When you have seven cats like I do, you can be certain that I am all too familiar with that horrendous gagging sound a cat makes when it is about to hack up a hairball. You can also be certain that no matter where they coughed it up, I will step in it… it’s just the Murphy’s Law of humans and hairballs. So, when I was approached by Caroline Golon of the blog Romeo the Cat to try out the FURminator deShedding tool, I jumped at the chance. The only catch, I would be participating as part of a contest for National Hairball Awareness Day and would have to make a celebrity of my choice out of the fur I collected from brushing my cats after I received the FURminator they were going to send me…. Yawn, just another typical day in a life of an obsessed cat lover.

For those of you that are not hairball experts, I will give you a quick 101 on the subject. Basically, hairballs develop as a result of a cat’s common grooming routine. When the cat licks its fur, tiny hook-like structures on its tongue catch the loose and dead hair, which is then swallowed. The majority of this hair passes all the way through the digestive tract with no problems. But if some hair stays in the stomach, it can form a hairball. Typically the cat will hack up the hairball with no problems, but if you notice symptoms such as vomiting or gagging without producing a hairball, lack of appetite, lethargy, constipation, or diarrhea, be sure to contact your veterinarian, as this  could be an indication that a hairball has caused a potentially life-threatening blockage.

Some breeds are more susceptible to hairballs than others, like Maine Coons and Persians, and some cats are more fastidious with their grooming than others. But, the good news, with products like the FURminator tool, the amount of fur a cat can ingest is greatly reduced, as the deShedder quickly and thoroughly removes the cat’s undercoat and loose hair which is the major source of shedding. I really can’t explain how it works – the tool itself has a nice and easy to grasp rubberized handle that is shaped somewhat like a woman’s razor. It has a fine toothed combing tool attached to it and my first impression was that it would never get through my cat Zee’s hair without pain and tangling. 

Despite his surly look, Zee LOVES the FURminator deShedding tool.

Since it just so happens that Zee is also a Maine Coon, I could not wait to test it out for myself to see if it really would work. He was instantly intrigued the moment I took the tool out of its packaging and claimed the FURminator as his. The other six cats wanted a turn too, but he became very possessive and sat next to it, guarding it so that the others would leave it alone. No joking, he LOVED the FURminator and I could not believe the amount of hair it got off of him. He is brushed frequently, so I was completely unprepared for how well this tool would work and how silky his coat would feel. It was quick, easy to use, and there was no tangling, or wrestling, or fighting with him to get the FURminator through his thick coat. The counter was quickly piled high with cat fur and now it was my turn, I had homework to do and needed to make a celebrity out of the cat hair I had collected…

Anyone that knows me, knows that I had no choice. I had written a book that was inspired by this person and it has been my dream ever since to meet and thank her in person for changing my life. This, however, was not how I had planned the event in my mind, but so be it. It was all for the greater good of cats, and this person also happens to love animals, so why not… Ellen DeGeneres, woman I would go to the ends of the earth to meet, I apologize in advance, but here is my true story of the day I was a guest on your show. Or, in other words, how to embarrass yourself by creating your favorite celebrity out of cat hair and pretending to be on her talk show to talk about how awesome the FURminator is instead of the book you wrote about her. So, here we go:

Step One: Brainstorm concept and gather materials. Items needed – a hairy cat, a FURminator tool, colored pencils, a beverage (preferably of an adult nature), glue, paintbrush, scissors, and a really badly drawn facsimile of your favorite celebrity’s face constructed on a manila file folder.

Following these easy steps, you too can embarrass yourself by making your favorite celebrity out of cat hair...

Step Two: Separate pile of fur into sections of colors so that when you give your celebrity hair, it can be extremely realistic looking with beautiful colors that simulate gorgeous highlights. This requires that you locate and chase all seven cats in your house for a variety of cat hair colors. Naturally, the one color of hair you really need, will be on the cat who sheds the least and is the most uncooperative (ahem, cough, not to name names, Zoey).

What hair on the counter? I don't see any hair... that would just be disgusting...

Step Three: Wardrobe and Makeup. Pick out a suitable tie, pair of jeans, and jacket for the show host. In this case, make sure the tie is made out of cat fur in a traditional striped pattern. Take your celebrity head, jeans, and jacket and bring to dressing room (or couch if you don’t have a celebrity dressing room in your house) and stuff jeans and jacket with old plastic bags from the grocery store. You have been saving them for years, just in case, and now you realize why….

Above all respect your celebrity - I have chosen a simple but classic black jacket for Ellen along with a traditional striped tie to complete her look.

I have enlisted the help of Rolz for some finishing touches before the live show is about to begin. Zee is catching a quick nap before his big debut.

Step Four: Cue opening theme music and have celebrity come on stage to greet guests and chit chat with incredible wit and charm. Have her finish montage by dancing over the living room coffee table before first guest is announced.

Finally! The show begins!

Step Five: Introduce best-selling author (this might be exaggerated and unconfirmed) and spokesperson for FURminator deShedding tool to talk about National Hairball Awareness Day.

At this point, author and cat lover will genuinely tell the audience  that while nothing can be done to totally prevent hairballs in cats, there are things that can be done to reduce the frequency, such as regular grooming with the FURminator deShedding tool, using specialized cat food formulas that reduce hairballs, encouraging play activity instead of licking when a cat seems to be excessively grooming, and using one of a number of different hairball products on the market today, most of which are mild laxatives that help hairballs pass through the digestive tract.

As with anything with your cat – pay attention to his or her needs to determine what course of action needs to happen. Regular grooming is the first step to preventing hairballs and the FURminator deShedding tool not only removes a significant amount of your cat’s hair safely and effectively, it encourages bonding with your cat which is a great bonus. We give the FURminator 5 out of 5 paws up and highly recommend it to all of our kitty friends. It is available in different styles for special  hair lengths and you can find out about this product, as well as their full line at the official FURminator website.

Thank you to Romeo the Cat and FURminator for this fun experience. We were not compensated for this review and participated solely for the better good of encouraging good grooming habits for our cats. We were honored to be among such other great talented cat bloggers who also participated and congratulate all of them for their creativity. Special congratulations to Stephanie Harwin of Catsparella – her  “Katy Purry” celebrity was chosen as the first place winner by FURminator and $1000.00 will be donated on her behalf to the Sayrevill Pet Adoption Center.

We must go now, as we are certain Ellen will be contacting us any moment to thank us for making her look like a circus clown out of cat hair… Her career has finally hit that plateau that any celebrity strives for…