My Guest Appearance on the Ellen Show for National Hairball Awareness Day and FURminator
- April 27, 2012 – National Hairball Awareness Day
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.
- Another item off my bucket list – my life long dream of being a guest on the Ellen DeGeneres Show is finally fulfilled.
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…
Now that’s creative! I think Ellen DeGeneres would be proud – and it’s probably a good thing she’s an animal lover…:-)
It’s definately a good thing Ellen is an animal lover Ingrid… and hopefully a good sport!! Yikes… what I did to her!
Deb, I love the tie, that is very creative. I have been collecting my cat’s whiskers (a pile on my dresser) that I hope someday to use creatively 🙂 I hope Ellen gets to see this..
Thanks Deb – I hope Ellen gets to see this as well! Cat whiskers is cool – I think I have heard of other people who collect them. I can’t remember, if you find one is it supposed to bring you good luck?
You should DEF send it to the show – you never know!
We AGREE!!!!
Hmmm… just what are you guys agreeing to, Ryker’s Boyz ‘n’ Allie? That Ellen looks like a clown, that she might be calling me any minute, or that I gave some really good hairball advice??!!! With you silly kitties, one never quite knows!
Yes, I certainly will I Have Cat… now if only I could get someone to actually pay attention and get back to me!
I love it!
Thank you Romeo the Cat and THANK YOU for picking us as one of FURminator participants!!
Oh my god! Hilarious. I made a dust bunny with some excess fur once. (Alias hair bunny) But mostly we throw it out for the birds. They really do use it in their nests.
Glad you enjoyed the humor Sharon! I figured if I was going to embarass myself and my favorite celebrity, might as well do it in high style!! I love your dust bunny story!
I LOVE it!!!
…I especially love the photo showing all the necessary *tools.* …adult beverage! ha!
And from a creative standpoint, you really did an excellent job on highlighting all the shades of your cats. People pay huge money for a highlight job like that at a salon.
; )
Glogirly and Katie – that was my favorite photo too… and coincidently, I liked the adult beverage part the best also!!!!! As far as making the “highlights,” it was an absolute nightmare! Glue and cat hair are not a good combination!
I think yours definitely should have been one of the finalists…..guess the judges were consuming “adult beverages” while they were judging 🙂
Thanks Caren – I feel like I made poor Ellen look like a scary Chuckie doll, so I can understand why the judges might be needing an adult beverage or two!!
Deb,
This was both hilarious and ingenious ! If Ellen doesn’t call you to be on her show she’s missing out!
Thank you Stephanie!! I’m glad you enjoyed the humor! I really like writing these kinds of posts that poke fun at life!
Super Hurrah! You are an amazing cat fur artist.
Thank you Gracey!! We we thrilled to be part of the contest with you!
Wow, I’m impressed, first with all the cooperative felines that are gladly willing to eradicate fur balls from their lives, thanks to a loving owner. And your choice of celebs is purrfect. It’s just a matter of time before you’re able to hand the tie (which I love) to the real deal. Way to go!
Oh Sele and Miss Bella… keeping my paws crossed. Meeting Ellen would honestly be a dream come true for me and I would gladly hand the tie over to her if she would want it!!
I must say Ellen looks a bit stiff here. She usually looks so relaxed in front of the camera. You however look fabulous! 🙂
Vicki – Ellen does have a bad back, so she must have been in pain during our interview!! Poor dear… Thanks for the compliment – it’s hard not to look fabulous next to a scary celebrity made out of cat hair!!
We love Ellen…and we love your Ellen Celebrity fur creature!! We hope Ellen calls you and has you on her show for real!!
Me too The Island Cats!!! We will be stopping over soon to see your fur-lebrity!
Love your “Ellen” and your story of her creation!
Thank you BZTAT!! I loved your post today – so funny!
You are very creative and it was fun reading about you appearance on your favorite show. (Dreams and goals are good, so hang in and you’ll be on Ellen’s show yet.) It was a fun contest.
I think Ellen can only be …. what’s the word I’m looking for? …….. errr ……. furry hairpy about this great honour! Brilliant. My cheeks are aching! xox
Oh my goodness Carolyn – there is not a single post that you can’t find a clever comment to make!! Glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Deb! Thanks for the mention! 🙂 I loved how you took us through the creation process (including the adult beverage, MOL!) I can also relate to how you knew you had to choose Ellen..when I first heard about the contest I knew I had to chose Katy because she is such a cool cat lady inspiration to me!
Hi Catsparella! Thanks for stopping by and concats on the win!! I love Katy myself, so I can understand why you chose her… But, of course, Ellen is always my top choice! I really enjoyed sharing the creation process and am glad everyone else is liking it too… As far as the adult beverage… hmmmm… just so happens I am partaking of one right now!! 🙂
Deb-Incredibly creative!! Two thumbs up, a plate of cookies, and a blue ribbon! Oh and a gold star!
Wow! Thank you Gina and Jessie Cat! That sure covered just about everything and I can’t wait to have a cookie!! 🙂
Amazing, amazing, amazing! And we’re proud of you for doing so well. I actually forgot about hairball awareness day, surely I could have come up with something!!!
Thanks Brian! Glad you think we did well, even though our clown Ellen did not even make the finals!! I’m sure you definatley could have come up with a great post!
That is really well done Deb and great instructions on how you did it. Our human loves the Ellen show too and I am sure she would love to see this post. She would get a kick out of it especially since you worked so hard on it and then you would have an in to mention those cats at Loews. Just send her the link to the post. All she can do is not pay any attention. Well done.
Thanks Marg – easier said than done! I did send her the link, but she probably gets a million links a day! Although mine was probably the only one where she was made out of cat hair interviewing someone!! So, yeah, she is doing a great job of not paying attention to me!! LOL
We missed the boat on this one, maybe because we don’t shed much? We think you should have won!
MOL Layla! I guess you don’t have big shedders… maybe Domino? Anyhow, thank you for thinking we should have won, but I think Ellen would probably debate that!!