Thursday Trivia: like a dog in a manger

First - what does it mean? Well, if you're acting 'like a dog in a manger," you're selfishly withholding something that's useless to you from someone who could use it.

But where did the saying come from?

Photo courtesy Steve Evans, via Creative Commons

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary tells us that its origins are from an old Greek fable about a dog laying in a manger, not because he wanted to eat the hay but because he wanted to prevent an ox from being able to do so.

The first known use was in the second century CE by a writer named Lucian. It was first included in Aesop's Fables in 1476.


_____________
Sources:  Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary and Wikipedia
Also: "The Works of Lucian of Samosata". Ebooks.adelaide.edu.au. 2009-05-01. Retrieved 2010-08-28.

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: by the Fire

Sunday it was the boys' turn. Now it's Allie's.

Snow's coming down right this minute!  She doesn't like snow - at all.
(But she does love her catnip stick of dynamite!)

'Toon Tuesdays

_____

Toon Tuesdays feature cat & dog cartoons made by the peeps over at Shoebox Greetings (a tiny little division of Hallmark) - where our mom works, too!

Today's 'Toon Tuesday is dedicated to the memory of Hallmark's "First Lady" Adele Hall, who passed away this Saturday. She was an extraordinary, gracious person and a lifelong animal advocate who has served on the board of our shelter, Wayside Waifs, for many years.

Hallmark said it best: "She leaves a tremendous legacy of love of family, service to community and compassion for others." Our thoughts and prayers are with her family at this difficult time.

From Woof to Squeak

Graphic artist Christine Park created this fascinating infographic that she gave us permission to share with you.

It's called "From Woof to Squeak" and it details the animals that are the top 10 most popular pets in the U.S.
Please click to biggify.

Cool, huh?

Thanks for letting us share this, Christine!!

Easy by the Fireplace

When this photo was taken, it was snowing like MAD outside.

We boys think this is the best way to pass a Sunday when that white stuff's falling.

Or when Dad's using the big noisy sander and that smelly polyurethane. Just meowin'.

Shhh! Kitty Thinking...

Yes, this was taken a few weeks ago. Before someone in the family decided to uproot everything in the kitchen so he can sand and refinish the kitchen floor... Daddy.  Maxwell's not been doing much pondering in the kitchen these past few weeks thanks to Very Large and Noisy Equipment being used.

Though he doesn't mind. Especially since loud noises don't bother him. He actually likes hanging around dad when he works. Snoopervising and all that.

But mommy's afraid of all that sawdust getting in his lungs. So he's banished to the back bedroom with the rest of us.

OOH WAIT! We just figured out how we can enter this week's Photo Hunt. Are you ready for this?

Maxwell...is... "tending to his knitting."

::: takes bow :::

***

We're also purrticipating in the Weekend Cat Blogging blog hop...

...and the Saturday Pet Blogger Hop, hosted by Baby Patches, Life with Dogs and Two Little Cavaliers.

Have a Heart for Chained Dogs Week

We interrupt our Fun Finds Fridays to tell you about a noteworthy project aimed at helping the plight of chained dogs in the U.S., Canada and England.

The nonprofit organization Dogs Deserve Better sponsors
National Have a Heart for Chained Dogs Week each year,
and it runs during the week leading up to Valentine's Day: February 7-14.

We're taking this opportunity to spotlight it a few weeks in advance so that you'll have the info you need if you decide you want to participate.



Here is the press release from dogsdeservebetter.org:

Join us February 7-14th for Have a Heart for Chained Dogs Week. 

OUR GOAL in our 11th Anniversary Season is to mail valentines to 

20,000 CHAINED or PENNED DOGS. 

We are striving to raise awareness for chained and penned dogs in a positive way...by delivering Valentines, a brochure and a treat coupon to dogs living outside all over the U.S. and into other countries where we have representation, such as Canada and England. 

Here's where you come in: 

1. Make Valentines. 

Teachers, Students, Scout Leaders, Group Leaders, Individuals - please make Valentines! 

