Okay, I know you can now not sing the song, "Cat Scratch Fever!"
This Blog is not about the serious disease of Cat Scratch Fever, but about why do cats throw up hairballs on their favorite scratchy scratchers.
My reasoning on this is speculative, but I found myself accidentally immersed in the lifestyle of Cats. So, I became an unofficial expert by observation.
I wasn't planning on thinking about why cats throw up on the horizontal cardboard scratchers, when it would be so much easier for me if they threw up on the easy to clean laminate floor. I don't mind if they throw up on the furniture covers, unless it is right after I have just finished the laundry for the week. The covers are there to so I only have to clean them when something happens. I am not thrilled when they throw up on the scratchy scratchers, because then they are no good. It gets expensive throwing out supplies. I have been know to cut away the damged part of a scratcher and reuse the part that is still good.
I think cats throw up on a place that is either convenient in the moment or they run to a place where they find great comfort. That could explain why some throw up on the covers, in the covers, on something they identify with their Hooman or on the scratchy scratchers or some other place they feel safe and comfortable.
Our retired King Triton almost never throws up. He has very fine, bunny soft hair. His Mama retired Queen Carolina went to her forever home a couple of weeks ago. All the years she lived with us and then after, he loved laying on the scratchers that she also camped out on, but at different times. It was only after she left, that I realized he was laying where her scent was. So last week for the rare occassion Triton started doing the retching sound, and I knew a hairball would be forthcoming and he was on the carpet, and as I was trying to move him to the laminate floor, he ran to the scratcher to be safe from me and being sicky and projectile vomited his hairball and liquid across it. Yes, I should have let him throw up on the carpet.
But in that moment, I felt enlightened why he was going to the scratcher to be sick and why he hung out there in general.
Then I felt really bad, because we wouldn't have that scratcher anymore that smelled like his Mama Carolina.
I did bring out another one that she also loved to lay on in the Cat Room and as soon I did, he went to it.
Understanding that explained to me why other cats throw up on the bed, because that is their comfort zone, that smells like them and me. I used to think hairballs on top of the cat walks or under the futons were just annoyingly hard to clean up, and opportunistic, but I do have cats whose comfort zones are either way up high by the ceiling or in the Cat Caves, under furniture.
Note: Everypawdy is not running around throwing up all the time. It's just when you have many cats, for many years, you are going to see a few hairballs. We serve Greenies Feline SmartBites Healthy Indoor Natural Tuna Flavor Soft & Crunchy Adult Cat Treats https://prf.hn/l/xnyqlJd for prevention and regularly groom them with a deshedding tool https://amzn.to/3SAOz30
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