and the dreaded hairball! *Provided by FURminator, Inc.

Did you know?:

• When a cat coughs up a hairball, it is actually choking. This hacking can be dangerous and can cause death in some cases. Cats will over-groom themselves, especially in the spring during peak shedding season. To reduce the amount of hair ingested, and the corresponding hack that follows, many veterinarians recommend the FURminator deLuxe deShedding Tool for cats; it’s a safe, natural and holistic way to lessen the amount of hair cats ingest.

• Cats have primal instincts and the location of their water bowl can prove it. In the wild a cat would never drag its kill to a watering hole to eat and drink at the same time. House cats have inherited this same instinct. Owners should keep a cat’s water bowl in a separate location than their food bowl. Cats will drink more water (and this increase will help their system clean itself of ingested hair).

• A cat’s age can affect how they shed. As a kitten matures their coat changes in several ways - texture, thickness, curl and coloring. This transition may take up to two years depending on the breed. Once a kitten’s coat has matured they will begin to shed more by dropping their “kitten coat”. Consult with a veterinarian or groomer on when a cat’s grooming needs change.

• Keep cats active to stay healthy; they’re athletes at heart. A healthy cat can jump as much as seven times its height and yet 21 percent of cats are considered obese or overweight by their veterinarians. Interactive toys with feathers on the end will encourage cats to leap, stretch and stay active. Keeping cats active will help them maintain a healthy skin and coat, as well as increase balance and coordination.

Even though Jan has a mind like a sieve, she's still doing something right. She keeps our food and water bowls separate. We have one cat food bowl hemmed in on the dryer so the dogs can't reach it and one high on a shelf. The giant water bowls sit on the floor.   Now she knows why we drink more water than some cats do.  Of course, she'll forget why this is a good thing before breakfast, but our water bowls will still remain on the floor.  Because except for Buddy, the dogs do not climb on the furniture - we're not talking couch here, we mean desk or washing machine type furniture.

For those of you on Twitter, Romeo's human will be conducting a Twitter interview “twitterview” with FURminator’s cat expert, Dr. Arnold Plotnik at 12:00 p.m. EST on Friday the 30th.  If you can make it, tune in.  Dr. Plotnik's twitter handle is @thecatexpert and the Twitterview hashtag will be #NHAD.  And when you get a chance, stop by Dr. Plotnik's feline blog, Cat Man Do.

And if you haven't already voted for Tivi, please pop over and vote for his photo. You won't need to sign up or to vote daily. If you don't know Tivi or why we're voting for him, we have a post on this here.


Have a purring and tail wagging day.

Romeo and Awards

Romeo is having another National Hairball Awareness Day promotion! They are accepting a few more kitties to help display a badge throughout April. For every badge posted, FURminator will donate a tool and cash donation to Romeo's May FURPOWER organization. You will also receive a tool to either keep for yourself or use as a giveaway on your blog. He is accepting cat bloggers into the promotion through Wednesday April 7.







Romeo is also participating in Cats Against Clay.  Cat bloggers wanting to participate in this fun  would display this badge through April and May.  Romeo will be accepting cat bloggers into this campaign for the next two weeks.







We have been given a couple of awards recently and we need to post them before we lose them again. Tut, tut, Jan is moving everything around on our her computer and we can't find anything. Actually, neither can she.




We got this award from the Kool Kittie Krew. Thanks, all of you, for such a beautiful award.
 

Noll's Nip was correct. We have gotten the Sunshine Award before but we're still thankful they gave it to us now.







And we were tagged by Old Kitty's blog. Old Kitty recently went to the bridge but there's a very happy and grateful new kitty named Charlie who needed a home and got one that lives there now. 

We started this post so long ago we've forgotten what the tag was and we have to go now. Blogger was having epileptic fits and wouldn't let us do a post, so we're way behind schedule. But we wanted to be sure to thank Kook Kitty Krew, Noll's Nip and Charlie of Old Kitty's blog for thinking of us.

Furminator Furball Winner

Today is National Hairball Awareness Day.


