Wednesday 13 April 2016

midnight hairballs

With the longer days of spring, my fursibs and I have been shedding up a storm.  More shedding means more grooming and more grooming means - you guessed it - more hairballs, for sure. The peeps try their best to comb and brush us more often but still, in this here multi-cat household, there seems to be at least one horked-up hairball or two, every week.  MOUSES!

Of course, it doesn't help that a couple of us don't like being groomed by the peeps.  Tess tolerates it for like...  fifteen seconds, twenty at most.  After that, she starts complaining with growls.  And Mason likes only certain parts of her to be groomed. Top of her head, yes.  Most of her back is a go, too.  But the rest of her is off-limits.  Touch her tummy and you've got the bunny kicking going on, for sure.

Tobias, on the other paw, would like nothing more than for the peeps to lickka-da-top-o-her-head but so far, she has been out of luck on that front.  Peeps say lickin' the tops of cats' heads is not on their agendas but that doesn't stop my sister.  Toby keeps on asking.  So far, the best she has been able to do is get our sister, Constance, to groom her which, of course, means more hairballs for Connie.  MOUSES!

No, when it comes to peeps, they will groom you but only by using combs and brushes and stuff. What's up with that?  MOUSES!

I must admit that I've had a few hairballs, myself, in my time.  To limit my horking, I've found two things that help.  One is getting Peep #1 to comb me more often which I do actually like.  But as I probably shed more than anyone else in the house, peeps included, I've found that Peep #1 has a difficult time keeping up.  This is why, I have developed a second strategy which, so far, has proven quite useful, for sure.

I have found that the rolling about on laundry allows me to release copious amounts of ginger-coloured fur from my wonderful self, onto said laundry, allowing the peep to get rid of this excess fur by doing more laundry.  Now it's very important that the laundry be clean for if you roll around on dirty laundry, goodness knows what you might get all over your fur.  So far this has worked out quite nicely and the peep must be in agreement for the more fur I release upon her laundry, the more laundry she cleans.  MOUSES!

Once, way back when, I had the most wonderful roll-about on Peep #1's black jacket and then afterwards, an afternoon nap.  Oddly enough, when Peep #1 discovered her new and improved black with ginger accents jacket, the jacket was hung up out of reach. Being a peep, she hung it up in a closet.  Why-oh-why she didn't hang it on a wall, putting it on display for all to see, is absolutely unfathomable, for sure.

Always remembering that new and improved black with ginger accents jacket, I still, to this day, try to seek out black clothing upon which I can roll around and nap and release my excess fur.  And Peep #1 must have appreciated my handiwork for she continues to leave the odd black clothing item out for my use.

But no matter how much excess fur I release upon newly laundered clothes, there's still a hairball to be horked up every now and then.

You know, when it comes to getting peeps up and moving, nothing - and I mean NOTHING - gets 'em moving faster than the sound of a kitty horking up a hairball.  Believe me, I know.  MOUSES!

Moments after one makes the early stages of that distinctive horking sound, peeps come a-running from all parts around.

One moment you're just starting to hork and the next, there's a peep hovering over you which, I can assure you, is somewhat disconcerting, at best.  Sometimes a kitty likes a little privacy for horking, you know?  MOUSES!

This is why, of course, I now do my best to release all hairballs at night, under the cover of darkness, when peeps are fast asleep.  But being an ever-obliging kitty who knows that his peeps have a weird and unnatural interest in my horking up of hairballs, I try very hard to deposit all hairballs where they'll be easily found:  like on a bed, on the floor next to a bed, or in the middle of a hallway in a high-traffic area.  MOUSES!

And the peeps must appreciate my thoughtfulness for when one is lucky enough to find a horked-up hairball in the middle of the night, they always squeal with delight.

Okay, maybe not with delight but they do squeal, and that, my friends, is for sure.  MOUSES!

50 comments:

  1. MOUSES it's shedding time here and that means mega daily brushings to ward off hairballs even those artfully placed like yours.

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    1. Yup, and if we have enough fur left for horking, it's all the peeps' fault? Right? purrs

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  2. Oh, Seville, I can so identify with this post in so many ways. I am just like Tess about the parts I permit to be touched or brushed. And of course regular horking in just the mentioned spots id what I do. Now I will say, my Mom has learned to walk right past black clothing in the store. Colors like tan, gray etc are the order of the day. The peeps here even obliged, long before I was born, by having the Family Room carpeted in a beige carpet. Hides hork stains exceedingly well.

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    1. I shall remember your beige carpet suggestion, for sure. MOUSES!

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  3. MOL! I luv getting brushed, but wif my super short fur, I need it da least.

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  4. Hehe, I've not had a hairball in ages, peeps thinks it's down to eating mice, but I think it's just because peep hasn't found them, yet! purrs ERin

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  5. dood....de sheddinz goin on full force round de land oh trout az well !!!

    and sum one { dai$y } whooz name we willna menshuns... seemz ta hack a hairball week lee...her sayz ...oopz...UNKNOWN kitteh sayz..... itz a loud... coz oh "fur length "

    funny... uz doodz never hurd bout that law tho !!!!

    happee spring & sheddin seezon guyz ♥♥♥

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  6. Let me tell you,Mason...You would be happy to see MY efforts around here. Mom vacuumed with the stupid sucky monster. Made her feel she accomplished something. She sat down, glanced at the newly vacuumed floor and voila! Everywhere I had walked and lain afterward left black small spots of fur. She put on a rubber glove and get those up but! Behold MORE were on the floor. Within 10 minutes mom had to vacuum again and I get combed and brushed, one of both DAILY! And horking...Oh my word...I can hork!

