As much of the country has, we have been getting rained on quite a bit. We’ve also had a fair amount of humidity. And it really sucks.
Apparently it sucks much worse for my cat.
That is not my cat but I, the woman who blogs about just about anything, didn’t bother to take a picture.
Let me explain.
This past weekend it was tropical. Yucky, sticky, unbearable humidity. The kind where half an hour after you take a shower you are asking yourself if you forgot to put on deodorant.
And then we had tornadoes.
With lots and lots of lightening.
Stanley, the bassador, hates thunderstorms. He hides under my desk and gets tangled in all the cords. We manage to cope.
Dini, the cat, never seemed to care about thunderstorms, loud noises or little girls who hug her and squeeze her and call her ‘George’. Dini always went with the flow of things. ‘Chillaxin’ could have been her middle name if it wasn’t already ‘shut up’.
Not this weekend. Something happened, I don’t know what it was, but the cat was acting kinda funny.
I walked into the kitchen to see her sitting by the back door. A place she spends a lot of time, usually at 2am, because she likes to go in and out of the house.
She was sitting there all normal except she was fluffy. Really fluffy. Her hackles were raised but so was the rest of her hair. She looked just like she would had she taken a spin in the dryer.
I really wish I had taken a picture.
Instead I called my son up from his room to take a look at the cat. We both stood there and laughed at the cat who got a little irritated with us and walked into the living room.
She sat in the middle of the living room, fluffy, and stared at the floor. She looked as if she was sleeping, and she could have been. She has been known to fall asleep sitting up.
I tried to pet her hair down but it just kept popping back up.
I was a little worried about her because this had never happened before, at least to my knowledge. For all I knew the cat got fluffy each day but I just missed it.
For a moment I thought about calling her vet but realized it was Saturday night and I would have to call the emergency clinic to talk to anyone.
And really what was I going to say?
“Hi, my cat’s all fluffy, is that normal?”
She wasn’t doing anything else strange, she wasn’t breathing heavy or fast, she was just really fluffy.
Eventually the hair raising ended and all was fine. The dog was still wedged under my desk but there was nothing I could do about that. He would come out when the sirens stopped blaring.
Yesterday I was still wondering about the fluffy cat thing. I thought about Googling it but I have been watching too much of the OCD Project and have started to pick up their phobias, one of which is if you Google something it becomes true. Which doesn’t really work here because the cat had already been fluffy but for some reason I was apprehensive about asking Google.
So I asked a few friends who laughed their asses off at me.
And then they suggested, no, they actually goaded me, to call my vet.
Which I did.
Me: Hi, um, my cat was really fluffy the other night and I just wondered if that is something I should be worried about. She isn’t fluffy anymore, it went away.
Vet nurse lady: Is this a joke? Your cat was fluffy?
Me: No, it’s not a joke, she was really fluffy, like she had just gotten out of the dryer.
Vet nurse lady: Was she in the dryer?
Me: Of course not.
I explained the whole fluffy cat thing just like I did for you guys
Vet nurse lady: I don’t know why your cat was fluffy but I am going to have the doctor give you a call.
Now I felt stupid. This vet nurse lady was going to tell the doctor about my fluffy cat and have her call me. Obviously if the vet nurse lady had never encountered this problem before then the doctor wasn’t likely to know about it either. It was at this point I decided the cat had been fucking with me.
A few minutes later the vet called back, unfortunately the vet nurse lady hadn’t explained the fluff and I had to explain all over again. Or maybe she had and the vet just wanted to hear me say it. I don’t know but she too was laughing.
Vet: Did you take a picture?
Me: No, I was too busy laughing at the cat to think of taking a picture.
Vet: That’s too bad, that would have made a great picture. You could have sent it to those LOLCats people.
Me: So what’s wrong with her?
Vet: I don’t know.If she starts acting strange or displays other odd behavior you can bring her in. If she gets fluffy again be sure to take a picture.
This vet does not know I blog.
So that was it. I have no answer, I don’t know why the cat was fluffy and worse, I don’t know how to make her do it again so I can take a picture.
LOL that is too funny. To bad you didn't get a picture. I too am sick of the rain, hot, and humid weather. I live on the lake an we get NO lake breeze. In fact we got a severe thunder storm watch now. Oh joy! LOL
On the big lake? And it's still hot and humid? That sucks. We've been under
a severs storm watch or warning for most of the summer. I'm almost ready to
throw in the towel and say I'm ready for winter.
