Things I learned over the weekend -

[kyburg]

IKEA is not always the best place to buy a comforter.

If frank discussion about cat barf annoys you, turn away now. This post is going to be full of it.

I have four cats.

One of them is puking hairballs on the bed during the day when both Jim and I are at work. Since when I leave, being the last one out, and I can find three out of four on the bed...and then find the fourth there some time later...the culprit is hard to nail.

That's right, it's a tale about stealth barf.

This gets rather expensive, frankly. That down comforter was not salvageable after the first round - and IKEA charged me $170 to replace it.

Following catsonmars and Mom to Marukai on Saturday night to check futon bedding for his New Place, Jim pointed out that the same comforter in our size was only $50 there. SOLD.

Got up on Sunday, took that bad boy back to IKEA, got a full refund and bought its cheaper cousin at the Asian market.

Dressed the bed, slept in happy comfort - and returned home last night to find that the cat had done it again.

Barfed, that is. On the bed. Again. Which one? No idea. Consistent guilty looks all around - except the youngest, who only wanted more to eat.

I was wise - I bought fiberfill this time around. And lo and behold, the cheaper version turned out to be entirely machine washable with no ill effects. Nice to know.

But it wasn't dry before sleeping last night. I didn't have the blankets - and as you might imagine, was more than a little cranky to be sleeping less than warmly. *sniff* Oh yeah, I'm still sick too. Wonder why I'm a little cranky....

I stripped the bed this morning. Considered pulling the doors closed, then vetoed that idea when I saw how much was hanging on the back of the door - I'd have to shift that before I could close the door securely.

Today was CSA box day, so I had to run that home at lunch time. No stealth barf. Well, why not - no comforter on the bed!

The cats are getting groomed Friday - if I can get them in. That much I can do to try to head off the hairball problems - that, and plenty of "hairball remedy" treats.

And I shop more of my purchases to the Asian markets before going to IKEA.

Comments

[seamusd.livejournal.com]

Yeah, they have some good stuff, but more often than not, Ikea sucks! We have a chair that I could never assemble correctly, couldn't get any real help on, and so it was a waste of $80. And we have a sofa/futon thing from them that has several broken springs, after only a couple of years. I know it's cheap furniture, but that's just bad!

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

I'm a master at IKEA assembling - most of my furniture (aside from the specimen pieces I was given, like the quarter-sawn oak piano) is from there. Never give up - and I've gone back to them time and again for extra shelves and hardware, some times up to ten years past purchase and they've always had time and expertise for me on tap. Love IKEA - that's how they got $170 for a comforter in the first place - they were the first place I went.

Still have the chair? Take it back. Seriously. The worst thing is you'll get store credit and you can eat that much in meatballs, right?

[seamusd.livejournal.com]

We bought it on the internet and it was delivered. Having no car, we can't easily bring it back. It was maybe three years ago, so we've written it off.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Seriously. It's worth a phone call - they might even pick it up for you, too. Call them - sing the song of woe and leave nothing out. See what can be done - if you still have the poor thing, that is.

[neintales.livejournal.com]

My mother's down comforter was a hairball spot a couple of times too- she had to get a plastic shower curtain at a garage sale with a pattern she liked and started to put that over the bed when making it in the morning.. needless to say, the cats never barfed on the bed again. I don't know HOW the little furballs manage to gauge relative worth/fragility of objects so darn well when deciding what to destroy. It's like a new instinct that only domesticated animals develop.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

My money is on the one who doesn't fancy the hairball remedy treats and rarely comes out with the others to have at when I get home at night.

So I think I'll try the "malted stuff on your finger" variety - I've never known a cat to refuse the stuff. It's narsty as all giddy hell to peoplefolks, though.

[ivymcallister.livejournal.com]

My cats eat a prescription-only food that is dyed a bright, unnatural yellow. Unfortunately, their hairballs and vomit are the same evil yellow, and let me tell you--that damned dye NEVER comes out. I curse the SOB who decided to use that dye in the food of animals who are so obviously ancient Romans at heart.

To avoid the untimely death of yet another comforter, I now cover the bed with a couple of flannel-backed vinyl tablecloths in the morning, and then put the cats' fuzzy sleeping throws on top of them. I can wash everything easily, and the hairballs don't soak through onto the quilt.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

*nods* The Friskies fish formula I used to give them was just as evil a RED. I've switched to their "indoor cat" formula - they love it, and it also appears someone at Purina's R & D has a clue - there are no really fast dyes in the food, so nothing really stains...if you can wash it, that is.

The fact this is so common isn't reassuring, yanno. Up to now, the puking has been confined largely to the floors....

