…and this is a 
We have two cats, and one of them, Merle, is a shaggy long-haired black beast. And I mean, really shaggy, and shedding constantly. Our first defense against burglary, I think, is the thick clouds of cat fur floating through the atmosphere in our house.
Well, last week, I had enough. I opened the freezer in our kitchen and discovered that all the ice cubes were matted with black hairy clumps. It was disgusting. I've told Merle over and over that if she's going to sneak into the good Scotch behind my back, fine, but she's going to drink it neat, like a civilized person. So now I've taken care of her.
I took her into the vet and had her shaved. She's not very happy right now. Our other cat, Midnight, is making it worse by prowling around her and making a funny snickering noise. The poodle-like tufts are particularly ignominious, I think.
Anyway, now you know — if you visit my house and violate our mores, there will be punishment.
Comments
Posted by: MaleficVTwin
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June 11, 2009 1:03 PM
I have the same problem, yet my cloud is grey hairs. My wee one will be getting that treatment soon.
Posted by: tsg | June 11, 2009 1:03 PM
Brushing. It reduces shedding and the cat likes it (and keeps the fur from getting matted, which is probably the real reason you had her shaved).
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | June 11, 2009 1:05 PM
I've been threatening shaving our Husky for the very same reason.
My wife now has her lawyer on speed dial.
Posted by: ppnl | June 11, 2009 1:06 PM
Do not sleep alone in the house with that cat. Seriously, thats one pissed off kitty. I would think about getting a body guard.
Posted by: MaleficVTwin
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June 11, 2009 1:06 PM
You haven't tried to brush mine. :)
Posted by: Mike | June 11, 2009 1:07 PM
That cat looks seriously narked off. When you're not looking he's going to get his own back by taking a cr*p in your breakfast cereal.
Love the legs though - it looks like he's wearing hairy fishing waders.
Posted by: Michelle R
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June 11, 2009 1:07 PM
D...did you leave a puff at the tip of her tail? She looks ridiculous! How evil are you?
Posted by: Kim | June 11, 2009 1:11 PM
A friend of me send a similar image around with as subject line: SHAVEN PUSSY!
It worked!
Posted by: natural cynic | June 11, 2009 1:12 PM
Make sure that the cat is out of the bedroom and the door is closed. Otherwise you may have a Trophy Widow.
Posted by: Janine, OMnivore | June 11, 2009 1:12 PM
What would be even more evil would be to rename Merle to Puss-In-Boots.
Must avoid the most obvious joke!
Posted by: sav | June 11, 2009 1:13 PM
We did this to our cat, but we did it because he was too furry to be comfortable in very hot weather during the summer months. Same haircut. He actually liked getting his hair chopped off, and we realized we didn't have to put him on a diet because he was pretty darn skinny under all that fur. His fur grew back just as it was before, but come July, he'll get the shave again.
Posted by: Nat J.
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June 11, 2009 1:13 PM
I've got a long-haired corgi who we shave in the summer so he doesn't get so hot. He suddenly looks very scrawny.
Posted by: MartyM | June 11, 2009 1:14 PM
I have a similar black cat, Onyx. He's so jittery that I wouldn't think of shaving him. Besides that I loose blood every time I put him in the pet carrier to go to the vet. Last year my wife and I had our hardwood floors sanded and refinished. The polyurethane finish freaked him out and he went anorexic on us to the point of developing hepatic lipidosis. After trying to force feed him for about a month and his loss of 30% body weight we went with a surgically inserted feeding tube through the neck into the stomach. 6 weeks later he decides to eat on his own again. He's fine now and doesn't miss a meal or snack. We like this better, so there will be no shaving.
Posted by: Phyllograptus | June 11, 2009 1:14 PM
We have a greyish white himalyan that right now looks very similar. He gets shaved every spring. For real fun you need to do the shaving yourself. It requires some imbibing of the good scotch, screwing up your courage and then locking yourself in a small room and a seriously pissed of cat and electric trimmers. When you and the newly shaved cat emerge amongst a truly spectacular cloud of cat hair for another liberal drink of the scotch and some repair work with bandages to yourself you can be assured that the cat will have absolutely nothing to do with you for the next week at a minimum.
Posted by: damnedyankee | June 11, 2009 1:15 PM
Caption: "You have to sleep sometime, tall one."
Posted by: a_ray_in_dilbert_space
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June 11, 2009 1:16 PM
PZ,
All I can say is shake out your shoes every morning before you put them on. Maybe give them a little sniff for kitty piss as well. And maybe check the bed before you get in. Cat's have a way of making editorial comments. I should know. We have 4...and two dogs, besides--one of whom (a pitbull-boxer mix) thinks she's a cat.
Posted by: tsg | June 11, 2009 1:18 PM
Caption: "If I could work the can opener you'd be dead already."
Posted by: spondee | June 11, 2009 1:23 PM
Shaving a cat is a three man operation. One to hold, one to shave, and one to constantly hot-box the room. Small room works best.
Posted by: Jyotsana | June 11, 2009 1:24 PM
"Basement cat will plot her revenge just as soon as she finishes dusting the shelf."
Posted by: RowanVT | June 11, 2009 1:25 PM
Behold the Lion Cut! I love those to death. Once the weather here decides to warm up for good, my youngest cat who almost makes me believe in the devil is getting a cut like that. I'm hoping the embarrassment factor will lessen his evil. Well, that and the meds he's going on soon. It's funny discovering how little cat there is under the fluff... and even funnier is seeing the inguinal fat pad flopping in the breeze.
Posted by: Dahan | June 11, 2009 1:27 PM
I've been thinking of doing this to my cat for years. She's an incredible hari-making machine. She's be mad, but she's pretty much angry all the time, so that doesn't mean much.
Nice to see the pic. I'll show it to my wife, who's been leaning this way for a while too.
Posted by: Benjamin Geiger | June 11, 2009 1:28 PM
I CAN HAS UR HEAD ON PLATTER? Did she get shaved or convert to Catholicism?
Suggestion for those with cat-carrier problems: leave the cat carrier out most of the time. Same idea as crate-training a dog. Let the cat become comfortable with the carrier, using it as a hiding place, et cetera. It won't solve *all* of the problems but it might make it easier.
Posted by: oriole | June 11, 2009 1:28 PM
Cute story! But you didn't "take her into the vet", unless you literally inserted her in the veterinarian's body. You "took her in to the vet", where the implied object of "in" is "to the veterinarian's office".
Posted by: Disciple of "Bob" | June 11, 2009 1:28 PM
I have a Rhodesian Ridgeback mix that, I am certain, sheds a greater volume of hair in a day than the volume of a week's worth of his entire nutritional intake. I believe that my dog is some sort of living wormhole between our universe and a parallel universe where the most abundant element is not hydrogen, but rather dog hair.
Posted by: SLC | June 11, 2009 1:30 PM
OT but is Prof. Myers planning to comment on Prof. Millers' shot across Prof. Coynes bow?
http://www.millerandlevine.com/evolution/Coyne-Accommodation.htm
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | June 11, 2009 1:31 PM
I believe my 100 lbs Chocolate lab must be in a parallel existence. Because though my Husky sheds, and a lot, and it's very visible I'm starting to think that the lab sheds more. And he has really short hair.
It's a conundrum of epic proportions.
Posted by: daveau
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June 11, 2009 1:32 PM
Very undignified. You don't think that you will actually get away with this do you? Cats will remember something like this for a long time. Then, just when you think you are safe...
Posted by: Psychodiva | June 11, 2009 1:32 PM
that pic is just crying out for a lolcat! poor poor kitty! nasty PZ!!!
Posted by: Scrabcake | June 11, 2009 1:37 PM
Hahaha. We used to have longhaired cats. They'd get tree-sap in their fur and it would form these matted up firm clumps, kind of like those "chinese winged cats". My dad would take the kitchen scissors to them and they'd be walking around with little bald patches.
Posted by: beergoggles | June 11, 2009 1:37 PM
Umm, what is that abdominal growth right before her hind legs?
Posted by: Emily | June 11, 2009 1:39 PM
If you haven't already, you'll want to clear the clumps of cat hair out of the fans in your computer, before they grind to a halt.
Along with all the other readers with the long-haired cats.
Posted by: Cappy | June 11, 2009 1:39 PM
I considered doing the same to my Maine coon mix. She was a feral rescue as a kitten and I worry that she has the wander-lust when I take her outside (only when I'm gardening or hanging out in the yard with her). She's tries to run sometimes, but she doesn't get too far before overheating. I can grab her as she lays down panting like a dog. I think I'll keep the hair on her.