Maybe your cat is an attention seeker, maybe she thought to herself if I fluff up and freak Jen out then she'll blog about me and I'll become the famous freaky fluffy cat of the blogosphere.
I think what you might not know is that someone at the vet's office blogs and wouldn't you love to read what her post sounds like right about now?
“There was this lady who called us today about her cat being fluffy. Not named Fluffy. The cat was fluffy. What a lunatic. Doesn't she know cats come in two types, fluff and non-fluff. She has a fluff.”
LMAO!
I thought about that after I published. It wouldn't surprise me if I was on
the vet's blog.
Ok, so I Googled “my cat is fluffy” and besides a link to this post, found a whole bunch of links to really creative and original people who have named their cat Fluffy.
Next I Googled “my cat's hair stood on end” and found this:
http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=…
Seems everyone is weird, but agrees that fear is the cause of feline fluffy-itis.
And just for fun, I Googled “my cat looked like it came out of the dryer” and again, besides a link back to this post, I found a lot of people who have mistakenly run the dryer with the cat inside.
And finally, because you made me paranoid, I Googled “I Google obsessively” and oddly enough, found a link entitled “Obsessive compulsive cat flushing the toilet!!! Hilarious!!!”
All of which leads me to the conclusion that your cat probably had to pee really badly because of all the rain but was afaid of (a) her OCD kicking in and making her flush the toilet over and over again for the rest of the day and (b) that if she avoided peeing in the toilet and having her OCD kick in, she would have to pee outside where she would get wet because of all the rain and then you would throw her in the dryer. Terrifying scenarios, don't you think? Positively hair-raising!
Or she was fucking with you.
How come when you Google these things you get a link to me but when I do, I
don't? Do you have special Google powers?
She didn't seem scared. She didn't have her back all arched or whatever they
do when they are scared. She looked rather relaxed just sitting there,
except for the fluff.
I think she was fucking with me. This is the same cat who will walk on the
dining room table, wait patiently for the dog who is too short to see above
the dining room table to walk by, and then pounce on his back, scaring him
under my desk for the rest of the day.
Sssssshh! Yes, I am really Google Girl, but don't mention the uper-say owers-pay in front of people! Let them continue to buy into my mild-mannered alter ego Nicky Yahoo. 🙂
Nicky, have you ever wondered if you have too much time on your hands? Is there something more productive you could be doing with your hands? Is there something slightly less unproductive you could be doing with your hands? Do you ever wonder why you only have two hands when some people have three?
Your friend,
BonyMike
Perhaps she just need some conditioner
I don't think so, this was coming from the inside of the cat.
I used to have fluffy hair, but I had to perm it to get it that way. Maybe she stuck her paw in a socket.
I thought maybe she chewed on an electrical cord, but she wasn't spastic or anything. She isn't that stupid either, the dog would have done that but not the cat.
Did you ever talk to your vet about use of Benydral or something to help calm him in thunderstorms?
No, and the worst part was I knew there was something else I was supposed to
ask when I was talking to her.
I googled “why does a cat's hair stand on end” and I got the following answer from
WikiAnswers:
“What causes cats fur to stand up is it suddenly is scared, or sensing something unnecessary nearby.”
Perhaps you snuck up on the cat, or she sensed that you were nearby and found you completely unnecessary?
That's it! I am completely unnecessary to her. Thank you Lola for solving
this mystery. I wish I had a prize. Do you need a cat?
I wonder if the vet has a blog, and writes all about the goofy questions he gets from his clients.
Not that your question was goofy, mind you. A fluffy cat, good heavens! You should have all dive-bombed for the basement. Doesn't that mean a tornado or lightning strike is on the way?
No photo?!?!?! What the heck kind of blogger ARE you?!?!
She doesn't have a blog, I checked.
I thought it was goofy too but then everyone told me I should ask.
I know! Don't tell anyone, they might take away my blogging rights.
Are you sure your cat just wasn't loaded with static electricity? The type of weather you describe might cause that to happen. (If I were near tornadoes, MY non-Midwesterner hair might stand on end!) Or it might also cause her to freak out a little bit, although if she were freaked out, it would be kind of odd that she let you pet her. Most cats would hide or at least growl or something if they were frightened.