Please note: Sizes should be no bigger than 4"x8.5" so they can fit in a mailing envelope.  

We're asking you to stress quality over quantity this year...we'd rather have 18,000 awesome valentines that REALLY hit home with dog caretakers. The valentines can say anything along the lines of 'Bring us into the home and family.' 

Mail them to us by February 5th at 1915 Moonlight Rd., Smithfield, VA 23430. 

2. Mail Coupons for Free or Reduced Cost Treats or Dogfood. 

Last year we did not have enough treat coupons to fill all the Valentines. Can you help us out this year by mailing any and all treat or dogfood coupons you have to us at 1915 Moonlight Rd., Smithfield, VA 23430? 

Please make sure their expiration dates are after February 20th. 

3. Send addresses for Chained or Penned Dogs. 

This is so CRUCIAL! Please, take the time to find out the address of that chained or penned dog near you, even though it takes a little time...

To make our goal, we need to mail Valentines to at least 20,000 dogs. Send addresses via mail, call 757-357-9292 to report addresses, e-mail them to info@dogsdeservebetter.org. or fill out our form on our website (this is the preferred method - please click here).

You remain anonymous!

We're impressed with Dogs Deserve Better and give them four enthusiastic paws WAY up for their dedicated efforts to help the plight of chained dogs!

Thursday Trivia: Red Herrings

You've all heard the phrase "a red herring". It's a technique used to distract you from your current pursuit.

But did you know in a literal sense, there's no such thing as a red herring?

The term came about when describing a kipper that was very heavily smoked for preservation - a process used prior to refrigeration.

The curing process turned the flesh of the kipper a reddish color.

What does that term have to do with a pet blog - other than the fact all 3 cats are now drooling over all this fish talk?

If you use a red herring to throw someone off your scent, you're referencing a hunting hound from old England.

The earliest reference is in a pamphlet dated 1599 by the Elizabethan writer Thomas Nashe. He writes, "Next, to draw on hounds to a scent, to a red herring skin there is nothing comparable."

Somehow, out of this grew a tale that a red herring was used to confuse the noses of hounds chasing a fox. Yet Michael Quinn writes in his blog "World Wide Words" that actual historical mention of the red herring isn't to trick a dog or throw him off the scent, but rather to train the dog to follow a scent in the first place.

How its meaning was flipped 180 degrees can be traced to the writings of a political journalist from the early 1800s who purposely skewed its meaning.


The use of the phrase caught on and became an idiom for purposeful redirection still in popular use today.

______________
Sources: Wikipedia and Michael Quinn 

Wordless Wednesday: New Chair

Official New Chair Tester

'Toon Tuesdays

_____

Toon Tuesdays feature cat & dog cartoons made by the peeps over at Shoebox Greetings (a tiny little division of Hallmark) - where our mom works, too!

Monday Medical: Feline Hyperthyroidism

If you've seen Sunday's post then you already know that January is National Thyroid Awareness Month. As we mentioned yesterday, while we're sure its inception was aimed at raising awareness of human thyroid disease, that same disease is often found in our pets as well.

Hyperthyroidism usually occurs
in cats over 10 years of age

In fact, hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid gland) is the most common glandular disease in cats.

And it's a "mature cat" disorder - less than 6% of cats diagnosed with hyperthyroidism are under the age of 10. If not treated, it can cause heart disease and be deadly. If the hyperthyroidism is treated, the heart disease is often reversible.

