Hairball Awareness Day

Cat hairballs are a very common problem, and not a pretty sight. After ruling out a medical reason (e.g. inflammatory bowel disease), the best way to reduce the amount of hair ingested is to brush it out.

Good grooming is important for hairball reduction and many health reasons.

To increase awareness about hairball problems and the benefits of good grooming, Romeo The Cat, pictured here, is the official spokescat for Hairball Awareness Day on April 27, 2012.

Hello, Romeo

I interviewed Romeo's "staff," Caroline Golon, about Hairball Awareness Day to help spread the word and give us a little history about this campaign.

Question: Hairball Awareness Day started off on a serious note by the National Museum of Health and Medicine of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (NMHM). How did you/Romeo get to be the spokescat for this momentous day?

Answer: This is the fourth year Romeo has been working with FURminator to promote National Hairball Awareness Day. He's the perfect spokescat because he is VERY furry! FURminator promotes this day every year because regular grooming can help reduce the amount of hair a cat ingests, thus reducing hairballs and other results of hair ingestion, like constipation for example.

Question: What is your hope and purpose of Hairball Awareness Day?

Answer: Many people assume hairballs are a natural part of being a cat and to some degree they are. But like I said above, ingesting too much hair can cause problems for cats. Don't tell him I shared this but Romeo has had problems with constipation in the past, likely due to swallowing too much hair. But grooming can help reduce hairballs so that's why Romeo wants to get the word out! Hairballs don't have to slow a cat down!

Question: Does Romeo enjoy being brushed? If not, or is reluctant, what are your tips for good grooming success?

Answer: Romeo and his brother Pugsley LOVE being brushed. My biggest tip for successful grooming is to find a tool that the cats like. That sounds like a no brainer but there are some out there that aren't sharp or prickly and can irritate the cat's skin. No wonder the cats don't like being groomed with those! The FURminator really is a great tool - it's easy of the cat's skin and does a great job removing the extra fur without pulling.

Question: What do you do with all of that shed-brushed out hair?

Answer: Most of the time we throw it away. Well, the fur that doesn't stick to me. Usually after a grooming session I am covered from head to toe with white and black fur! I have to groom myself afterwards! But for National Hairball Awareness Day this year, FURminator and Romeo got a little silly. We asked a bunch of bloggers to groom their cats with the FURminator and then create funny furball celebrities with the resulting fur.

Question: Anything you would like to add about Hairball Awareness Day?

Answer: Even though we're being silly and having fun with the day, it's still good to remember that hairballs aren't silly. If cat parents can help prevent them through regular grooming, they should. In the photo of Romeo so you can see how furry he is!

Thank you Caroline, for taking a few minutes out of your busy schedule to share some Romeo with us.

What do you do with all of that hair?

I participated in the "furball celebrity" project for the 2012 hairball awareness campaign. Here is my entry: Ellen FurGeneres. My daughter created this artwork, and we earned fourth place overall. Learn more about the creation of Ellen FurGeneres.

Related Reading: My review of the FURminator deshedding tool.

Photo: Romeo The Cat / Caroline Golon

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