Do you want a cat that is considered to be a sacred animal? Many people think that the beautiful Birman cat breed originated from cats that guarded the Burman temples. This breed is even rumored to have helped the Burmese monks fight off attackers when a Birman’s coat turned the golden color of the goddess the monks worshiped, except for his paws which stayed pure white. Of course, less fanciful cat lovers say the Birman is simply a French relative of the Himalayan cat breed.

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Whenever I see or hear one of our cats having hairball coughing, I immediately get the Laxatone or Petromalt and give them about 1 inch (2.5 cm) every other day for a week and then weekly. Then I get my family to increase brushing and combing our cats. For more on this subject see Hairball Express or the Fur is Flying.

The problem is that not all coughing means a hairball. Sometimes it can be far more serious. Asthma attacks are an emergency. Asthma can kill. I recommend you watch these videos (links below) so you can recognize the symptoms, and can take appropriate emergency measures. Know where the nearest emergency vet clinic is located. If you think you have seen these symptoms in you cat, talk to your vet ASAP.

As someone who has asthma, I know how scary a sudden onset attack can be. Seeing it in a cat was heartrending. There are medications such as albuterol inhalers, Flovent and steroids to cut inflammation — how familiar I have used them, too… They even have the aerokat pet inhaler designed as a feline friendly device for using MDI’s (metered dose inhalers). This video shows it being used.

Each of the people who took these videos did so in order to educate others.

I found Dave’s Feline Asthma attack video while browsing. That is what got me started on this blog entry. The coughing is not like hairball coughs I have heard. Much more labored and tiring for the poor kitty.

This video gives a medical explanation of symptoms associated with feline asthma.

Another video of a cat with labored breathing. As the person who posted this wrote: “The purpose of this video is to give an example of what labored or abdominal breathing looks like. This video was made in order to show our vet what we were seeing. Needless to say, Stinky [their cat] was brought in to the emergency room after capturing this footage. Note: Normal respiration should be between 20-30 [per minute].“

Cats can also have food or environmental allergies, as we found out when Glory repeatedly started scratching the side of her neck until she was bloody. For a more detailed discussion of what we learned, see my article “When Cats Have Allergies“.

I had an earlier post on some Online Feline Medical and Health Resources to find reliable medical information regarding feline health issues. Looking it over, I think I will add others in a future blog entry when I can.

Hairballs are a nuisance. Uncomfortable for our cats and messy for us to clean up. These are some products we have used successfully.

Oral solutions:
Petromalt or Laxatone: Some cats will actually lick the paste from the tube. Not ours. So we have to restrain a cat and rub into the fur about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of paste onto a front leg. Then release cat. She or he runs away with a look of ruffled dignity and begins frantically grooming the icky stuff off their fur. Both Petromalt and Laxatone promote the passage of fur out into the litter box. We have also used Lactulose (a prescription medicine available from veterinarians) which is a stool softener, although it has other medicinal functions as well.

Brushes and combs:
All of these work well. Listed in order of how much loose undercoat you get off in the least amount of grooming time, longest time to shortest. Just have your vacuum cleaner handy for use right after brushing or combing your cats. Otherwise, the loose fur will fly everywhere!

Flea combs do just what they say, comb out live or dead fleas. Our veterinarian told us that after each short run through the fur with the comb, dip the comb in a prepared bowl of slightly soapy water. The soap prevents live fleas from jumping off the water’s surface tension. Then use a damp cloth to wipe off any soapy residue from your cat. BTW, the reddish cast to the water is your cat’s blood that the now dead fleas ingested.

Brushes come in many styles such as wire, pins and bristles. Long hair cats usually do better with the first two types, although you can use all three on short hair cats.

Bamboo Ruffle the fur against the way it grows, then use this comb in 3 to 4 inch strokes.

Furminator I use this primarily for brushing the backs and sides of our densely furred cats. Usually I comb about half the length of the body with each stroke. Be very careful if you go near the belly, legs or tail. You could scrape their skin with this tool. It is amazing in how much fur you can get off in just 3-5 minutes.

It helps tremendously when we use both a paste and brushing for each cat. Whatever you use, do so consistently, at least once a week.

Coping with Cat Fur

Fur, fur everywhere and not just on my cat…

We love our feline companions, but often wish for ways to control or clean up their shed fur. Here are some ideas to help you (and your cat!)

Why cat fur is shed everywhere

Cats have at least two layers of fur (some have three!) and the one we see most often is the longer upper layer. This layer is not shed in great quantities by cats. It is the dense shorter underlayer designed to insulate cats during weather of any kind that is shed. Shedding of old fur occurs year-long, with a seasonal increase after winter being the most prolific. A cat’s self-grooming of this seasonal shedding is what leads to spring and summer hairballs and the resultant problems for your cat and you. Having said this, we turn to ways of decreasing shed fur, first on your cat, and then in your home.

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