Posted by: RowanVT | June 11, 2009 1:40 PM
#30, that is the inguinal fat pad and is a common occurrence in cats that either are overweight, or once were overweight.
Posted by: sarah95
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June 11, 2009 1:40 PM
You may need to be on the lookout for your newly shaved cat. Some safety tips are listed here:
http://catswhothrowupgrass.com/kill.php
Posted by: flo | June 11, 2009 1:41 PM
i heard cats can be tasty ... and they're not on the endangered species list! (at least most aren't) but srsly, all you people with your cat problems, why do you get one in the first place? I guess I'll never understand cat/pet people
Posted by: Chris Davis
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June 11, 2009 1:43 PM
This damn Stynci (long story) sheds more than enough fur in a week to knit at least two more cats.
Worse, the hairs are so fine they must be some form of single molecule keratin polymer. When an autopsy is done on my still-warm corpse to find it why I suddenly collapsed, it will be revealed that my lungs resemble shredded socks.
Posted by: Cappy | June 11, 2009 1:44 PM
I considered doing the same to my Maine coon mix. She was a feral rescue as a kitten and I worry that she has the wander-lust when I take her outside (only when I'm gardening or hanging out in the yard with her). She's tries to run sometimes, but she doesn't get too far before overheating. I can grab her as she lays down panting like a dog. I think I'll keep the hair on her.
Posted by: Mark Webster | June 11, 2009 1:45 PM
That's just good sense, though. We do the same thing at our house. If you put ice cubes in the good scotch, you get shaved!
Posted by: Mike in Ontario, NY
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June 11, 2009 1:47 PM
Isn't funny how groomers call it a lion cut when it it so obviously a poodle cut?
We had to do that frequently to our first rescued cat, Mookie, who had that long wooly coat AND insisted on sleeping under some pine trees and getting those little, sappy, endcap thingies that fell from the newly emerging needles stuck all over him.
I always hated the way he looked after a cut. It made his head look monstrously huge.
Posted by: isthistrolling | June 11, 2009 1:48 PM
Cue the animal rights folks, and watch as this thread rockets to the top of the Most Active list...
Posted by: Bostonian | June 11, 2009 1:48 PM
What's wrong with scotch on the rocks? Or with a little water? I stand by your cat: drink the good stuff a little diluted. It improves the flavor, believe it or not.
Interesting side-note, PZ: professional peddler of woo Deepak Chopra has an article on the Huffington Post defending the Almighty Oprah in her quest to promote baseless^H^H^H^H^H^H^H alternative medicine. It is followed by a parade of comments by appreciative woo-believers who don't understand all the bad vibes directed at their favorite snake oil. Rather sad.
Posted by: BAllanJ | June 11, 2009 1:48 PM
For my pet (Pacific Parrotlet) it's just the occasional feather she leaves around... OK sometimes some poop, but she has a couple fav places and I've covered that. If I for some reason shaved her feathers, though, she couldn't attack me easily til she at least grew back the flight feathers.
So you can't just give your cat a bath in Nair or Neet? I guess they might try to lick it off, eh?
Posted by: Tim H | June 11, 2009 1:53 PM
I've never owned a cat, but my understanding is that they prefer to drink out of shallow containers (as opposed to tall tumblers) because they lift the liquid with the underside of their tougues. Somehow, I don't see ice cubes in a saucer of scotch being a workable idea.
It is obvious that Merle has been framed by a bunch of mice. It will serve you right if rodents nibble away your underwear as you sleep every night until Merle's hair grows back.
Posted by: Primewonk | June 11, 2009 1:53 PM
We have a Chihuahua-Pomeranian mix who constantly sheds. One summer day several years ago my wife left our sons a note to brush the dog. Being ingenious, and somewhat lazy, they decided it would be much quicker to use the vacuum to do the job. To this day, merely the sound of a vacuum sends her into a tizzy.
Posted by: Dahan | June 11, 2009 1:54 PM
I, for one, will be welcoming our new feline overlords.
Posted by: Britomart | June 11, 2009 1:57 PM
I have two long haired tortoise shells. Dust Bunny and the Floof. I am going to show them that picture and tell them if they don't hold still while I brush them, that is going to be whats next.
Thank you for a good laugh! And one that doesn't involve some delugionist or another.
Posted by: BAllanJ | June 11, 2009 1:58 PM
A question.... is the tail end unshaved because that was the end the groomer held her up by when she shaved the cat?
Any yes, scotch tastes better w a bit of water (not sure taste buds work at 40% alcohol) but ice? never!
Posted by: The Pale Scot | June 11, 2009 2:00 PM
Doc,
John Cole over at Baollon Juice has had good results with this http://www.furminator.com/
Posted by: Michelle | June 11, 2009 2:01 PM
My wife wants to shave our cat, but he doesn't shed THAT much. He's a short-haired tabby.
*sigh*
I know I'm going to come home one of these days to a bald cat.
Posted by: BeccaTheCyborg | June 11, 2009 2:02 PM
I am currently covered in white cat hair from one of our cats. She's got short hair, but sheds more than any cat I've met. I occasionally give my best friend grief for giving me (a bitter corporate goth) a mostly white cat. Cute, but I have a lint-roller addiction.
I think I shall threaten her with this picture from now on.
Posted by: Mike in Ontario, NY
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June 11, 2009 2:02 PM
Just when you thought this thread was safe from Godwin's law:
http://www.catsthatlooklikehitler.com/cgi-bin/seigmiaow.pl
Posted by: The Pale Scot | June 11, 2009 2:02 PM
Doc,
John Cole over at Balloon Juice has had good results with this http://www.furminator.com/
Posted by: Ben | June 11, 2009 2:06 PM
[QUOTE]You haven't tried to brush mine. :)[/QUOTE]
It takes two people two brush my parents' cat. One to do the brushing and one to sport oven mitts and hold the cat down. We always talk about getting him shaved in the summer, but none of us has the guts to be the one he remembers as the person who took him the groomers to get shaved. :)
Posted by: Sven DiMilo | June 11, 2009 2:06 PM
I dyed a cat black for a Halloween party once. It wasn't easy, and it wasn't worth it, but the cat later forgave me.
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | June 11, 2009 2:07 PM
We use the furminator on the Husky.
That thing is awesome. Expensive, but awesome.
Posted by: truthspeaker | June 11, 2009 2:10 PM
I had that done to my long-haired cat and she actually seems to like it. She has more energy and is more affectionate - probably because she no longer has to worry about me picking at her fur mats.
Posted by: The Pale Scot | June 11, 2009 2:11 PM
Doc,
John Cole over at Balloon Juice has had good results with this http://www.furminator.com/
Posted by: Dr.Woody
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June 11, 2009 2:11 PM
Bostonian @ 40?
Oprah-Chopra? Sounds like a swamp in Florida, innit?
Posted by: Ormus | June 11, 2009 2:13 PM
So, what kind of scotch is the good stuff in the Myers' house? I'm always on the lookout for a new bottle to try.
Posted by: Merle | June 11, 2009 2:13 PM
I've got a taste for squid.
Posted by: Dr.Woody
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June 11, 2009 2:13 PM
Bostonian @ 40?
Oprah-Chopra? Sounds like a swamp in Florida, innit?
Posted by: Rick R | June 11, 2009 2:15 PM
#31- "If you haven't already, you'll want to clear the clumps of cat hair out of the fans in your computer, before they grind to a halt.
Along with all the other readers with the long-haired cats."
Heh. I have a lavender Siamese/Manx combo and even though her coat is medium length, she sheds more than I've ever seen. My house is covered in beige fuzz, far beyond my ability to cope with keeping up after it. Sigh. I've never investigated having her shaved, but I have looked into other options, but they all seemed far too invasive and likely to cause trauma. And when I'm at the end of my rope, and completely exasperated at the mess, she'll jump up on me and want to cuddle, and every fantasy I've entertained about switching her out for a neater model flies right out the window, and I wonder what I could have possibly been thinking.
And yeah, when I open up my computer, I get a nasty shock. That shit gets EVERYWHERE.
Posted by: GeekGirlsRule | June 11, 2009 2:15 PM
The only cat I have that hates brushing is the long-haired silver menace. Hates it, hates it, hates it! Attack the brush, the hand attached to the brush, spits and snarls...
It's such a production number.
We do live in a basement that stays nice and cool, so I haven't had her shaved yet. Yet.
Posted by: Ouchimoo | June 11, 2009 2:19 PM
White cats must be monstrous shedders. I had a white short hair that shed more than any other animal I ever had. It was as if he was in a constant state of 'blow out'. Brushing was absolutely worthless and I had five different kinds of hair catching brushes.
