Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties:
When cats fight, do they actually throw their fur off their bodies, or does the other cat pull the fur out? This is a mystery in our household! Thanks.

~Leslie

Siouxsie: Well, Leslie, this is a good question, and the answer is yes.

Thomas: What we mean is that the answer has two parts.

Dahlia: You've probably noticed that when a cat is nervous or upset -- for example, at the vet's office -- he or she sheds like crazy.

Siouxsie: That's because shedding is a natural reaction to anxiety in cats.

Thomas: When cats are fighting, both participants are very stressed and anxious. Both the aggressor and the defender have high levels of adrenaline (the "fight or flight" hormone) going through their system during a fight.

Dahlia: This is also true during vet visits, or when your in-laws come to visit and bring their 100-pound Irish Wolfhound with them, or when you're doing noisy carpentry work in your house ... basically, any situation that makes a cat uncomfortable can produce a stress reaction.

Siouxsie: So while we cats don't exactly throw our fur off our bodies, we do shed profusely during a fight.

Thomas: Cats have very sharp claws and can actually rake fistfuls of this dead fur out of their opponent's coat. That's why you see fur coming out in clumps when cats fight.

Dahlia: Some cats have thick, downy undercoats, so the fur loss in these cats during a fight can be much more dramatic than those without such undercoats.

Siouxsie: Almost all cats love to be groomed, even short-haired cats, so after your fighting felines have calmed down, you might consider giving them a brushing to help ease their anxiety and get rid of some of the fur they have shed.

Thomas: When we cats groom ourselves, we swallow a lot of fur. That's because our tongues have little comb-like barbs. We can't spit the fur out, so we have to swallow it. This can create hairballs and increase the risk of constipation. Grooming is very helpful to alleviate this problem. And it feels good, too!

Dahlia: Even short-haired cats like a good brushing. The best tool to use with short-haired cats is a rubber brush with short bristles. I love it when Mama brushes me with the Big Pink Mama Kitty Tongue, as we call it.

Siouxsie: Long-haired cats need to be groomed regularly so they don't develop mats. Mats can lead to discomfort and even skin infections.

Thomas: Generally, long-haired cats should be groomed at least once a week. This is particularly true of Persians and related breeds, because their fur is very fine and their poor, squished-up little mouths don't work as well for grooming as those of cats with more normal face shapes. There are special brushes and combs available to help you brush and comb your long-haired cat.

Dahlia: So, Leslie, although it is possible for cats to rip one another's hair out by the roots, the vast majority of the flying fur in any cat fight was loose to begin with.

Got a question? Need some advice? E-mail us at advice@paws-and-effect.com. None of the material in this column is meant to be a substitute for regular veterinary care.