Furry Issues
I’ve gone from Fur In The Paint, To Fur In The Paper, to Fur In The Everything.
Well the Budda is slimming down for summer. And by “slimming down” I mean dropping about 5 pounds of fur daily. It is everywhere. Rolling along the floor like some some bizarre cat induced tumbleweeds, sticking onto and into any fabric items, or floating like wispy snow flakes through the air. I often find a random hair in my mouth, up my nose or even less pleasant places. How can one little cat drop so much hair?
He is a double coated cat (as are nearly all of our barn cats) so we know this is what happens every spring. But somehow it is always a shock. The quantity is a bit mind boggling and even the vacuum cleaning is beginning to groan. It’s not like he doesn’t get brushed regularly. He does. And we even have a shedding comb that takes off enough hair to create a sweater with matching booties for an average sized Chihuahua. Despite all of these efforts there’s still more.
The Allure Of Belly Fur
We had a friend stop at the gallery and scoop up Budda for a cuddle. (Which Budda really appreciated because Mike and I had been ignoring his pleas for attention. Mike was working with the printer and I was shrinkwrapping prints. Both jobs where additional cat hair is not a plus.) I warned her about the “shedding issue” and she poo-pooed it and rubbed her face in his belly fur. (Honestly his belly fur is particular hard to resist rubbing your face in. It’s bunny soft and frankly how many cats not only let you, but “like to” have your face on their tummies?)
Well for the next 20 minutes and the rest of our conversation, she was wiping her face at phantom hairs.
Furry inventions (sort of)
Feeling badly about not giving Budda nearly as much attention and cuddles as he’s used to, Mike and I pondered a cat holding smock. Something to put on in order to cuddle the kitten and remove when done. This seemed like a pretty straight forward idea but lacked any real defense against the “floaters.”
Upon more serious discussion, we then came up with the idea of some sort of hermetically sealed box where you put your hands through the gloves to pet the cat. Thus containing all the cat hair that is set free from said petting. We dubbed it The Cat Cuddler (trumpets sound) aka The Budda Box
In the end we decided we’d continue to do as we have done, which is cuddle the cat at the end of the day. At least until his fur issue is brought under control. None-the-less we claim all rights to this idea. So I don’t want to see a bunch of cat boxes popping up in pet supply chains. You know I’ll be watching for them.
Note: I imagine The Cat Cuddler is “technically” not hermetically sealed sine it has air holes. Hmmm . . . I may have to do some rethinking on that.
The Cat CuddlerAlso Known As The Budda Box.
Mona, I love this one! the cat cuddler- perfect! once you are up and running you will need to make a 40 pound dog size. I have no idea what possessed us to get a white dog- that animal has more hair than a woolly mammoth!
our kitty loves his belly snuggled too! I have never had a cat that liked it until now. So tempting, but soooo furry!
LOL the Budda Box! Ari would never stand for it. I know those cat tumbleweeds, they’re all over my room and Ari’s shed hair gets on everything. I treasure those Cat Hairs of Inspiration, so he occasionally leaves me a Special Speckled Whisker of Serendipity in my keyboard.
I wouldn’t be able to resist Budda’s fuzzy tummy either. Unfortunately, Ari takes that as a signal to Play Rough, with claws and grabbing and kicking. He’s tummy ticklish, so Budda enjoying it would be a rare treat for me. Some cats like it, others don’t, but the Irresistible Fuzzy Tummy is a trap with many sharp pointy bits when it comes to Ari.
I’ve given up on containing it. I sweep up enough leftover Ari hair to clothe an entire spare litter of Sphinx kittens. I keep hoping my daughter will bag it, card it, spin it and make a sweater for me, the one that his shed hairs won’t show on. lol
That’s a great idea Lorie! When I finish working out all the bugs I’ll expand the line (and of course include you in the profits) for The Canine Cuddler. Hmm what else could we do . . . The Cow Cuddler? The Pony Petter? Heck the possibilities are endless.
As to the tummy fur Robert, I am always blowing on or burying my face in his belly fur. The first time my friend (same one as in the post) did it, she looked at me like she was wondering if I thought her bizarre. I told her I did it all the time and so now she’s a bit of an addict. She has cats and they too won’t allow such a thing.
One of our barn kitties (Buffy the Bunny Slayer - or Buffy for short) used let me pet her tummy. But now that she’s all grown up she too grabs my hand. She usually licks it but I know if I’d continue she eventually use some teeth.
I absolutely think Kitten should make you a sweater from Ari fur. (if she actually does that sort of thing.) What fun . . . though I bet would be itchy.
I’ve been a lurker on this blog for months, and this thread has enticed me out of “lurkdom”… I have a dog who sheds like crazy and a contraption like you’ve sketched sounds mighty tempting. You know, if your invention already has a cat hair filtration system, the air holes are unnecessary. You might as well add a feature for allowing fresh, cool air to enter through the filtration hose, and carbon dioxide can be sucked out along with any stray hairs. And some kind of sensor/alarm to let you know if the oxygen levels inside aren’t at a safe level. Just a thought!
BTW, I’ve been watching the progress of your giraffe painting and I love the last picture you posted. The green isn’t overpowering and I like how the background gradates to the soft tan at the top. Are you still working on it?
Well welcome Glenda!
I understand. Despite being a blogger I still lurk on occasion.
I must say I like your way of thinking. Between all of us we could put together one seriously awesome cat cuddler/ canine cuddler. Maybe I’ll have to make up a new blueprint.
Well things have been so crazy I haven’t touched the giraffe so I bought a frame and emailed my number one giraffe patron which she then bought. I will be posting a framed photo soon as well as the start to finish photos.
EDITED TO SAY: I just popped into your website. Nice work! I like the smoothness you achieve. SO is Patch the aforementioned dog? He very handsome. I have a thing for bully types.
Hi Mona,
Thanks for the positive feedback on my work. That means a lot coming from an artist I admire! Most of my pieces are oil bar or oil pastel paintings. I layer colors one on top of the other right on the canvas, then wrap a small piece of muslin cloth around my finger and blend. That’s how I get the smooth look… sometimes I use brushes for fine detail work, though.
Yes, Patch is the dog I was telling you about! Thanks, he’s cute and he has a wonderful personality. Very social and gentle. Too bad his breed has such a bad reputation.