Interestingly, the symptoms for hyperthyroidism are the same in kitties as they are in humans. They're all associated with an increased metabolic rate. Take a look:

Symptoms:

• often the most noticed sign is that of weight loss despite a healthy or increased appetite
• hyperactivity (your sedate, mature cat suddenly goes crazypants and starts acting like a kitten again!)
• increased shedding (I know what you're thinking, and yes, it's the same with people, too)
• panting (probably due to a slightly increased heart rate and the feeling of being overheated)
• looking less groomed than usual
• increased thirst (which invariably leads to increased urination...)
• and about half of cat owners report seeing their cat vomit, possibly due to upset stomach

What's causing all this nervous activity?  Excessive amounts of a thyroid hormone called thyroxine, or T4, circulating through kitty's bloodstream. Most often, a simple blood test can confirm these elevated T4 levels. About 10% of cats with hyperthyroidism won't show elevated levels - usually due to other medical complications. (In such cases, there are other tests that can be done, including one called Free T-4.)

The good news is that hyperthyroidism in cats is almost always caused by a benign tumor called an adenoma - and there are effective treatments to stop it. 

Option #1: Medication to suppress/regulate the thyroid gland. There is one drawback: your cat must be on the drug - daily - for the rest of his life. Additionally, periodic tests will need to be run to ensure proper dosage.

Option #2: Surgery to remove the thyroid gland (and the benign tumor). Before you wince at the thought of any vet bills that may accompany a surgical procedure, consider this: the cost of a one-time surgery may actually be less than daily medication - and the associated cost of periodic blood tests - for the rest of your cat's life.

Option #2 may not be a viable option to all older cats, however. There may be other health issues that would make surgery a bit too risky for your vet to recommend. In this case, there's a third option.

Option #3: Radiotherapy with Iodine-131.

This is a radioisotope of iodine and has a half-life of only 8 days. It's been used to treat hyperthyroidism and thyroid cancer in humans since 1941, and is still in use today.

Iodine-131 is injected directly into your cat's thyroid - and that single injection is like a precision strike to the adenoma. Target: eliminated.

The only thing left to do is to wait out the I-131 as it decays and is eliminated from the body. During that time, your cat will need to be kenneled at the clinic that administered the treatment until the I-131 has decayed to a low enough level that he can come back home.

The cost for Option #3 is comparable in most instances to the cost of surgery, without the risk posed by surgery or anesthesia.

"I resemble that remark..."

This would be our personal therapy of choice - and it's the option that Dr. Lisa Pierson of catinfo.org recommends as the best choice. But we also understand we're probably a bit more comfortable with radioisotopes than most people, simply because Marty is a Nuclear/Radiation Physicist and deals with radioactive materials and their safe handling on a daily basis.

We're happy to know there are reliable diagnoses and three treatment options to choose from. And we'll be sure to order diagnostic testing should any of our kitties ever suddenly go suspiciously crazypants in their golden years.

 (Faraday excepted, of course. We don't think he'll *ever* be normal...!).



____________________
Sources:
The Cat Thyroid Center 
Radiocat.com
Little, Susan (2006). "Feline Hyperthyroidism" (PDF). Winn Feline Foundation. Retrieved 24 June 2009.
Dr. Arnold Plotnik's article on Feline Hyperthyroidism for Petfinder
WebMD's article on hyperthyroidism in humans
Insights into Veterinarian Endocrinology - Mark Peterson, DVM: Hyperthyroidism in dogs
News Medical: history of I-131 use

A rare disease for a cat

Did you know? January is National Thyroid Awareness Month. And while we're sure its inception was aimed at raising awareness of human thyroid disease, that same disease is often found in our pets as well.
So we wanted to take this opportunity to take a closer look at it.

Thyroid disease varies a bit between cats and dogs, and what's common in dogs isn't necessarily so common in cats. There are two types of thyroid disease: hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) and hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid).

Gaby at 4 months

I'd already decided to write about this when I was contacted by our shelter with a video request: we have a special needs kitty, and coincidentally, she has hypothyroidism. The disease now had a face. An adorable, 4 month old kitten face.

Gaby is cuddly, energetic, sweet and feisty - and well on the road to health, thanks to an amazing veterinarian at Wayside.

Because of the great response we generated from the interview with Dr. Liu on Stiles, our Twisty Cat, she reached out to me and asked if I would do the same for Gaby.

Would I!