Posted by: rohit | June 11, 2009 2:19 PM
Haha, very funny. No, we 'animal rights folks' are a bit more sophisticated than you might think.
Posted by: Jojo | June 11, 2009 2:19 PM
You want your scotch neat? I'd say from now on you'll be lucky if your scotch doesn't have cat pee in it.
Posted by: Robert Woerheide | June 11, 2009 2:23 PM
I have a similar problem with my long haired black cat. He also shits on the carpet pretty regularly, and prefers Gin to Scotch. You've given me some inspiration for handling the fur tumbleweeds thoughh.
By the way, Merle is adorable in that photo. Even if she is pissed.
Posted by: SaraJ
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June 11, 2009 2:27 PM
Now your cat is just going to shed shorter hair!
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | June 11, 2009 2:27 PM
The Pale Scot, please. PLEASE read the error message.
Posted by: Sven DiMilo | June 11, 2009 2:29 PM
Had to 'kipedia that one, but still not sure:
If the latter, I'll volunteer.
But I'm neither holding nor shaving any damn cat.
Posted by: Bull of the woods | June 11, 2009 2:30 PM
capoodle!
Posted by: WRMartin | June 11, 2009 2:30 PM
I second The Pale Scot @52 with the Furminator. Our German Spitz mix has an undercoat and he sheds canoe-loads when the weather gets warm. A few strokes with the Furminator and we can almost halve the volume of our dog. And he doesn't look all silly afterwards. Not that there's anything wrong with being shaved, even though Kim beat me to it. ;)
Posted by: SteveM
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June 11, 2009 2:31 PM
Funny, our other black cat is also named Midnight (his brother, also black, is Shadow). Thankfully both are short-hairs, but are permanant outside cats anyway now due to re-learning how to spray even after being neutered.
Posted by: blueelm | June 11, 2009 2:32 PM
"all you people with your cat problems, why do you get one in the first place? "
Any suggestions for a pet with no potential problems, no health issues, no maintenance, no feeding requirements? A... rock maybe?
--animal person
Posted by: GregB | June 11, 2009 2:32 PM
@ #3
>I've been threatening shaving our Husky for the very same reason.
It is not recommended that you give Huskies a summer cut. A breeder that I know suggbest that you get a groomer's brush that can brush out the under fur and then just let them stay cool (a kids wading pool works great).
The same breeder uses a rule of thumb of
Temp + Humidity
The underfur brush will also help with your shedding problem.
Posted by: Nan | June 11, 2009 2:32 PM
Another plug for the Furminator. It works, and my cats actually like it.
Posted by: SeanK | June 11, 2009 2:33 PM
My girlfriend wants to get a lion cut for our long-haired cat, but I keep refusing. Our cat takes such pride in his hair and I'm pretty sure he'd become quite depressed if it were cut short.
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | June 11, 2009 2:33 PM
That's not the peat you're tasting.
Posted by: fyreflye | June 11, 2009 2:34 PM
Is this the beginning of Friday Cat Blogging here but a day early? Well, bring it on!
Posted by: Sili
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June 11, 2009 2:35 PM
Dummkatz isn't even longhaired, but that doesn't stop him from covering my bed in his hair. This morning I found cathair in my stubble (really should shave), and he hadn't even been in tonight.
The neighbour shaved her a Maine Coon mix a while back. He looks pretty stupid, too.
Posted by: Robert Madewell | June 11, 2009 2:38 PM
We have a longhaired black and white Van (named Venus) that consantly sheds and her ulra-long fur makes it hard to treat her for fleas. However, it would be a shame to cut that beautifull fur off. We named her Venus for a reason. She's got to be one of the most beautiful non-pedigree cats I have seen.
Posted by: woodsong | June 11, 2009 2:41 PM
Our silver tabby house lion (Maine Coon mix) currently has clipped flanks due to mats. While he doesn't mind having a brush drawn over his fur, that's not good enough to get the undercoat out. I'll tease out lumps with fingers and a dental pick for as long as he'll tolerate, but he won't sit still for that for long! He allows scissors for a short while, then hops off my lap when he's had enough (dangling a partially-snipped wad from his flank), then comes back when he wants more cuddling. Over the course of several hours, I can remove a lot of fuzz.
We've come to an understanding, he and I: Scratching or biting on his part will get him dumped off the lap or (in extreme cases) thrown out of the room. Putting up with getting picked on long enough to have a lump removed will get him a treat. Feinting a bite at my hands will get him a few minutes respite from the hair-pulling, unless I'm very close to finishing a lump. Positioning himself to allow me easy reach and a good view of the lump shortens the duration of the picking and reduces the discomfort (as well as gets him a brief respite with an ear-scratch from me).
Of course, it's always impressive when you vacuum the house and collect what seems like enough fur to outweigh the cat that shed it!!
Posted by: Daniel
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June 11, 2009 2:43 PM
Whenever I got into a snit as a kid, my mother would tease me and say I was mad as a wet cat. At PZ's house, that's mad as a shaved cat!
Posted by: Epikt
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June 11, 2009 2:45 PM
a_ray_in_dilbert_space:
When my wife was writing her thesis, her cat often felt neglected. It would jump up on the desk and insert itself between her and the computer. She would gently move the cat aside, but it was persistent, and she'd often have to lock it out of the room. She probably should have done that the day it horked up a truly magnificent hairball on what was to have been a committee copy of the thesis.
Posted by: SaraJ
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June 11, 2009 2:45 PM
I have an orange and white American short hair (named Monkey) and he sheds a ton. But I've learned to live with it, and it just doesn't bother me anymore. How am I going to get upset at some stray fur when my kitty cat cuddles up next to me in bed and starts purring (actually his purrs sound like wheezing, but it's still cute!)?
Posted by: Big Cat | June 11, 2009 2:50 PM
How to dye your cat;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvMqVkepEIo
Posted by: keo | June 11, 2009 2:55 PM
Neat?! Couple of rocks open it up a bit.
I was at the SMBE meeting last week and an anthropologist ragged on me for asking for two pieces of ice in my order.
Posted by: blueelm | June 11, 2009 2:56 PM
Daily brushing really does help. Getting a cat to tolerate and even like brushing is a matter of patience, persistance, and compromise though. The right length, texture, and size of brush is important... and then there's a period where you are just pushing the cat a little further than they are willing but not so far they get disturbed. If you do it every single day though with whatever brush they tolerate best then they will even start to enjoy the attention. Some times you just have to hold them by the back of the head and get that one swipe in before they sink their adorable little daggers in you though.
Posted by: blueelm | June 11, 2009 2:56 PM
Daily brushing really does help. Getting a cat to tolerate and even like brushing is a matter of patience, persistance, and compromise though. The right length, texture, and size of brush is important... and then there's a period where you are just pushing the cat a little further than they are willing but not so far they get disturbed. If you do it every single day though with whatever brush they tolerate best then they will even start to enjoy the attention. Some times you just have to hold them by the back of the head and get that one swipe in before they sink they're adorable little daggers in you though.
Posted by: FastLane | June 11, 2009 2:56 PM
My cat, Pixel, is a long haired gray luvkitten! I wonder about those of you whose cats don't lik ebeing brushed. Pixel will jump up on the back of the couch (her brushing place) and lay down with an expectant look a couple times a day. It wouldn't be so bad if she didn't look so damnsmug when one of us runs grabs the brush and starts brushing her.
She's got us so well trained.....
And I also recommend the furminator (defurrinator!) She loves that too. =)
Posted by: blueelm | June 11, 2009 2:58 PM
whoopsie... thought I'd hit preview the first time :( All hail my poor grammar.
Posted by: mr.ed | June 11, 2009 3:00 PM
My son came home from college with a Mohawk. He was expecting us the be pissed off. We laughed our heads off instead. he saved a lot of money that summer, as he couldn't get a date. And his hair grew back, as will your kitty's fur.
Posted by: Hypocee | June 11, 2009 3:02 PM
Aw, other people got to the Furminator before me. We tried various things off-and-on for our cats and dog (currently two pound shorthairs and a golden retriever) for years - all sorts of slickers, curries, combs, even those nylon-hooked and rubber-nub gloves. The cats don't want to put up with anything for a second, and the dog shrinks from the experience of anything messing with his fur. Undoubtedly if we'd trained them up from the start we could make them sit still, but...you know...it's always that one more project, and making them do a trick that they don't enjoy. So we dealt with cutting out mats and occasional semiadversarial brush sessions until we heard about the Furminator a couple of years ago through word-of-mouth, and bought it as a Christmas gift "for the pets".