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    1. You're like a magical kitty when it comes to leaving your fur on the floor. Are you willing to share your secrets? purrs

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  7. It's shedding time here, too, Sivvers. You know, we find that horking up hairballs in the middle of the night makes the humans JUMP out of bed. Funny how that works, huh?

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    1. Isn't it, though? Yup, nothing makes a peep move faster than that unmistakable sound. MOUSES!

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  8. We have the same going on here, lots of horking up. So we understand your problems. Sounds like the Mom is trying to help you by brushing you. You all have a great day..

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  9. So far so good with Mudpie but Truffles was the Hairball Queen!!!

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    1. They have AN AWARD for horking? I never knew! MOUSES!

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  10. We usually get enough furs out to have a kitten starter kit!

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  11. I just horked a good one last night, right on the bathroom rug! Which, BTW, is black. So double win.

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  12. Well we DO have to get rid of all this extra fur stuff we had to wear over the winter after all.....it's either brush us constantly OR let us take care of it ourselves but either way, we get rid of it. Time to lighten up - wear our summer t-shirts instead of our heavy coats!! Hacking and horking it all up - well it's what we do right Seville? A cat without horking is RARE. Medium rare.

    Hugs, Sammy

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    1. Yup, it's what we do, for sure. Peeps have just gotta accept it, is all. purrs

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  13. Somehow, none of my current kitties are hairball horkers. Can you believe that?!?! My angel Rosie, though, she was a different story. And like you, Seville, she loved to make it easy to find. Her favorite places were my bed, and my bedroom carpet. Purrs!

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    1. And how 'bout the middle of the hall in high-traffic areas? She leave 'em there, too? Inquiring minds wanna know. purrs

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  14. I only get occasional hairballs but I am shedding much more now I am older. My mum brushes me every day but has to do it very gently because I am very bony. I leave most of my fur in the bed under the duvet.

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    1. In the bed under the duvet, huh? Hmmmm... That might be a good spot for a hairball, too. MOUSES!

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  15. Lots of hairballs happening here lately. The rug had so many spots on it that I suggested we throw it away, but my hubby didn't agree. I do think black and orange go well together. I bet that coat is beautiful.

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    1. Black and orange DO go well together, for sure! So happy to hear SOMEONE agrees with me. purrs

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  16. woo hoo! how to make the humans notice us! Just my style Sivvers

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  17. One thing about having lots of fur siblings is Mommy doesn't have much time for grooming us and the long haired ones get picked to be groomed first. By the time Mommy finishes with Fenris she is usually worn out, so the rest of us are safe.

    Happy Purrday Nerissa!!!!!

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    1. Always good when you have a fur-sib to push forward in the line, so to speak. purrs

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  18. Hannah has been horking more than usual but fortunately Lucy only does one now and again due to her fur being much shorter.

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    1. At my house, the long-haired marmies usually shed in... hmmm... lumps? It's we shorter-haired ones who seem to shed the most. MOUSES!

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  19. I LOVE being brushed. But tummy is a no-no. I only let rubbing my tummy on super lazy love-y times. No brushies. Ever. On pain of well, I don't remember. My mommy knows better by NOW.

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    1. Bunny kicks? On pain of bunny kicks? That what Mason does, for sure. purrs

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  20. M is laughing herself silly over your funny post. Hairballs ..... yes, we know them well here, and I'm an only cat. What really gets the peeps up and moving fast is when you start to hork up while in bed with the peeps. WOW, they can really fly out of that bed!

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    1. Yup, the sound of a horking gets peeps a-moving, for sure! purrs

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  21. It looks like shedding season has begun ! We don't like so much being brushed, Mum has do several 5 minutes-sessions MOL ! But we're not as talented as you : we almost never product a hairball... Purrs

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    1. Almost never? Wow. My peeps sure would to like to know that trick, for sure. Any pointers? purrs

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  22. I am like you, Seville. I spread my hairballs during the night all over the place in the bedroom and in the living room in front of the couch, so that Granny and Grandpaw won't miss it, when they want to sit. I love the face of Granny when she sees me first and after she sees the hairball...and then I wonder, what's the greatest gift...MOUSES :D Double Pawkisses for a Happy Sunday :) <3 <3

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    1. Love me, love my hairballs. That's what I always say, for sure! purrs

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  23. Ours are few and far between, maybe its because we go outside??

    Silver

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    1. Might be doing some horking outside, for sure. purrs

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  24. Has your Mom discovered the Zoom Groom? We all love it including the woofies and it does an incredible job helping getting the furs out. I used to hate being groomed until we got it and now I love to roll in a good sunpuddle and have a good Zoom.

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    1. She hasn't! I'll mention that to her, for sure. purrs

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