Dr. Liu does a far better job than I ever could of explaining this disease in this 5 minute video, so i'll let her do the heavy lifting. [Besides, she's holding a little fluff ball of adorableness while she talks, so what's not to love?]



I had no idea hypothyroidism is so rare - and it'll take a very special human who is committed to life-long medical care to give this little girl a good home. But we know she's going to win someone's heart over any day now!

***

UPDATE:
I just checked my email - and Dr. Liu had sent me a "stop the presses!" email...
Gaby's been adopted!

Tomorrow: Feline Hyperthyroidism

Our Five Fave Tweets: January, 2013

Our monthly series continues...

Faraday. Dude. On a scale of 1-10 you just scored a 27 on the Destruction Meter.  Momma's dinner = EVERYWHERE. Wow, that's talent.

Now doing performance art in the closet: styrofoam packaging looks great when shredded. Look ma! New snow shoes!




(to male cat) You're wearing a PINK bowtie? DOOD, go scratch a piece of furniture. Or shred a curtain or something, QUICK!

Does anyone have a Faraday Cage we can borrow? I soooo need it - and I'm not talking about caging The Brat (though that'll be a nice perk!). The decibel levels over here are simply scandalous!

HEY WHO LEFT THE TOILET SEAT UP?!?!?! *full body S-H-A-K-E in 3...2...*  Mowzers, look at daddy go - didn't think he could move that fast.

"Fun Finds" Friday

If you have a fun find you'd like us to feature, send us a shout-out by clicking on the Contact Us tab above.

***

We have the Stunning Cathy Keisha to thank for this one! She had TW pin this on her Pinterest board and then sent us a shout out about it.

It's a must-have for all you cat-loving Buffy fans out there:

This t-shirt is just $10 at the LOLmart store. Please, no stampeding. There's plenty for everyone.

Thursday Trivia: Three Dog Night

When you think of the phrase “three dog night” you usually think of the ‘70’s American rock band.
But did you know that they got their name from an old saying?

What, exactly, does three dog night mean?

In his 2005 book, Climate Change in Prehistory, William Burroughs explained that the phrase originated from the Chukchi people. These were native Russians from far northeast Siberia who lived on the shores of the Arctic Ocean, brrrr...!

By the way, the name Chukchi means "reindeer people." How cool is that? And no, they're not elves... ;-)

On a cold night, a Chukchi would curl up with a Siberian husky to keep warm. We're betting those Siberian winters had plenty of those.
 

Wouldn't you love to cuddle with this guy on a cold night?
(Siberian Husky photo: Wikimedia Commons)

On a very cold night, they would sleep with two dogs. A three dog night – you guessed it – was exceptionally, bitterly cold!

Here in the northern hemisphere where we're planted firmly in the middle of Winter's deep freeze, that sounds like a pretty good idea. And if you're owned by Leo the mastiff, like one of my coworkers and her husband - well...you only need one:

Not quite what Leo signed up for when he hopped in bed...!
(photo copyright © 2012, Rachel Allen)

However, according to the Macquarie dictionary of Australian slang, the phrase originated in the Australian outback, with aborigine bushmen digging holes in the ground to curl up with a dingo on a cold night.

Which is the original? Who knows? How the saying might have migrated from the farthest part of the northern hemisphere to Down Under - or vice versa - is above the pay grade of we poor wee kitties!

_____
sources:
Google Books: Climate Change in Prehistory
Wikipedia
Metaphor Dogs
MacQuarie Book of Slang 
Fun Trivia

Wordless Wednesday

Momma says she wishes that were a real snowflake. We're still in a drought situation here!

Blog The Change: "Twisty cats"

Today we interrupt our weekly Toon Tuesdays to join forces with our fellow pet bloggers around the world as we work to help bring about positive change for pets.

For this Blog the Change post, we'd like to tell you a story.

Recently, our shelter, Wayside Waifs, rescued a 5 month old kitten found as a stray. That's not unusual - we do that quite often.