For us, it's been just fantastic. If you use it on an animal full of shed, long- or short-haired, the shed just comes off in sheets. It's hard to believe that those tiny little teeth could be penetrating far enough to do anything useful, but they do. Even on the retriever's long locks, as you work down it gets all the way to the skin. The more important point, though, is that all three of our animals like it. The dog still rather resents brushing under the circumstances we do it, but that's because we're asking him to lie down and hold still outside on a nice day. Frankly, a technical failure on our part. The most illustrative case is Leto, who's a social butterfly; he wants some attention right now, takes five or ten minutes, and then gets bored and goes off to do something else. Repeat every thirty to sixty minutes. The first time I used the Furminator on him, I did it for that five or ten minutes and thought, "Well, let's not let this wear out its welcome and establish bad associations." I stopped, lifted him off and gave him an "OK you can go, thanks". He immediately turned around, pushed past the brush up onto my lap, and flopped down kneading for more. He doesn't do that.
The big difference from any other shedding brush I've used isn't that the Furminator is much more effective, although I'm impressed both by its general efficiency and by the way it can actually deal with small mats - it's that its pleasant for the animal so you actually use the brush on a regular basis. It's no good owning a Ferrari if it sits in a garage, right? For us, the Furminator is augmented petting.
There are cheaper Chinese clones now, from at least a company called Bamboo. I've bought Furminators because of an abstract desire to reward the innovator or whatever, but I'm sure the clones work about as well.
Posted by: Quidam
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June 11, 2009 3:22 PM
When I wrote up my thesis it was in the days of typewriters. I would handwrite the pages, double-spaced, make corrections, and give to my typist.
As I finished writing a page I would put it in my open (suitcase style) briefcase. That is until my recently castrated cat decided that the briefcase looked like a convenient litter tray - and was full of nice paper litter too.
My typist was not impressed at being presented with two dozen damp yellow pages, smelling strongly of tomcat piss.
Posted by: articulett | June 11, 2009 3:39 PM
Very crafty-- managing to make a cat look embarrassed. Even during their biggest gaffes my cats manage a "I meant to do that" look.
Shaving is the right thing to do-- it keeps them from vomiting the hair onto your carpet. It's fear of cat scorn that keeps me from doing the same.
In the spring and summer my home collects enough fur to make a whole knew animal each time I vacuum. (Perhaps it should be used to make wigs so that embarrassed kitties like yours could wrap themselves and hide the shame.)
Posted by: Ouchimoo | June 11, 2009 3:48 PM
Omg. All this talk about cat fur is making my nose itch.
Posted by: AlgaeGirl
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June 11, 2009 3:52 PM
Aw, poor kitty. We have a similar black cat, with long fur, who is currently sporting an inverse mohawk. She is old and arthritic and can't clean her back so well, and she ends up with huge matts. So we shaved her back. Left the rest though...
Posted by: JD | June 11, 2009 3:53 PM
I had a black cat named Midnight too when I was a kid. That was a good cat.
Posted by: NoAstronomer | June 11, 2009 3:55 PM
We adopted a dog from the nearby animal shelter a few years ago. He was a returnee. The previous people who had adopted him from the shelter brought him back within a month because they just couldn't handle the fur. I've never seen fur so thick and long. Attempts at grooming were pointless. After we had to cut the brush out a couple of times we decided it was time for a 'grooming'.
My wife dropped him off and I stopped by on my way back from work to pick him up. When I asked for my dog the receptionist pointed at row of cages and asked which one was mine. None of them looked even remotely like the one I had left that morning. After double-checking the names on the collars she assured that a dog I had never seen before was mine.
A month later the fur had grown back.
Posted by: Jyotsana | June 11, 2009 4:04 PM
Epikt and Quidam - Shortly after my husband and I first started dating he went and bought himself a brand new Amiga 500. As he was setting it up, his brother's cat, a Russian Blue named Gracie, wanted some pettin'. After several failed attempts to get my then-boyfriend's attention, Gracie wandered off in a huff. The next morning he discovered that Gracie had left diarrhea all over the mouse and keyboard of the 500, but no where else in the room.
Posted by: Tomato Addict | June 11, 2009 4:06 PM
What I want to know is, "Who is the brave soul that shaved the cat and lived to tell about it?"
Posted by: E.V. | June 11, 2009 4:12 PM
Yeah, the funniest aspect of shaving a long haired tom is moobs.
Posted by: 'Tis Himself
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June 11, 2009 4:14 PM
Some cats like brushing and some don't. Our cat Rogers loves to be brushed and complains loudly when the brushing stops. Her twin sister Hammerstein hates to be brushed and complains loudly when someone approaches her with a brush or comb.
Posted by: John M | June 11, 2009 4:15 PM
#59
If you can manage to acquire a bottle of Dalwhinnie, you'll never bother with any of the others again.
Well... perhaps the occasional dram of 100 proof Glen Farklas when it's 10 below.
Posted by: mllawso | June 11, 2009 4:20 PM
ditto on the furminator. Just to give you an idea of how well it works, here's a video of one being used on a cat:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3jg0_8MTC0
Posted by: mllawso | June 11, 2009 4:22 PM
Ditto on the furminator; they work great on cats.
Here's a video of one in use, and yes it really does work that well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3jg0_8MTC0
Posted by: bungoton
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June 11, 2009 4:23 PM
#103
Oven mitts? I needed welder's gloves to give my cat a flea bath and even then I got a deep gash on my upper arm.
I had her for 8 years before she let me pick her up. I don't think there are any suvivors among others who tried the same thing.
Posted by: Janine, OMnivore | June 11, 2009 4:34 PM
'Tis Himself, do you think that Puss-In-Boots, er, Merle would this song?
But the title of the song always brings me back to Polly Jean.
Posted by: Janine, OMnivore | June 11, 2009 4:38 PM
...sing this song.
Someone bring me the head of the scapechimp.
Posted by: JBlilie | June 11, 2009 4:45 PM
I was taught how to drink Highland Single Malts by my uncle, a man born, raised, and buried in the north of England. He said the proper way was with a small admixture of very pure plain (not fizzy) water. I tried it, learned, and argeed with him.
But I do like in on the rocks, too: I get the transition from warm and bitingly volatile to much colder and a bit more dilute. Lovely way to enjoy it.
Of course no one in the house will come near me while drinking Scotch ... which might be considered an ancilliary benefit sometimes.
I cannae agree! I find Dalwhinnie too thin and harsh. I love the Oban above all others. I also love Lagavulin. I also love Bunnahabhain (peat smoke, salt spray, and seaweed, yum yum).
Posted by: Noadi | June 11, 2009 4:50 PM
This shall be happening to my mutt Bandit shortly. He's a husky, lab, dalmatian, and collie mix. It's actually to keep him cooler in the summer especially now that's he an elderly 13 year old dog. The reduction in fur everywhere is just a wonderful bonus.
However dogs don't hold grudges. I would start fearing his wrath.
Posted by: Kaa
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June 11, 2009 4:51 PM
I used to have a flame point Himalayan, and for years, we battled the matting fur and looking shaggy and expensive grooming....
Finally, one day, I'd had enough. I took him to the groomer and I said, "Cut him."
What I got back was Taz...with a lion cut. He looked very funny, but for the first time in his life, he jumped up into my lap of his own free will (he was 9 years old and I'd had him since he was 4 months old), lay down, and started to purr when I pet him.
It dawned on me that he'd probably been just as uncomfortable in all that hair as he was making me, trying to get all the clumps and mats out.
Neither of us ever looked back. I kept him shaved during the warm months and let it grow out when it was cold.
Posted by: Manduca
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June 11, 2009 4:51 PM
To groom a reluctant dog, smear peanut butter on the refrigerator door at nose height. Keep a paper towel handy to wipe it off if you have to stop brushing the dog before the peanut butter is all gone, so the dog never gets to lick peanut butter off the fridge except while being groomed. Tolerating grooming is simply the price of the peanut butter.
Posted by: Ellestra | June 11, 2009 4:53 PM
I bet you would score 100% on Is your cat plotting to kill you? quiz
Posted by: Intelligent Designer | June 11, 2009 4:57 PM
This reminds me of the only time I ever skipped school. I got caught and the punishment was having my eyebrows shaved.
I wonder if PZ is warning me or if I am just paranoid.
Posted by: Emmet, OM | June 11, 2009 4:59 PM
Expert consensus is exactly the opposite, and coldness dulls your sense of taste, the same way almost any beer is drinkable if it's cold enough. If your whiskey is such bat piss that it's better with ice, go the whole hog and drown it in coke or ginger ale.
