It Finally Happened

Well, it finally happened.  I am new to the cat-loving community.  And by new, I mean that I love one cat exclusively, Fitz.  Since I did not grow up with cats or have anyone very close to me that had a cat for a pet, there are many things about cats that I do not know.  Many of my thoughts about cats have been formed from their portrayal in media.  I take my cues from movies and television.  So, when it finally happened, I was a little unprepared.

Have I built up the suspense enough?  Are you curious to know what happened?  I was sitting at my computer preparing to write a blog when I heard the strangest noise.  Fitz often likes to do his own thing.  While he will cuddle with me, he spends most of his waking hours in the spare bedroom or parked in the front window.  The weird sound caused me to pinpoint his location.  There he was.  Standing in front of the television.  And he appeared to be in distress.

As I looked at him, I knew that I had heard that sound before.  It was the sound of impending animal throw up.  And throw up, he did.  I pulled on my gloves and took a close look to investigate.  My dog had to be put down after eating a foreign object.  A very traumatic experience.  I needed to know if I was going down that road again.  You know what he ate?  Hair!  It was a hairball!  Cats have hairballs ya’ll!

Cats are very neat creatures.  Grooming is high on their priority list.  My Fitz is no exception to the rule.  He constantly licks and cleans himself.  He can also be found licking my feet on occasion.  I suppose they do not meet his cleanliness standards.  Over time, that excess hair that he removed built up in his stomach.  His body had to get rid of it to be able to function correctly.  Hence, the hacking up of the hairball.

Such a gross sight, but so necessary for his health.  In my attempt to rid myself of negative relationships, I believe that I actually took the negative feelings in and let them ferment and sit in my stomach.  Over time, there was a build-up.  An unhealthy mass preventing me from moving waste through my system.  Eventually all those negative feelings come barreling out.  Often, some unfortunate soul is the witness to my wretching.  Yes, it is ugly, but I feel so much better when it is all out.

The good news is that there is a way to prevent hairballs in cats and humans.  Cats just need a good brushing to aid them in getting rid of the excess hair.  Humans have many options to get rid of all the negative emotions.  We can get brushed when sharing our thoughts with trusted friends.  We can even get a good grooming by going to a therapist to hash out our relationship woes.  We do NOT have to do it alone.

Man, seeing Fitz’s struggle convicted me.  I need to brush him and myself.  #wepreach