And the winner of the Who's Your Favorite Furball contest is Madison.


Madison and her staff Cindy will receive a FURminator DeShedding Tool, courtesy of FURminator, Inc. to keep her coat beautiful and hairballs to a minimum.

You can read her winning entry on Romeo the Cat's blog.

Thank you, Romeo, for doing so much to help raise money and awareness for animal needs.

National Hairball Awareness Day

Don't forget! Tomorrow, Friday April 24, is National Hairball Awareness Day!

To celebrate, www.RomeotheCat.com and FURminator, Inc. are sponsoring the "Who's Your Favorite Furball?" contest.

The winner will receive a free FURminator deShedding Tool and will also see their favorite, funniest, furriest furball featured on www.PeoplePets.com and popular pet blogs across the Internet.



Have you entered Your Favorite Furball contest yet? See entry rules here.

FURminator Tips on Preventing Hairballs in Cats Fuzzballs, cat scratches and dirty litter boxes may be top complaints from cat parents, but paws down, hairballs are among the worst of the worst. With peak shedding season underway, our cats are in full swing when it comes to grooming themselves, which means an increase in hairballs (since hairballs are caused when the cat grooms itself).

Friday, April 24 is National Hairball Awareness Day, and to help both cat and parents alike, below are some tips on how to prevent hairballs in cats:

1. Regular Grooming: Hairballs occur when cats over groom. To help cats look and feel their best, it's essential to regularly brush them. The FURminator deShedding Tool for Cats is recommended by vets and nominated by Tufts University School of Veterinarian Medicine as the number one product to reduce hairballs in cats. Using the tool on a regular basis, as well as the FURminator deShedding Shampoo for Cats, will help reduce shedding, thus reducing the amount of hair your cat ingests.

2. Home Remedies: Try adding a little butter and canned pumpkin to your cat's meals once or twice a week. The butter may loosen the hair clod and the fiber in the pumpkin can help move it through the system.

3. Stay Hydrated: Encourage your cat to drink plenty of water by placing various bowls throughout the house. The water will help flush out the hair before it has time to clump in the stomach.

4. Consult Your Vet: If you believe you cat has chronic hairball problems, ask your veterinarian to recommend a laxative supplement to help prevent ingested hairs from forming hairballs.

We're excited to see who wins the contest tomorrow. Have you sent in your entry yet?

Your Favorite Furball Contest

Friday April 24 is National Hairball Awareness Day!

To celebrate, Romeo the Cat and FURminator, Inc. are sponsoring the "Who's Your Favorite Furball?" contest.


The winner will receive a free FURminator deShedding Tool and will also see their favorite, funniest, furriest furball featured on www.PeoplePets.com and popular pet blogs across the Internet.


Romeo and his Furminator.




Entering is easy!

1. Visit www.romeothecat.com and click on the FirstGiving link to donate $1 (or more if you choose!) to Romeo's FURPOWER beneficiary of the month, Kitten Rescue of Los Angeles.

2. Submit your favorite, funniest, furriest furball photo (cats only, please!) via email to romeo at romeothecat dot com and tell us how winning a FURminator deShedding Tool will change your life (and your furball's life!). Make sure to include the following information:

" Your Favorite Furball's name " How winning a FURminator deShedding Tool will change your life (and your furball's life!) " Your name " Your email address " What name you used with your FirstGiving donation

Entries must be submitted by 9 p.m. EST Thursday, April 23, 2009.

3. A Favorite Furball gallery will be posted on www.romeothecat.com leading up to the big announcement.

4. The winner will be selected via a random drawing.

5. The winner will be announced on www.romeothecat.com, www.PeoplePets.com and participating blogs at 12 p.m. EST Friday, April 24, 2009.


Contest parameters: " Contest is only open to cats (sorry doggies!) " Entrants must be located in the U.S. or Canada " Entries must be submitted by 9:00 p.m. EST on Thursday, April 23, 2009 " Entrants agree to allow their photo to be posted on participating blogs

If you have additional questions, please contact romeo at romeothecat dot com.

Good luck!