It is claimed that some subtle aromas are enhanced by dilution, and it prevents your palate from being numbed by the alcohol. The usual recommendation is to dilute “by nose”, sniffing and diluting by a small amount until the burning or tingling in your nose just stops, which happens somewhere between about 30% and almost 40% — some whisk(e)ys require almost no dilution at all, and some about half as much water as whisk(e)y. Pouring in a “good splash” of water (as much, or more, water as whisk(e)y), the way many people do, ruins it.
Both of these “rules” (no ice, dilute by nose) are usually accompanied by some “folk physical chemistry and smell biology” that I've never bothered looking up to check their veracity, but there's no question that they're the consensus amongst professional noses and serious amateurs.
Posted by: Janine, OMnivore | June 11, 2009 5:00 PM
I wonder if PZ is warning me or if I am just paranoid.
I am sure that PZ is going to invite you over in order to consult with you.
Posted by: James F | June 11, 2009 5:09 PM
Janine #108,
No, no, Merle has to do THIS song!
Posted by: DaveH | June 11, 2009 5:09 PM
[smug] can I just say I live 3 minutes' walk from here [/smug]
It's cask strength there, so definitely water to add. Unfiltered too, so it goes a little cloudy, but water definitely opens out a whole new world o flavour.
There's no god, but there sure is a heaven.
Posted by: spondee | June 11, 2009 5:17 PM
Get this cat a monocle and samovar stat!
Please, the only way to drink fine scotch is with a single ice cube.
Posted by: Janine, OMnivore | June 11, 2009 5:21 PM
Oh my, James F. I have not even thought of that song in decades. I am going to have to dig out Ant Music.
I was playing with the names of 'Tis Himself's cats.
Posted by: Mark | June 11, 2009 5:22 PM
I did the same damn thing to my cat. So now I have all of these little short cat hairs all over the place.
Posted by: AVSN | June 11, 2009 5:24 PM
Know whats going on here. Mine is dogs not cats but same idea. Every summer we get our peeks shaved down to faux pugs.
Posted by: steven | June 11, 2009 5:26 PM
Actually, Good single malt whisky needs to have a dash of room temperature water added to it, to bring the alcohol content down from ~ 42% to ~ 30%. This prevents taste bud numbing and allows a fuller appreciation of the bouquet and complexity of the 'dram' at hand.
What should be at hand is a 12yr old Macallan for oaky splendour or a Laphroig for peaty excellence.
obligatory thread connection: I also have two cats, and one is fluffy and the other is black.
Posted by: Mark A. Siefert | June 11, 2009 5:26 PM
Merle? You wouldn't happen to be an Escaflowne fan, PZ?
Posted by: spondee | June 11, 2009 5:28 PM
Sven at #70. I think the goal is to create a state where the cat no longer cares about being shaved, and you no longer care about being scratched. As I said, the smaller the room, the better.
Posted by: Intelligent Designer | June 11, 2009 5:34 PM
Janine, OMnivore said:
You better not be playing with my head. I am gullible that way you know. Did he say when he might want me to come over?
Posted by: Disciple of "Bob" | June 11, 2009 5:38 PM
OT: "Holocaust Museum Killer Was Evolutionist"
http://blog.beliefnet.com/kingdomofpriests/2009/06/james-von-brunn-evolutionist.html
Posted by: ursulamajor | June 11, 2009 5:41 PM
I just now came home with a "Furbuster". My short haired cat almost shed another cat with this and he loved it. It was around $10 and well worth every penny. Now for the long haired cat...
www.bamboopet.com/furbuster
Posted by: Lana | June 11, 2009 5:52 PM
That is one ugly, annoyed cat. We have to have our dog get a Colbert shave every three or four months. She's a big dog so when they're finished there's enough hair on the floor to assemble a medium sized dog.
Posted by: cyan
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June 11, 2009 6:02 PM
Kaa
Your anticipated links are forbidden on this server.
Posted by: Lori | June 11, 2009 6:04 PM
Merle lets you pet her for all of 10 seconds, can't imagine trying to brush her. Skatje might be able to, though, the cats like her.
Posted by: Firefly
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June 11, 2009 6:05 PM
"#30, that is the inguinal fat pad and is a common occurrence in cats that either are overweight, or once were overweight."
Or, as we fondly call it, the "swinging pouch." Even our cats who have never been overweight (Siamese male age 16 who consistently weighs 12 pounds) have it, and so does our youngest (15 months and rocket-powered) so I'm not sure about the overweight thing.
All six of our cats have taken to brushing. Brushing = fewer hairballs, so I like it too.
The trick is to start with them as kittens.
Also, wetting a paper towel and alternating comb strokes while wiping their fur helps cut the static in winter (I can't imagine what it must feel like to have all those little static pops right next to the skin), and it makes it seem more like regular old cat grooming to them.
It also picks up a surprising amount of hair that escapes the comb.
After snorting tea through my nose at that photo of Merle, though, I'm glad all mine are shorthairs!
Posted by: Lori | June 11, 2009 6:06 PM
Merle lets you pet her for all of 10 seconds, can't imagine trying to brush her. Skatje might be able to, though, the cats like her.
And all the people that have recommended the Furminator have convinced me to buy one.
Posted by: Dutch Vigilante | June 11, 2009 6:09 PM
Its quite funny, one of my fathers cats was also shaven recently, and at the vet instead of being annoyed, he loved every minute of it, kept cuddling the hands of the vet.
Its a strange, stupid beast.
Posted by: MAJeff, OM | June 11, 2009 6:09 PM
This is why I get shorthair cats.
On a different cat-note, I showed this clip to a friend the other day (and then demonstrated how much my cat enjoyed it). She tried it at home, and one of her cats "ran for her life" and the other has been following her around and sitting on her lap asking for more.
Posted by: Emmet, OM | June 11, 2009 6:13 PM
Buy a bottle of Redbreast if you haven't already; it's the only currently available “100% traditional” Irish whiskey and is rumoured to be a clear favourite amongst the noses in Midleton. IDG stopped production of Redbreast, then re-started a few years later, so Irish whiskey made in the purest traditional way is endangered, at least unless/until the new distillery in Dingle (I have high hopes for it) gets going.
Posted by: Akiko | June 11, 2009 6:13 PM
The fur on cats and dogs help them regulate their body temperature so they need it. Shaving them does not help them stay cool. I have two cats like yours but I brush them several times a week so they dont shed much or get mats.
Posted by: BdN | June 11, 2009 6:18 PM
Hey, I thought this blog was supposed to be about SCIENCE and evolution. I think this is not an appropriate post on a supposedly scientific blog.
Oh, wait, it's a personal blog ? Oups, my bad...
Isn't it strange that those who make this complaint only do when PZ posts about religion and liberal policies, calling out the wingnuts on their stupidity ?
Posted by: Emmet Caulfield | June 11, 2009 6:37 PM
All of the southern Islay malts are peaty. What distinguishes Laphroaig is that they alone throw sea-weed over the burning turf, which gives it a characteristic iodiney taste. I hate Laphroaig, particularly the 10 where the iodine flavour is overpowering and utterly revolting. The 30 is drinkable, but but it still has a faint hint of “dentist” or “hospital” that I don't like. If you want a peat monster that doesn't taste like Dettol, try Ardbeg. That said, Laphroaig is quite unique, everyone should try it at least once, and I've introduced a couple of people to it. Some people love it (I suspect congenital anosmia) but it's definitely not for everyone.
Posted by: 'Tis Himself
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June 11, 2009 6:42 PM
Janine, OMnivore #121
Some years ago we had a pair of twin males named Gilbert and Sullivan. Gilbert died at age 15 and Sullivan died two weeks later (I'm convinced that he died of sorrow). So when we got a pair of twin female kittens as replacements, the names Rogers and Hammerstein were almost inevitable. BTW, the girls are 16 and still in good health.
I've only named one of the many cats we've had. We picked up a stray and I got to name him Genghis Khat.
Posted by: DethB4DCaf
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June 11, 2009 7:01 PM
Posted by: The Pale Scot | June 11, 2009 2:00 PM
Doc,
John Cole over at Baollon Juice has had good results with this http://www.furminator.com/
I have a furminator AND a long haired male tabby who hates to be brushed. He is getting more used to the furminator versus some of the other approaches... but by no means shall he volunteer for the experience.
At least I don't have to worry about any form of revenge from this _wimpy_ fellow -- his sister causes all the problems since the entire world [and especially the other two cats in my household that she's not related to] is bigger than her AND apparently everyone picks on her all the time, so the least she can do is mark a rug or three, or a couch, or whatever else might be handy to complain about the experience...
Posted by: RowanVT | June 11, 2009 7:02 PM
The fat pad is simply common with overweight or once-overweight cats. Lean cats rarely develop a large one like that, but it can happen. The trick is, though, that most of our concepts of "not overweight" actually *are* overweight, albeit sometimes by as little as 1/2 to 1#. And that's the first place fat seems to like to collect in noticeable amounts.
