National Hairball Awareness Day
So you think you know everything about hairballs? We thought National Hairball Awareness Day would be the perfect time to test your knowledge. You’ll find the answers at the bottom of this post, but no cheating! Good luck!
(Photo credit above: macdeedle)
1. Your cat’s managed to hack a hairball onto your heirloom living room rug — just inches from the hardwood floor. What’s the most effective way you can prevent hairballs from happening in the future?
A) Give your rugs away to cat-less friends (but who has those?)
B) Teach your cat to only hack hairballs on hard surfaces that are easy to clean.
C) Regularly brush your cat so clumpy hairballs don’t develop in his digestive tract.
Photo credit: Pixabay
2. You awake to the telltale horking sound of your cat preparing to expel a hairball. How do you react?
Photo credit: Tamba Budiarsana
A) Pretend you’re asleep and hope the Hairball Fairy (or your spouse) takes it away in the night.
B) Drag yourself out of bed to clean up the hairball and vow to exercise your cat more regularly to help keep his digestion system in smooth working order.
C) Convince yourself it’s all a bad dream and go back to sleep.
3. During a dinner party, your kitty decides to treat everyone to a performance. And by performance, we mean a dramatic hairball-hack that stuns your guests. What might you try in order to avoid a future “dinner and a show” situation?
Photo credit: Pixabay
A) Switch your cat to a higher fiber food to help move the hair through the digestive system.
B) Never host another dinner party.
C) Turn up the Spotify during dinner to drown out the hacking.
4. You arrive home from work, take off your shoes, and promptly step into a squishy, gooey puddle of hair. What does this mean?
Photo credit: Ahmad Abu Hameeda
A) You should start wearing shoes in the house. Like, ALL the time. Even to bed in case of the scenario in question #2.
B) You clearly need to keep a roll of paper towels by the door to clean up future squishy-hairball foot messes.
C) You could offer your cat more water, since dehydration can cause hairballs.
5. Which is NOT a symptom of a serious hairball issue?
A) Swollen abdomen
B) A sudden desire in your cat to dress up in bedazzled kitty clothing and start an Instagram account
C) Overly matted fur
Answers: 1. C; 2. B; 3. A; 4. C; 5. B
So how did you do?
Even though it’s common for cats to expel hairballs, those fuzzy clumps can lead to serious medical issues if they become stuck in a cat’s digestive system. You can help prevent hairballs by keeping your cat groomed, providing plenty of water, offering fiber-rich food, and making sure your cat gets plenty of exercise.
We’ll have lots of exhibitors who are bringing wellness and grooming products to our Exhibition Hall at CatCon this October 1st and 2nd. Click here to buy your tickets!