A pet owner's question.

Nothing really grandiose, but I wonder if anyone can tell me?

Why do kitty-cats have fur-balls, but doggies don't?

a reply to: halfoldman

Cats generally groom themselves....probably almost to death? So they lick up a lot more hair.

OK, groovy. But not sure that covers it.

originally posted by: halfoldman
OK, groovy. But not sure that covers it.

Dogs Don't Clean Themselves

Why don’t dogs get hairballs?
Unlike cats, dogs are not particularly fastidious when it comes to cleaning themselves—remember, they roll in dead, decaying animals, race into murky bodies of water like they’re on fire, and don’t mind eating each other’s poop. I’m not quite sure why dogs tolerate being dirty, stinky, and messy, but like many children and some human males, they just don’t seem to mind. Cats, on the other hand, groom excessively (and therefore don’t require baths). They have a naturally barbed tongue that grabs shedding hair, which they later purge all over your carpet. Because dogs don’t groom (or don’t care), they don’t develop hairballs. 

a reply to: halfoldman


Here you go....

When your cat grooms himself, tiny hook-like structures on his tongue catch loose and dead hair, which is then swallowed. The majority of this hair passes all the way through the digestive tract with no problems. But if some hair stays in the stomach, it can form a hairball.Jul 29, 2016

pets.webmd.com...

a reply to: halfoldman

Cats generally groom themselves

Yeah thats what I'm going with as well. Looking at 2 cats licking their fur right now. Plus their tongues are kinda sticky too.

The hair gets stuck in their stomach instead of passing on through, so they form a bolus that needs to go somewhere. It comes up.

Dogs just don't groom as much, so they tend to pass the individual hairs rather than having mats that pack together.

originally posted by: halfoldman
Nothing really grandiose, but I wonder if anyone can tell me?

Why do kitty-cats have fur balls, but doggies don't?

Because dogs often lick their balls.

Sometimes I figure I'm pretty hairy as a human male.

But honestly, I've never had a fur-ball.

Not in 42 years!

a reply to: halfoldman

Cats have a rough tongue that is built for grooming while dogs have a smoother tongue. Cats groom and clean themselves many times each day and that is how they get the hair balls.

Dogs CAN get hairballs!!! Although rare, it definitely can and does happen.
Woof! Woof! Eh-eh eh eh eh B-Arf!

a reply to: Vivyinsect

Interesting!
Thanks ... woof woof!

originally posted by: halfoldman
Sometimes I figure I'm pretty hairy as a human male.

But honestly, I've never had a fur-ball.

Not in 42 years!

Um....you don't......lick yourself.....do you?

Maybe I should ask my ex-lovers.

So, you went down on halfoldman ...

Any subsequent fur-balls?

Nope, no complaints, but I aim to please.
Just ignore the fleas.

Hahahaha! When I first read this, I thought you asked, why do cats have furry balls. Oh lord. I am still laughing.

originally posted by: halfoldman
Maybe I should ask my ex-lovers.

So, you went down on halfoldman ...

Any subsequent fur-balls?

Nope, no complaints, but I aim to please.
Just ignore the fleas.

Try sevin dust. Knocks those "fleas" right out. wink wink, nudge, nudge. Say no more.

My mother has two huge hairball rag doll cats . The carpet and everything gets covered in fur. She has to give them poo paste weekly to help them pass the fur balls the cat cats consume.

Just to make a distinction: "fur-balls" should never be confused with "furry balls".

Although, I do see a kind of connection metaphorically.

originally posted by: LightSpeedDriver

originally posted by: halfoldman
Nothing really grandiose, but I wonder if anyone can tell me?

Why do kitty-cats have fur balls, but doggies don't?

Because dogs often lick their balls.

You know why they do that? Because they can. I bet if We gave them thumbs and let them run things it would go just as smooth...

I have never seen a dog puke up a hair-ball, but I have seen them ralph up some gnarly stuff.
I believe the dog philosophy is "Just eat it. If it's no good, I can always puke it up later."
Maybe cats just have a weaker gag-reflex.