{"id":12150,"date":"2014-04-24T04:50:07","date_gmt":"2014-04-24T08:50:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zeezoey.com\/blog\/?p=12150"},"modified":"2014-04-24T11:06:02","modified_gmt":"2014-04-24T15:06:02","slug":"how-to-prevent-hairballs-in-cats-pet-hair-solutions-from-furminator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zeezoey.com\/blog\/how-to-prevent-hairballs-in-cats-pet-hair-solutions-from-furminator\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Prevent Hairballs in Cats – #PetHairSolutions from FURminator"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"FURminatorLogo\"<\/a>Cats and hairballs \u2013 they go paw in paw. More than likely you have stepped in at least one mushy projectile on your floor in your lifetime and it is a subject that is universally joked about because it\u2019s something that pretty much any cat lover on this earth can relate to. But, the truth is, hairballs actually can be the sign of something much more serious in your cat and are no laughing matter. Having a good grooming plan in place to help your cat stay hairball-free is essential and that is why in our household we use the FURminator deShedding<\/strong><\/a> tool\u00a0on a regular basis.<\/p>\n

I first found out about the FURminator deShedding<\/strong> tool back in 2012 when I was asked to try one out with my gang on behalf of National Hairball Awareness Day which falls on April 25th. It was an instant hit \u2013 I loved how easy it was to use and how much fur it got off my cats, my cats loved the bonding experience of me grooming them, and we all loved the fact that hairballs have been virtually eliminated in our household!<\/p>\n

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This was Zee during his first FURminator grooming experience and I was using the large deShedding tool for long-haired cats (The large\/long hair tool is for cats over 10 pounds with fur over 2″ long).<\/p><\/div>\n

Well, here we go \u2013 National Hairball Awareness Day is tomorrow and I am thrilled to be working with the FURminator team again to talk about why the FURminator deShedding<\/strong> tool is such an invaluable aid in hairball prevention. But, before I do, a quick 101 on what a hairball is and why they can be harmful to your cat in case you do not already know this information.<\/p>\n

Basically, hairballs develop as a result of a cat\u2019s common grooming routine. When a 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 issues but if some hair stays in the stomach, a hairball can form. 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, your veterinarian should be contacted, as this could be an indication that a hairball has caused a potentially life-threatening blockage.<\/p>\n

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If you look closely, you can see the tiny hook-like structures on Zoey’s tongue that enable her to catch the loose and dead hair on her body. Without the aid of a grooming brush like the FURminator deShedding tool, much of this loose hair is swallowed which can cause dangerous hairballs.<\/p><\/div>\n

When you see it in black and white like that, you can understand why hairballs really are a serious subject and why a hair grooming regiment is necessary for our feline friends. I am happy to say that the FURminator company has a full line of pet hair solutions available to help us, in particular with my favorite item, the FURminator deShedding<\/strong> tool.<\/p>\n

WHAT<\/strong><\/span> is the FURminator deShedding<\/strong> tool? It is an easy to use brushing tool that has a carefully-crafted, precise, stainless steel edge that will not cut or damage your cat\u2019s coat. It is recommended by both veterinarians and professional groomers and has been designed to reach deep beneath your cat\u2019s top coat to gently remove all the cat hair that might otherwise end up in your cat\u2019s belly, under your couch, on your floors, or on your clothes.<\/p>\n

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Even though Jazmine is still a young cat, she is already very relaxed and loves to be groomed with the FURminator deShedding tool. Kizmet is kind enough to hold her tail down and help me with the grooming!<\/p><\/div>\n

WHY<\/strong><\/span> should I use it on my cat? Because cats can ingest up to 2\/3 of the hair they lick while grooming – regular use of the FURminator deShedding<\/strong> tool reduces shedding up to 90% so that this hair does not end up in your cat!<\/p>\n

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This very quickly and easily came off of Kizmet – need I say more? Do you really want your cat to be able to potentially ingest some of that?<\/p><\/div>\n

WHEN<\/strong><\/span> should I use it on my cat? The FURminator deShedding<\/strong> tool should be used 1-2 times a week for about 15 minutes each session (always make sure your cat is free of tangles and mats BEFORE<\/strong> you use it).<\/p>\n

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I love that the FURminator deShedding tool helps minimize the possibility of hairballs in my cats, but I also love that my cats look forward to being brushed and see it as a special time of the day. Seen here is Peanut being brushed with Zee waiting for his turn! Kizmet and Jazmine will be next!<\/p><\/div>\n

HOW<\/span><\/strong> do I use it on my cat? When using the FURminator deShedding<\/strong> tool, brush your cat in the direction of hair growth, typically starting at the base of the neck and brushing to the tail. Don\u2019t concentrate on only one area \u2013 use the deShedding<\/strong> tool over your entire cat (you can use it on the ears and tail \u2013 it is non-abrasive to the skin – just be extra careful because these can be sensitive areas for our cats).<\/p>\n

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The belly is typically a very sensitive area on a cat, but Kizmet loves being brushed with the FURminator deShedding tool on his!<\/p><\/div>\n

That about sums it up – for more information about other pet hair solutions for your cat and what sizes and types of FURminator deShedding<\/strong> products are available, please visit www.furminator.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Shed Control Cloths and the FURminator deShedding tool are just some of the great pet hair solutions found at FURminator!<\/p><\/div>\n

While this post is sponsored by FURminator and I am being compensated for helping spread the word about FURminator, we have happily been using the FURminator at Zee & Zoey’s for years and only share information we feel is relevant or important to our readers. FURminator is not responsible for the content of this article.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cats and hairballs \u2013 they go paw in paw. More than likely you have stepped in at least one mushy projectile on your floor in your lifetime and it is a subject that is universally joked about because it\u2019s something that pretty much any cat lover on this earth can relate to. But, the truth […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12160,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[797,1265,513,800,798,320,799],"class_list":["post-12150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews-books-and-products","tag-brush","tag-cats","tag-grooming","tag-hair-removal","tag-hairballs","tag-national-hairball-awareness-day","tag-shedding"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/zeezoey.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Furminator2.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zeezoey.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12150","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zeezoey.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zeezoey.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zeezoey.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zeezoey.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12150"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/zeezoey.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12150\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14344,"href":"https:\/\/zeezoey.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12150\/revisions\/14344"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zeezoey.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12160"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zeezoey.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zeezoey.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zeezoey.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}