What is unusual is that this sweet little boy was born with an medical condition that ensured he would not last long on the streets.


Stiles is what is known as a "twisty cat". Sometimes called squittens or kangaroo cats, these kittens are born with front legs that have not developed normally.

In Stiles' case, he's missing one of the two bones in his forearms - the radius bone. And a few of the bones in his wrist are underdeveloped, too, causing his paws to permanently curve inward.

Our Monday Medical series is usually a written article, but this time, we made a video and saved it for Tuesday's Blog the Change. We interviewed Stiles' veterinarian at Wayside, so you could get firsthand information about this sweet little boy, straight from the source.

And yes, he's incredibly sweet, as you will see. In fact, one of our volunteers calls him a "special gives" cat, not a "special needs" cat, because he has so very much love to give.

She calls him that for another reason too:  because in caring for a kitty like Stiles, invariably you are touched and amazed by the big heart these animals have - and how utterly unaware they are that they are different in any way.

 Stiles is indeed a "special gives" kitten.




As much as Stiles wanted a forever home, all of us at Wayside were determined to match him very carefully with an adopter that understood his special needs and would give him the very best care.

Well, we're very happy to say Stiles got his New Year's wish!

A woman saw Stiles' video - and saw his news coverage on KCTV 5 - and called repeatedly to ask if he was out of foster yet. When she heard he was, she drove an hour and a half to come get him. And she plans to knit Stiles his very own leggings to protect those delicate wrists.

Don't you just love happy endings?

Since today is Blog The Change Day we wanted to highlight this very special type of cat.  Many shelters would have considered Stiles unadoptable and he would have probably been euthanized. And - horrifying thought - we heard during the course of getting to know Stiles that some people actually try to breed for this condition. To us that's cruel and inhumane - and there should be a law to forbid it.

We're so glad Stiles has a happy story to tell. And w wanted to shine a light on one incredible nonprofit organization that creates leggings for paralyzed and impaired pets like Stiles, to help make their lives more comfortable.

Please "like" Leggings For Life on facebook - and take a moment to share a word of thanks with them for their labor of love on behalf of disabled pets.

Monday 2.0: "Love Saves the Day" Arrives!

Peeps, we gotta tell you, we're anxiously sitting by (okay, on) Mom's tablet, waiting for her to get home and Turn. It. On.

("One word, Mother. Red? Seriously??")

Why, you ask? Because people all over the internet are saying that their copy of Gwen Cooper's must-read book, Love Saves The Day, has arrived. And we can hardly wait for her to check the Nook App and tell us ours is here too!

If you haven't yet pre-ordered a copy... well.

Run, do not walk, to the nearest book store, or surf to your fave ebook site and get one. If it's anything like her last book (and we sneaked a peek at chapter one already and we can assure you it is) this falls into the "can't put down" category.

We're going to digress a bit and tell you about Gwen's last book. It's also how we met Gwen and her superstar kitty, Homer!

Well, kind of. You see, we hooked up with Homer on twitter. He's this cool blind kitty who, one day a few years ago, said "hey you guys, you should read my mom's book!"

So of course, wanting to support a friend, we kindly told him we'd be happy to. Mom bought a copy of Homer's Odyssey, not knowing Gwen was a real-life, honest-to-goodness author.

Oh my cat! Five pages into the book and she's thinking, "man, Gwen's good. Really really good. She should do this for a living!"

Um, Mommy, Gwen's a New York Times bestselling author.."

Boy was her face red. (It's not that Gwen's not well-known. Mom's just really bad at this. For instance, she could tell you there's a book out there now called "Hunger Games," but doesn't have a clue who wrote it. Seriously. She's doing good to know Hemingway wrote "For Whom the Bell Tolls"!)

But she got so excited about the amazing, compelling, can't-put-down story of Homer's life that soon she was telling everyone she knew (even strangers on planes, and she does NOT talk to strangers on planes) that they had to read this book.

