Are Long Hairs really THAT much more work than Short Hairs?

[doomsdave]

The one thing and reason why I personally would not get a long hair (I'm writing in case you do)....there's a rare condition where cats tummy cannot handle any amount of their own hair. My friend's cat had this and passed after two surgeries to remove bezoars even after diet change, brushing etc. If this does happen, the best thing to do is just shave them and keep them shaved. Now the vet didn't mention this and I didn't know. But now I've seen a few cats on social media with the same issue and their owners get them lion cuts.

Maybe this could happen with short hair cats too but Ive just not heard of it or it's not as bad because they well have less hair.

You do raise a point.

My Honey Bun swallowed a hairball and had to be liquid-fed a while till she could pass it. She's okay now, and fat and happy as ever. I try to brush in season to avoid too much accumulation of dead hair everywhere.

 

[Alldara]

You do raise a point.

My Honey Bun swallowed a hairball and had to be liquid-fed a while till she could pass it. She's okay now, and fat and happy as ever. I try to brush in season to avoid too much accumulation of dead hair everywhere.

So spooky! I'm glad Honey Bun is doing well though.

 

[Scaredpersianowner]

Hi there,
I have two shorthairs and one longhair cat, and I can guarantee you that the long haired cat is way more work lol. She’s also a Persian, though, which are a handful as it is. We ended up buying a Dyson vacuum as its the only thing we could find that can handle the hair around the house. They also can have more constipation issues due to eating their own hair.

It’s also worth mentioning that we pay $250 every other month for my cat to get haircuts so that she doesn’t get hairballs. We have to take her more often in the summer when it’s hot so she’s comfy. Cat groomers are very very expensive. The cats also don’t take it well, luckily, our baby is very well-behaved and just takes it.

 

[doomsdave]

So spooky! I'm glad Honey Bun is doing well though.

She suddenly got listless and started to starve because she couldn't eat. I nearly lost her, it appears.

I keep an eye on her now. There's an earlier thread on this site where she got under the house and didn't have anything to eat for days, till we found her and fed her, but she wasn't bony like that. Cats can get by on little food if they have to.

 

[GenCat]

The one thing and reason why I personally would not get a long hair (I'm writing in case you do)....there's a rare condition where cats tummy cannot handle any amount of their own hair. My friend's cat had this and passed after two surgeries to remove bezoars even after diet change, brushing etc. If this does happen, the best thing to do is just shave them and keep them shaved. Now the vet didn't mention this and I didn't know. But now I've seen a few cats on social media with the same issue and their owners get them lion cuts.

Maybe this could happen with short hair cats too but Ive just not heard of it or it's not as bad because they well have less hair.

That’s crazy. Will have to look into this further since as you said you would think even shorthairs might have ill effects depending on the amount they shed.

 

[Alldara]

That’s crazy. Will have to look into this further since as you said you would think even shorthairs might have ill effects depending on the amount they shed.

As I mentioned, I've never heard of it happening with short hairs but it's a new-to-me issue. I'm covering my bases in saying that I assume it also happens but is less of an issue.
I can't honestly remember what the issue even is.

 

[doomsdave]

Shorthairs do their share of shedding, but compared with long hairs, not even close. Especially when you have multiple cats.

But, lots of love makes up for a bit of shed fur.

 

[iPappy]

Shorthairs do their share of shedding, but compared with long hairs, not even close. Especially when you have multiple cats.

But, lots of love makes up for a bit of shed fur.

My long hairs always shed a lot in the spring but it was MUCH worse in the fall. When they'd jump off my lap, it was obvious where they had been and I always said they were making sure I was extra warm for the upcoming winter.