[joiseyguy.livejournal.com]

what's with the bed thing? my furrball rarely jumps up on the bed but last week decided to take a dump right smack in the middle of the bed then puke in the bedroom doorway. Are they trying to make a point?

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

They think we all work for Menu Foods. *nodsnods*

[feyandstrange.livejournal.com]

It could only be worse if it was the mattress as well.

My darling lived for several years with sickly cats, prone to puke and, later in life, to pee on the bed. The number of nights he ended up sleeping on my bed because of cat puke on the blanket, sheets, or entire futon of "his" bed are numberless. And of course he ended up doing the laundry and much of the cleanup, even though they weren't his cats. I know too much about boiling water and vinegar mixes and blacklights and so on. (I had a loft bed which the sickly cats couldn't reach, not that they were allowed n my room generally.)

My recommendation?

Buy the nasty cheap fiberfill cheapos on sale, or maybe even two of 'em for winter; I get really ugly ones from Target or Mervyns or equivalent. Stuff those into a somewhat more expensive duvet cover *which you have thoroughly coated in Scotchgard*. (Again, having a spare around doesn't hurt. Beats laundering the only bedding at 3 AM.) A hefty coat of Scotchgard or equivalent on the comforter/duvet cover will ward off most cat vomit from the blankets beneath. Also, the duvet cover launders a lot quicker and easier than the comforters.

And yeah, what's with the ghastly dyes in cat food? Godawful saffron stains.

Yay cats.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

The mattress? Flip it, schedule it higher on the list to be replaced...and then everyone goes in carriers when we're not around. I'm not kidding. I start 'controlling' the issue that way. Would I do it if we were gone over a weekend? No - but. There are limits, and that likely would reach them quickly.

[lefresne.livejournal.com]

I have the perfect icon for this discussion, imagine that. We have four cats. One elderly, one with a sensitive stomach and one highly strung. The other is Siamese and he mostly just makes hairball noises. The other three--ew.

When they were going through a barfing fit (and earlier when one of our cats now gone on to glory, was ill and we couldn't bear evicting him from our bed just because his mouth bled (cancer)--we got a cheap bedspread and put it over everything each morning. Then washed it every couple of days until it fell apart. Lather, rinse repeat.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

*chuckles* I suspected you would, dearling. That, I would.

at the first sign...

[tomlemos.livejournal.com]

of irrational cat behaviour (yeah, I know, that could be anything) I usually cover the bed with a cheap blanket or two if that's the location of the problem and usually whatever comes forth from the cat in question usually won't get into the comforter below. Of course, I have the same door problem, so I have to come up with these alternate solutions. I do know that I buy cheap throw rugs for the bedroom and you gotta love Ikea for that. If they continue to mark a spot, out goes that rug and out goes the problem. Of course, this is a last resort, usually just moving the rug to a different spot in the house tends to stop any further offenses.

if it wasn't for IKEA, I wouldn't have anything much in my apartment at all. It's cheap, durable and easily replaced if necessary. All the requirements I have for furniture.

Re: at the first sign...

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

This is new, and I hope the urgency is more at fault than a new habit. The really nice weather? The cats are sluffing their winter coats a bit faster than normal - I can only hope that's the entire issue.

Re: at the first sign...

[(Anonymous)]

I hope that's it too, the weather seems to make my cats be a little bit more feisty lately, but then again, they are spending more time outside now that it is nicer out.

[turandot.livejournal.com]

You know, if you suspect the barf is health related the vet might reccomend some food dye (non-toxic) that is used on cat food so you can determine which cat in a multiple cat household is having a "pooping/peeing outside the litterbox" problem If it works for hairballs too, it might be worth looking into so you know for sure who's doing what...

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

We feed everyone through two gravity feeders - with a little wet food in the mornings.

Before we added the hairball remedy treats, we saw a lot more hairballs in general (ew, but...yeah, ew) - so I have to think there's something about Miss Fussy not wanting treats along with the others.

They all have beauty appointments on Friday the 13th. Never let it be said I don't have a morbid sense of humor.

[moropus.livejournal.com]

Butter, bacon or any kind of cooking grease are just as effective at moving hairballs down the line as the commercial stuff is. My cat puked in my bed just yesterday.

Is this a cat holiday people don't get to know about?
This is Puke Week,
next week is Get on the stove week,
and the following week is Stare at things that don't exist week.
Week after that is Chasing things that don't exist week,
followed by Trip the human and cry because it hurts week,
Cold nose when they are sleeping week, and
Shedding in the clean clothes before they are worn week.
Climbing to the top of the headboad and staring down or leaping on the unsuspected week is limited to cats with people who have tall headboards. Activity for other cats TBA later.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

I do Weight Watchers. What is this butter, bacon or grease that you speak of? *laughs*

I can just hear it now - but it was for MY CAT!