It's so good that our dad, who only reads books to help him get to sleep at night, was forced to stop reading it because it was so gripping he wasn't getting any sleep. (He did finish it, just not while reading in bed ;-)

So now you understand why we're so excited about Gwen's next book, Love Saves the Day.

"Is it here yet, momma?"

But wait! There's more! (We were just dying to say that.)

Gwen is hosting a contest and anyone who purchases Love Saves the Day during the first week it goes on sale is eligible to enter - the winner gets an in-person visit from Gwen plus $500 donated to the animal-related charity of their choice. Sweet, huh?

Mom wants to say a word about that all-important first week a book goes on sale. She has several friends who are authors, and they've told her that this first week is something publishers look very closely at when deciding whether or not they're going to continue to publish an author. It's similar to that whole box-office-hit phenomenon at the movies.

So, if you're planning to buy Love Saves the Day anyway, please do it now.

Who knows? You might win a visit from Gwen and $500 for your fave animal charity.

(Second prize isn't too shabby either: a portrait of your pet by animal artist Sue Hains!)

So Mom got home (finally)...
to find this: 

Rats. They're making us wait til tomorrow to read it.

Infographic: Indoor Cats vs. Outdoor Cats

We know some cats who were formerly feral have a very hard time acclimating to life indoors. That's why so many shelters we know and respect have Barn Cat Programs. 

But the infographic below is why we personally believe that if your cat is happy indoors, it's far safer and better for their health. 

This illustration shows associative aging of an outdoor cat vs. an indoor cat, with the outer brown rings being the equivalent in human years. 

According to the author of the Cat Owner's Manual (published by Quirk Books), the shortened life span of an outdoor cat becomes increasingly apparent after age 2.

Although we agree in principle with this concept, we do wonder what they based this data on...?

Epic Battle: Cats vs. Copter!

Who will win? The suspense is killing us!

Feline Grace

Click to enlarge ;-)

***

We're also purrticipating in the Weekend Cat Blogging blog hop...

...and the Saturday Pet Blogger Hop, hosted by Baby Patches, Life with Dogs and Two Little Cavaliers.

"Fun Finds" Friday

If you have a fun find you'd like us to feature, send us a shout-out by clicking on the Contact Us tab above.

***

This is a Pinterest find by way of Boris Kitty of Four Paws for a Cause.

Boris understands the importance of all things Sci-Fi. And his humans are slackers just as bad as ours are. Seriously! None of us have received a home-built USS Enterprise to date. (A Tragedy of Epic Proportion, we assure you.)

Although this Pinterest find of Boris' does look to be one that isn't too outside our humans' pay grade....

copyright © 2012, Tonko Ihnat. Used with permission.

Its creator, Tonko Ihnat, graciously gave us permission yesterday to post this photo on our blog - and told us that this project had included a discarded tabletop, some carpet and a lot of rope. [And Tonko's kitties LOVE it!]

When asked about future production plans, Tonko said,

"As for any plans for sale, I never really thought of that, but if there would be a need for some I'm sure that I could come up with something"

Whaddaya think, kitties, anyone in?

Wordless Wednesday: The Mark of Zorr- err, Catto

Note to Self: Must come up with less incriminating Calling Card

Ahem. It's not who you think. That's Allie's favorite mousie.
Perhaps it would be better for her to come up with something different...?

Nah. Maybe not.

'Toon Tuesdays

(This makes Allie VERY grumpy! Remind us again of when it was 109˚ last August?!?)

_____

Toon Tuesdays feature cat & dog cartoons made by the peeps over at Shoebox Greetings (a tiny little division of Hallmark) - where our mom works, too!

Monday Medical: Animal Blood Donors

Did you know that January is National Blood Donor Month?

Because of this, we wanted to call attention to the fact that it's not just humans who need blood transfusions. Every day someone's pet is in need of life-giving blood as well.

We here in the midwest USA are very proud of the University of Missouri's College of Veterinary Medicine for inaugurating a pet blood donor program called Pets Saving Pets.

