We've talked a little bit about the psychological dangers of excessive licking, but there are practical considerations as well. Licking and furballs go paw in paw. Like the human phenomenon known as "a hangover," a furball is a warning signal of overindulgence for a cat. And also like our human counterparts, the medicine can be as bad as the sickness. Quite frankly, the cures for both are disgusting. I strongly recommend that any reader encountering this problem turn to Life 4 and the entry on Spitting Out Pills.

Furball medicine is nasty, but at least it's not a raw egg floating in tomato juice in your bowl. The truth is that furballs bother the Higher Power more than they do us, particularly because they seem to strike mostly in the presence of fine furnishings. If you don't want to call attention to the problem, be smart and hack discreetly. If drawing attention is the real cause of your furballs, then there's work to be done.

Fur belongs on the outside, and I will keep it there by any means.

Copyright © Tigger
October 23, 1998

Read Tigger's Poem: The Struggle for Consciousness