Posted by: Primewonk | June 11, 2009 7:07 PM
I realize many threads go off topic - but this is strange, even for here. Cat shaving and single malts. Each separate, yet intertwined.
Posted by: Ichthyic | June 11, 2009 7:08 PM
Did he say when he might want me to come over?
You're already late!
Posted by: jazcat
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June 11, 2009 7:12 PM
I have a Persian cat and live in Florida. Winston gets a lion cut, and a real one, not a fuzzy ball for a head, fuzzy tail and fuzzy feet, ever 6-8 weeks. It is just way too hot for him otherwise. He hates being fuzzy in the summer, just lays around in the a/c.
You can see him fuzzy here, http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/jazcat_photo/IMG_2986.jpg
And maybe 2 weeks after a haircut here,
http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt77/jazcat_photo/090330_A710IS_IMG_3348.jpg
Posted by: Arj | June 11, 2009 7:13 PM
I expect the next picture we see of you PZ you'll be sans beard and mustache... and it won't be pretty!
Posted by: M Brooke Doverspike | June 11, 2009 7:46 PM
I can see it now: some enterprising vet running a hugely successful business in kitty liposuction, complete with before and after pictures on the web and specials just before summer shaving season.
Posted by: Monado | June 11, 2009 7:51 PM
Ah, le Coupe du Lion! C'est tres chic! I didn't know you could get that just for convenience.
I was given a long-haired cat once with aerodynamic hair. Each hair was very fine with a crinkle giving it a wavelength of about 3 mm. It floated. Every cup of coffee was guaranteed to have a crinkly hair in it a few minutes. When she died I thought I'd be rid of that problem.
Then I adopted a kitten who turned into a brown tabby with aerodynamic, crinkly hair. I suspect she's part coon cat. She needs brushing at least for burrs and her extra-long pantaloons. She refuses to be brushed with the usual cat brushes. We recently discovered that she loves to be brushed with a people-hairbrush that has plastic spines, widely spaced and blunted by little knobs. A little brushing every few days keeps the hairballs away.
Posted by: Paula Helm Murray | June 11, 2009 7:51 PM
I'm still puzzling as to how cat hair got into your freezer, unless someone stands in front of the open freezer with a fan running blowing into the freezer. Or the cat got into the freezer and then was rather quickly let out.
All my cats like to be brushed, though I'm going to look into a furminator. My 9-year-old kitty with medium-length hair (she looks fluffy always) has JUST started to get small mats in her fur, not sure if it is age or lackadasical grooming. She's getting brushed every day.
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | June 11, 2009 8:04 PM
When I'm not drinking Bourbon, Laphroaig is a "go to" for me. I love that stuff.
Posted by: CatBallou
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June 11, 2009 8:24 PM
I don't have to shave my long-haired cat---he loves to be brushed---but every time he comes in from the garden, I have to give him a patdown. After I found a slug or two upstairs, I realized that he was picking them up on his fur as he explored the shrubbery.
Ick!
Posted by: PZ Myers
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June 11, 2009 8:32 PM
Often, when cats are sheared, they have to anesthetize them to get the job done. The groomer said Merle was no problem, just laid there quietly, and seemed to enjoy the attention.
As for how the cat hair got into the freezer, one of her favorite places to lurk is in some cupboards above the refrigerator, where piles of cat hair accumulated. It seems that when we opened the freezer door, the hair would swirl in and coat everything. Yeah, it was disgusting.
This wasn't for convenience. It was necessary. The hair is piling up everywhere, and also, we're coming up on those hot summer months, so this is for her benefit, too.
Posted by: Mark Borok | June 11, 2009 8:38 PM
My God, we just had to to the same to our cat, and she's the exact same color as yours. Looks to be about the same size, too. I thought I was looking at a picture of her.
Our other cat, her brother, gets very upset when she comes back from the vet's in that shape. He sniffs her and then hisses nastily. I'm wondering why that is. It's as if he's half-convinced that she's another cat that's trespassing on his territory, but can't quite make up his mind.
Posted by: JHS
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June 11, 2009 8:44 PM
Merle cuts quite the dashing figure, poofy tail accessory and booties or no. ;)
I'll have to look into this Furminator contraption. My kitty/household overlord has mid-length fur and sheds like a fiend.
Posted by: Merle | June 11, 2009 8:46 PM
Given my chosen Internet moniker, this is both disturbing and hilarious.
...Mostly hilarious.
Posted by: DonRocko | June 11, 2009 8:48 PM
Kitty!
Posted by: AKC | June 11, 2009 9:25 PM
I am a professional dog groomer and I could make bank if I would groom cats too. I did do it for a while, but if you don't have the right person to hold the beast down--someone you trust enough to keep the demon away from you when the shit hits the fan--it's just not worth it.
People seem a bit aghast when I tell them what I would charge to shave a cat--at least what I would charge to shave a large dog. Even then, though, it's not worth it. Cats hate the process, puke, defecate, try to kill you, bite you, scratch your face off, and pee on you. Not only that, but it's pretty dangerous for the cat--their skin is like paper, and they just don't understand what the hell is going on and is stresses them out to the max.
And for all those thick-haired dog owners--don't get your Labrador shaved if you think it's going to stop the shedding--they're going to just shed shorter hair. And for the Malamutes, Huskies and Pyrenees type dogs--undercoat acts as insulation, not only against cold, but against heat, too. Think twice about shaving them.
And this has been your weekly Pet Grooming Service Announcement.
Posted by: Susan Silberstein
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June 11, 2009 10:11 PM
We bought a hair cutting kit for dogs and use it to clip our long-haired cat's fur for warm weather. If we do it in two or three sessions (in one day), she has learned to tolerate the process. With practice, one gets better at it and the cat no longer looks awful.
Posted by: RowanVT | June 11, 2009 10:21 PM
#149 - I think there *is* someone in Hollywood who does that. And I've made the same comment myself. *grins*
#155 - Cats recognise each other (and themselves!) as much by sight as by scent. Very very rarely a cat that gets a lion cut will start attacking its own tail because it no longer recognises it. We actually had to do a tail amputation on a cat once because of the extreme reaction. My other cats never recognised my old man Diesel when he came home from his lion cuts. Took them about a week to be comfortable with him again.
Posted by: LeeLeeOne | June 11, 2009 10:27 PM
For all of us kitty lovers - yes they shed, we know that, but we love them anyway.
have found that a small portion of generic Benadryl 25 mg (hidden in a liver treat) an hour before the dreaded shave time does the trick. With the advice of my veterinarian, I experimented. She said to start out with 1/8 of a caplet and watch his behavior. Then to give 1/4 of a caplet 2 days later and watch his behavior. He had no adverse reactions, so an hour before his "fur appointment" I gave him 1/4 of a 25 mg caplet of Benadryl hidden in a very small piece of liver treat. I have done this for years with him and he has gone through a "fur cut" without any problems.
My groomers actually like it when it's his turn for a shave and a bath. From experience and from my vet: As far as long-haired cats, there will occasionally be the proverbial matted mess at times, regardless if you brush them - once a week, every other day, or daily. Look at cat hair under a microscope and you will understand why.
My dogs have the same occasional matted mess in their fur. Unlike my kitty though, they actually like getting trimmed and have not used Benadryl for them since they were a year old.
Posted by: Jill | June 11, 2009 10:58 PM
This is why my cat is a Devon Rex. They are missing most of their top coat, and the stuff that's left is very short, curly, barely sheds, and very soft. They don't really look like other cats, though...
Posted by: lordshipmayhem
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June 11, 2009 11:00 PM
I'm so lucky - my cat Sumomo only sheds in months with vowels in them.
I so look forward to shed-free, vowel-less months...
Posted by: Keanus
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June 11, 2009 11:00 PM
If you think a long hair black cat is bad, think again. We've got a very long hair black and white St. Bernard mix, Ollie (for Oliver). And he sheds all the time—great gobs of hair from four to eight inches long. We confine him to the kitchen and back porch, which we mop daily, but his hair finds its way to the bedrooms on the second floor. Yet he's an affectionate, lovable lunk whom we wouldn't trade for the world. Hair and drool are just part of the deal. And you haven't lived until a 125 lb. dog lies down in your lap.