If you're interested to learn more about how they're helping save the lives of their fellow dogs and cats, you can follow them on their facebook page.

We learned about this through Squashies' blog when she fell critically ill. Because she had a rare blood type, her local vet in Baltimore was at a loss to help her.

hero kitty, Keeter

But when the folks at MU's Vet College heard about Squashies' need, they found they had a matching donor in veterinary technician Matt Haight's own cat, a Selkirk Rex named Keeter.

Keeter's blood dramatically improved Squashies' condition and enabled her to begin medical treatment that allowed Squashies and her human to share several more precious weeks together.

And there's more good news: MU's College of Veterinary Medicine isn't the only blood bank in the US by a long shot. There are pet blood banks at several veterinary colleges throughout the US. 



Animal blood banks can also be found worldwide, in nations such as Canada, Australia, South Africa and the UK as well.

Just some of the animal blood banks, worldwide

There is even an Animal Blood Registry available for pet owners in the U.S. where you can register your own pet as a potential donor, and possibly give the gift of a life-saving transfusion for someone's beloved pet.


It's a way to help animals in need that's not often discussed - but it's something you might consider asking your local vet about if you think your pet might be a good candidate for donation. 

Who knows? Your pet's blood donation may be just what a veterinary surgeon needs to be able to perform that critical procedure that saves the life of a beloved family member.

Review: The FURminator @ Chewy.com

Recently, the folks at Chewy.com asked us if we'd like to review a new product they now carry - the FURminator - and we said we'd love to.

[Actually mommy and Allie said that - we boyz aren't really that into personal hygiene. But I digress.]

So they sent us links to the FURminator deshedding products they carry and asked us to pick one. We chose the small comb for short hair.

You may have noticed we called them Chewy.com - as opposed to MrChewy.com.





Yep, they've changed their name. But they're the very same company with great customer service.

The FURminator arrived in very short order and Faraday set out to inspect the new package.

To be quite honest, it didn't look like a toy or smell like catnip, so he was a bit unsure what he thought of it, as you can tell by his expression.

But no worries - he's not the one with occasional hairball issues - Allie is.

You see, although Allie is a short-haired tuxedo girl, we were surprised to discover that she has a thick undercoat.

Thankfully, she loves to be groomed. Which is good, since the best way to manage hairball issues is to not have her ingest all their fur in the first place!

So we unpacked the new FURminator and took it for a test spin.


We did offer Faraday first crack at it - and we got airplane ears, so decided to move on.

You aren't seriously going to TOUCH me with that thing, are you?

Allie loved it. She was careful to oversee her spa day, since she is quite particular about how she looks.

Be sure you don't miss a spot, Mother!

I have to say, this is the most effective grooming tool I've ever used. Ever.

Just take a look:

Same number of strokes with each tool. No contest!

After just a few strokes, the comb is full

The FURminator we received has an easy cleaning button at the top that helps remove the accumulated fur.

In all, we can't say enough good about this product - we'd been hesitant to purchase this in the past because it is more expensive than generic cat brushes and combs but it simply blows away all the other products we've ever owned, so we say it's well worth a few extra dollars (they retail for $37- $43).

Allie gives it her full endorsement - and we humans do as well!

UPDATE: 
While technically this doesn't have anything to do with the FURminator, it does have to do with Chewy.com... 

Mommy just ran out to buy a replacement bug for our Neko Flies (SOMEkitty trashed it... ALLIE...) she discovered that our local pet store charges more than Chewy.com!
Since this was a kitteh emergency, she did let her pocketbook take one for da boyz THIS time -
but she'll be ordering all future refills online at Chewy.com.
___________

Many thanks to Chewy.com for the FURminator. By the way, we order our food & litter from them, and shipping from Chewy.com is a breeze. There's free shipping on every order $49 and above, and anything less is a flat, reasonable $4.95. 

Chewy.com graciously gave the FURminator to us to review, but all opinions are strictly our own.