I posted this a few years back and didn't receive much feedback (if at all). The problem remains so I'm posting again in hopes some new ideas pop up.
Quite simply, the more I brush my cats, the more hairballs (or more accurately for one of them, retching without much hair) appear. Does anyone else experience this?
When I don't brush, one of my cats, D, still gets hairballs but just not as frequently. J, her sister, almost never gets hairballs at all. But when I brush, it's almost guaranteed that one or both of them will hack up a ball within 12 hours of brushing.
So why brush? Well, in the warm seasons, the shedding is outrageous. In addition, I worry about the infrequent but huge hairballs that can build up and possibly become obstructions. J, has poop with lots of hair so she passes them through her GI system. Unfortunately, she also seems to be very sensitive to any bit of hair that doesn't go through. So once or twice a year, she will show signs of illness and goes off eating for a day or two. Then she hacks up and all is well. You would expect a gigantic hairball, but no, it's just a measly little thing. D, on the other hand, hacks up more frequently but the hairballs look like little cigars.
Sorry for the details, but circling back, why is it when I follow the oft-given advice to brush more, my cats produce more hairballs? I've tried different methods but the results remain the same. I use the furminator, then a horsebrush to pick up loose hair and gently pat them with damp hands to catch the finest of loose hair. Half a day later, hairballs.
Quite simply, the more I brush my cats, the more hairballs (or more accurately for one of them, retching without much hair) appear. Does anyone else experience this?
When I don't brush, one of my cats, D, still gets hairballs but just not as frequently. J, her sister, almost never gets hairballs at all. But when I brush, it's almost guaranteed that one or both of them will hack up a ball within 12 hours of brushing.
So why brush? Well, in the warm seasons, the shedding is outrageous. In addition, I worry about the infrequent but huge hairballs that can build up and possibly become obstructions. J, has poop with lots of hair so she passes them through her GI system. Unfortunately, she also seems to be very sensitive to any bit of hair that doesn't go through. So once or twice a year, she will show signs of illness and goes off eating for a day or two. Then she hacks up and all is well. You would expect a gigantic hairball, but no, it's just a measly little thing. D, on the other hand, hacks up more frequently but the hairballs look like little cigars.
Sorry for the details, but circling back, why is it when I follow the oft-given advice to brush more, my cats produce more hairballs? I've tried different methods but the results remain the same. I use the furminator, then a horsebrush to pick up loose hair and gently pat them with damp hands to catch the finest of loose hair. Half a day later, hairballs.
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