Oh, and he's self cleaning. When he comes in wet and muddy, we know he'll be clean as as whistle in about four hours, once the fur dries. He's all shiny and bright white or black. The downside is the mud is now fine dust all over the floor, the shelves, the counter, the TV, you name it. Ah the joys of cats and dogs
Posted by: Lonebeatle | June 11, 2009 11:15 PM
Tell about murderous looks...O_O...I have six cats btw, but not the fur issue, that's my Malamut dog bussiness (wipes the fur off the screen) now I can see better! LOL
Posted by: Sphere Coupler | June 11, 2009 11:27 PM
Shave the cat...fuck that, she chases coyotes! true
Posted by: Notagod | June 11, 2009 11:46 PM
Merle is working on the potion to turn you into a christian. That will fix ya! You will know it worked when you say "I can see Russia from my house."
Posted by: Kevin (nyc) | June 12, 2009 12:02 AM
why does that cat have like balls hanging down?
Posted by: Ryan of the tewbz | June 12, 2009 12:05 AM
Take a gander at that udder looking thing.
Lordy, it looks like a poodley cat cow.
What sort of evil genetic experiments have you been running?
Posted by: TVS | June 12, 2009 2:54 AM
[quote]"all you people with your cat problems, why do you get one in the first place? "
Any suggestions for a pet with no potential problems, no health issues, no maintenance, no feeding requirements? A... rock maybe?
--animal person[/quote]
Answer: none.
In other words, don't keep a pet if you can't handle one. Keep your current one, just don't do it again.
Posted by: Psanity
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June 12, 2009 3:47 AM
I don't know what you're complaining about, PZ. My cat _never_ refills the ice cube tray.
Posted by: alex | June 12, 2009 3:51 AM
.
Posted by: Ponder | June 12, 2009 4:20 AM
Hmmm, a useful curse to use in times of great frustration. You shake your fist to the sky and bellow "BY PZ MYERS SHAVEN PUSSY...!!!!!"
Posted by: cyan
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June 12, 2009 4:36 AM
Anyone who implied that other animals don't "need" to be helped to cope with environmental changes: LOL.
If you think so, then, don't ever cut your own hair, don't use heating or air conditioning in your own home, don't use clothing, etc.
Just because a phenotype has survived resulting in a majority of individuals have that phenotype doesn't mean its the optimum for the individual. We change conditions to make ourselves more comfortable; of course we are going to change conditions to make others more comfortable.
PZ's Merle is more comfortable after this manoeuvre: more freedom to move since resultant heat of movement is not such a deterrent, fewer hairballs to cough up. Oh, what to do with that freed-up time? Getting into the Scotch might be even more likely now.
Posted by: Rorschach | June 12, 2009 4:47 AM
@ 174,I read this as:
That would worry the trophy wife,I presume !
;)
Posted by: AJS | June 12, 2009 4:57 AM
Two months ago, my cat Spook (black DSH, M, then 10 months) ended up getting some smelly, oily substance (possibly motor oil or diesel fuel) all over his legs and lower body, as though he had stepped into a container of the stuff. His contaminated parts had to be shaved in order to clean him up.
When he was allowed home, the fur on the top half of his body was intact, but his legs were still bald -- looking somewhat reminiscent of a bat. Even a "short-haired" cat's fur is about 1.5 - 2cm. long; and it grew first on his feet, then up his legs, making him look at one stage as though he was wearing Ugg boots and velvet leggings!
It's growing back as his Summer coat, so by the time he has finished losing his Winter coat his top and bottom halves ought to match up again.
Also, good pet insurance is worth every penny.
Posted by: Anonymous | June 12, 2009 5:00 AM
This post makes me sad, my cat died recently. :(
Posted by: Dunc | June 12, 2009 7:20 AM
Try Caol Ila - it's the nectar of the Gods. The 12 year is my preferred standard bottling, but I recently laid my hands on a 23 year single-cask that was simply divine.
No ice in whisky, ever! It's just wrong.
Posted by: David | June 12, 2009 7:39 AM
If my cat looked at me like that I would sleep with my door locked and stay up worrying that he was fashioning one of his claws into a lock pick....or I would just enter Witness Protection.
My cat came from the MSPCA and he is one of the most well behaved cats I have ever seen. He has only once not used his litter box, and his only issue is that he pukes quite a bit; but HARTZ Hairball Remedy has pretty much taken care of that.
I do have a question that has not yet been asked...how did cat hair get in your freezer then into your ice tray? That seems impossible even by cat standards.
Posted by: David | June 12, 2009 7:43 AM
If my cat looked at me like that I would sleep with my door locked and stay up worrying that he was fashioning one of his claws into a lock pick....or I would just enter Witness Protection.
My cat came from the MSPCA and he is one of the most well behaved cats I have ever seen. He has only once not used his litter box, and his only issue is that he pukes quite a bit; but HARTZ Hairball Remedy has pretty much taken care of that.
I do have a question that has not yet been asked...how did cat hair get in your freezer then into your ice tray? That seems impossible even by cat standards.
Posted by: blueelm | June 12, 2009 8:20 AM
Um... for the record. I think you missed my point entirely. The person I was responding to was wondering why cat people, which is a phrase I've always hated anyway, put up with such awful needy pets. My response was simply to ask what pet has no needs? Thanks for the sermon though. I'll keep it in mind.
Posted by: Peter Ashby | June 12, 2009 8:25 AM
I agree with Mark Webster, good Scotch should not be iced. For one thing those who ice their malt are responsible for the evil that is chill filtering. A non chill filtered malt is a different drink from one that is, much better mouth feel. Those long chain alcohols are supposed to be there. They get taken out so that ignorant people who put ice in their drink don't complain when it goes cloudy because those LCA's have solidified in the cold.
Keep the ice for Blended Scotch and if you must ice your Scotch ask yourself why you drink it, if you don't like the taste drink something else, don't just numb your tastebuds. Same goes for you plonkers who buy Guinness 'Extra Cold', if you don't like the taste, that is what Aussie lagers are for. It's becoming so that the Extra Cold is the only one in some bars and pubs. If there wasn't a decent beer (which obviously excludes Aussie lagers) on tap I could always fall back on the Guinness, no longer. If it says 'Extra Cold' walk away, I know where you live.
Posted by: recovering catholic | June 12, 2009 8:29 AM
The number of comments on this indicates to me a need for retreat from the immediate and awful problems of the world. It's a good release.
Rev: DON'T get your husky shaved! Just talked to my vet yesterday about this. Huskies, Samoyeds, Akitas and other "northern" breedes, she says, often experience "post-gromming alopecia". So if you care about your dog ever growing its fur back normally again, this is probably not a good idea.
I've been giving our 10-year old Golden a lion cut for about 5 years now in the summer and gotten pretty good at it. Sure, it looks a little silly, but if you could see how he bounces around and plays like a puppy after being relieved of that thick blanket of insulation, you'd be a convert. And Goldens grow their fur back just fine.
Posted by: recovering catholic | June 12, 2009 8:36 AM
Good grief. That's "breeds" and "grooming".
Posted by: John Morales | June 12, 2009 8:52 AM
recovering catholic Good grief. That's "breeds" and "grooming".
No worries, we got it... and it added a certain olde worlde charme :)
--
PS I have a "red" Ridgeback, hairs are only a few mm long andsomewhat thin, but shedding is nonetheless impressive.
Still, no way you could cut his hair short of a shaving brush and razor :)
Cheers to all other pet owners, and PETA be damned.
Posted by: JBlilie | June 12, 2009 9:10 AM
Dunc@179:
Thanks, I'll try it. At first straight up, then next time with a bit of water, and later I'll probably go to the dark side and desecrate it with solid-phase H2O, sorry!
Posted by: genesgalore | June 12, 2009 9:10 AM
how cruel. not very nice mr. PZ humanoid.
Posted by: genesgalore | June 12, 2009 9:14 AM
how cruel. not very nice mr. PZ humanoid.
Posted by: JBlilie | June 12, 2009 10:18 AM
@183
I cannae agree about the ice.
I fully agree with not stunning your tastebuds. I like my beer much warmer than almost any other American does. Now, the canned version of Guinness may be a sacrilege to you as well, but I find it just fine -- and I like it at about 55 deg F. I mostly drink Belgian ales (including some fine North American versions from the likes of Ommegang and Unibroue) especially La Chouffe and Scotch de Silly. US fridges are usualy set below 40 deg F: Much too cold for anything that tastes good.
I find that most Americans drink white wines much too cold (should be about 50 deg F IMO) and too warm for reds (should be about 55(+) deg F). Room temp in the US (about 70 deg F) is too warm for reds.
All that said ... I still like a little ice in my scotch -- sometimes. Usually I drink it straight up or with a dab of water.
So, the admonition that I don't like scotch because I use ice reminds me of how many people have said that I don't like coffee because I use cream and sugar in mine. Nonsense. I like it a bit differently than (they) do. Most adult drinks are a balance of bitter and sweet. Where you fall on that bitter-sweet continuum varies. Black coffee, to me is at the extreme bitter end of the scale. (Most black coffee drinkers, it seems to me, act as if they are somehow superior for their toleration of it -- as they grimace and drink it.) I don't like "flavored" additives to coffee at all (caramel machiato -- gaaack!).
If the drink is, to my tastes, out of balance, I usually don't like it, except as a novelty.
I don't like most American micro-beers because they just make them too damned bitter with boiling hops (and please, you brewers, use some other kind of hops than Cascades hops, I am so bored with the Cascade hop). I much prefer UK bitter and IPA. I love classic lagers such as Pilsener Urquell, Paulaner, and other Munich lagers. And, as noted, Belgian beers of all types, even acidic, funky Lambics.
I don't like most American wines: Too gooey ripe, alcoholic, funky, and usually terribly over-oaked. Way out of balance. Almost all the wine I drink comes from Spain, Italy, Portugal, Germany, and, especially, France.
And, I like my scotch any way I like it. I find the water spreads out the flavors, so to speak, such that I can perceive them more easily. I'm sure this changes the attack of the flavors (vs. neat.) So I try various ways with each scotch. And sometimes, a single ice cube, and the transition from warm and volatile to cool and slightly diluted seems just right (maybe on the deck, after sundown, after a hot summer day.)
Now, I would never, ever, mix single malt scotch with anything other than (solid or liquid phase) water. That would truly be sacrilege.
Posted by: jen | June 12, 2009 10:38 AM
But you see, drinking out of a human glass adds that extra spice called "taking something that isn't mine". I've had multiple cats that LOVED drinking from a person's glass. A glass of their own wasn't nearly as interesting.
We used to have a Siamese who specifically wanted to take her water 1) off the top of an ice cube 2) in a tall glass of ice water 3) that belonged to my younger brother. All three elements had to be there for her to be truly happy about drinking.
Posted by: Epikt
|
June 12, 2009 10:51 AM
Jyotsana:
Yes, they do make editorial comments. My wife had her cat before she got me, so it always viewed me as competition, and if it was feeling magnanimous it would barely tolerate me.
One morning I awoke with a nasty flu and decided to stay home from work. As I was moaning in bed, my wife brought the cat over and put it on my chest, explaining "A purring cat will make you feel better." The cat settled in, looked at me with unbridled contempt, and proceeded to deliver a massive sneeze square in my face. No, a coating of cat snot did not, in fact, make me feel better.
Posted by: Laurie | June 12, 2009 10:56 AM
I have a flame point Siberian forest cat. When he sheds (all the time) fine pale hairs cover the furniture. When he blows coat in late winter, it's truly amazing. As he walks, chunks of undercoat fall out every couple of feet to join the constant stream of fur. I don't know why he's not bald from the shedding, but he does look a lot smaller when the blow is over.
Brushing reduces the amount of shed, but not by much.
Posted by: Daenyx | June 12, 2009 10:57 AM
Caption: "Featherduster cat is not amused..."
Posted by: Natalie | June 12, 2009 10:58 AM
This thread is so useful. I have a whole list of scotches to try, plus grooming advice for the dog we're getting soon. Yay!
Posted by: Who Cares | June 12, 2009 11:35 AM
My cat only seems to shed on me. I've taken to wearing grey and white clothing to conceal his fur.
That said: burn these heretics suggesting putting ice in whisky. You only add water until it doesn't scorch your mouth and throat and that is usually minimal (unless you buy directly of the cask).
Posted by: Allytude
|
June 12, 2009 12:09 PM
My Leonardo Licorice Bolt "Guppy" is exactly like that cat, but I am not brave enough, will just card and knit that fur into something- maybe another cat.
Posted by: uncle frogy | June 12, 2009 12:16 PM
My Mom had a tortoise shell that shed on things hair along with flea eggs and shit where she would. I do not remember who thought of using the vacuum cleaner on her but she loved the thing all you had to do was turn it on a start cleaning one of the rooms and she would come over and flop down and roll around right in the way until she got well vacuumed.
I think it is the high pitched noise that the cat did not like at first but she liked the "brushing" so she decided it was a good thing despite the loud noise. It worked great really kept the mess reduced. We used the upholstery brush or the crevice tool or even just the open hose she liked them all.
Posted by: Monado | June 12, 2009 12:38 PM
Cat pheromones help, too. They're damned expensive: a small spray bottle costs about $75. But we used them when integrating new cats into our family. we just sprayed them lightly on the floor, rugs, or bed-covers in each room. Instead of going around looking for trouble or someplace to hide, the cats flopped down and relaxed, looking around with an expression of "love is in the air and I feel fine." After a couple of weeks of intermittent treatment, they were used to peaceful coexistence.
Posted by: Allison | June 12, 2009 1:17 PM
Awww, nakey kitty. I have two longhaired cats and they each get a lion cut like this about once a year. I like to think it makes them more comfortable in the summertime, NOT being underneath six pounds of fur...and it definitely reduces shedding and the amount of grooming I have to put in. Plus, I have noticed that my tortie in particular gets really active and playful after a shave - like she's thinking, "FINALLY, all that hair is gone and I can move!"
Posted by: Leon | June 12, 2009 3:34 PM
For diluting her single malt? She got off easy!
Posted by: riddlerhet | June 12, 2009 4:00 PM
I love that cats experience the sentiment of humiliation....Oh, not that I think they should be humiliated, mind you; No, it's because it's a pretty good indicator of self-awareness. You can't feel humiliated if you aren't aware of what you look like.
Posted by: Anonymous G | June 12, 2009 9:18 PM
A few years ago I decided to try professional grooming from a place that uses the furminator (I think in a two-stage process). Shepherd/collie mix. Getting it at the perfect time - beginning of June - was just that, perfect. All the major shedding issues were avoided, and she didn't really need to go back repeatedly.
I didn't have to crawl around on my hands and knees because all she would do was roll over and expose just one side of her belly.
The biggest problem was getting them to not trim some of the really cute scraggly bits, like the toe tufts that earned her the nickname "Grinch Feet" and the baggy-pantaloon effect of the fur on her rear legs.
Unfortunately she's not well, getting worse, and is unlikely to survive another week.
Posted by: BadAunt | June 13, 2009 5:33 AM
My first cat totally solved the shedding problem (and the hairball problem) by falling in love with the vacuum cleaner. She ADORED being vacuumed. In fact she adored it so much it was impossible to vacuum a floor if she was in the room, because she kept getting in the way. You had to shut her out of the room if you actually wanted a clean floor, and if you did that she'd sit right outside the door, wailing pitifully. You could not vacuum her too much - I never knew her to get tired of it. On a slippery floor you could pull her across the floor with the vacuum attached to the scruff of her neck, if you got the angle just right. It made her eyes bulge.
She got her tongue stuck in the vacuum once, and it made an extraordinarily loud FLBTFLBTFLBT! noise as it flapped in the tube. She couldn't get it out, and I was laughing so hard it took me a moment to turn off the machine. But even that didn't deter her. She was wary for about ten seconds, and then came right back for more (although she kept her mouth shut when she rubbed her face against the vacuum tube after that).
Posted by: Thunderbird5 | June 13, 2009 8:51 AM
I too live with an enormous black long-haired furball (Ozzy is mostly Persian but doesn't have the ran-into-a-wall flat Persian face) and I spent many a nervous session trimming the clumps out of his fur recently (I can only do this whilst he's face first in a plate of food and the mixed sounds of growl, grumble and nomnomnom are hilarious). He sheds a lot in the spring and responds by finding piles of dush to roll in, thus giving himself pseudo-wings the size of my hand. Now he's been haircutted adequately, I've booked him in for a tummy shave to make him more comfy in the warm weather.
My other cats like a brush with the hoover as per badAunt above (206) but that one furball who really needs it won't countenance it anywhere near him, the great lummox.
Posted by: Diana | June 13, 2009 12:00 PM
I have one of the famous long-haired male marmalade tabbies, with an undercoat that is that indefinable sunset color - not white, not pink, not orange, not gray. It shows on everything and the mats can be huge by mid summer if he's not brushed.
And his hair gets in the most amazing and unexplainable places.
I have been using the Furminator this whole spring, and saving the hair. I'm a spinner and weaver, so I have a plan for the batt of hair that is now twice the size of the cat, and he's a huge, but very skinny, cat.
It takes two of us to brush him, but my husband always is the holder, who insists on telling the cat that he shouldn't look such mean looks or bite him, because, after all, HE is not the one doing the combing.
Guess who Zeus loves the best? Not me. So I think I will weave him a hair mat to sleep on.
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