If it were winter I might be able to see that but it's so humid here that just isn't possible. Plus, when she is static-y in the winter she doesn't look like she did. This was going on from the inside. Maybe some of her wires got crossed?
it is funny when their tails get all puffy.
It's funny when the whole cat gets puffy. Usually she isn't all that funny but this was good humor. I wish I knew how to recreate it.
Ha – your CAT should start blogging…!
Nobody wants to read what she has to say. She's pretty sarcastic and bitchy.
I fluff up when I get skerred, even though my curly furs do not fluff very well. Harley gets a mohawk!
ps: I am obsessed with the OCD Project, too! Tap, tap, tap. Tap, tap, tap. Tap, tap, tap…
I would love to see you fluffed, Daisy, especially with that curly hair of yours.
I love the OCD shows!
Oh the indignity of being a fluffy cat. I love that it merited a call to the vet, your cat having the frizzies. I'm sure Garnier makes a product for that. 😉
My daughter and I have been watching The OCD Project too, also, check out Obsessed on A&E.
I've been watching both of the OCD shows so much better than Intervention or Addicted or I'm pregnant and … I love those kind of shows but they probably hurt more than help, at least me.
I never so a cat fully fluffy, just their tail. I wish I saw a pic of this. BTW, your cat is super cute and I am sure much cuter fluffy, MOL: http://www.cat-toure.com
That's not my cat, I didn't take a picture. This is a stock photo and surprisingly not really a great depiction of what was going on. If I had taken pictures I could corner the market on Fluffy Cat.
That's bad! Smoke gets fluffy when he's mad or when he's scared. All his fur stands on end and he looks about 5 times bigger. Could that be what happened? Smokey also started singing Chinese Opera at 3 AM every morning for about a week. I called the vet over that and even sang what my version of the opera was. She told me the cat could be getting senile. (I really think she thought I was getting senile.) Bitch. After two full weeks of Chinese Opera at 3 AM, Opera season was over thank goodness! Now if kitty gets fluffy again, take a picture Jen!
She just didn't seem scared, mad maybe, she always seems angry. But, she was calm and mellow. And, the daughter was at her dad's house for the weekend so unless the cat was simply holding a grudge (which I wouldn't put it past her) it seems unlikely.
We haven't had the opera thing since I get her neutered. I'd never had a cat that wasn't neutered before so when she went into heat the first time I had no idea what was going on. That call to the vet was even worse as I held the phone to the cat making THAT noise so the vet could hear what was going on.
Vet: “She's in heat”
Me: “Make it stop!”
Vet: “You can have her neutered but it costs more if you do the procedure while she is in heat”
Me: “Will that make it stop?”
Vet:”Yes”
Me: “I'm bringing her in now”
Smoke was neutered when he was 12 weeks old. If he does the opera again, I'm taping it. Singing it for the vet was disconcerting for me and I'm sure for her.
My cat Punky sings Chinese Opera. He's really quite good.
Im cracking up. CRACKING UP. I think my favorite part of the conversation was this:
Vet nurse lady: Is this a joke? Your cat was fluffy?
Me: No, it’s not a joke, she was really fluffy, like she had just gotten out of the dryer.
Vet nurse lady: Was she in the dryer?
Me: Of course not.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
I responded to this yesterday through email but it didn't show up here. Damn, to repeat it sounds silly. But I will anyway.
Thanks for repeating that part to me because, you know, I might have forgotten it since I wrote it yesterday.
Said in complete smartass tone. You know I love you Meleah.
Love you back
Thanks for replaying that little bit for me, cuz, you know, I forgot all
about it since I wrote it yesterday. You crack me up!
I can't believe you seriously called the vet. I would have made a friend do it.
I easily cave to peer pressure.
I wish you had a picture, too. We've had anywhere from one to three cats for over 20 years, and see a lot of stuff. I've never seen a cat just up and get fluffy. If Rosie's hair did that it would be a scary sight because his hair is so long and silky. We had a long-haired tortie named Missy, and it just seemed her hair was always sticking out. She was naturally fluffy and gorgeous.
Dini is a tortie too but her hair is medium I guess. I'm not really a cat person so I don't know these things.
I was really hoping your post would have an answer at the end, but no. Now I'm going to lie awake tonight wondering about The Mystery Of The Fluffy Cat.
I've had many great links to possible answers but none of them seem to quite fit. But, I've been watching her to see if she does it again and the camera is all nice and charged.
I hope she gets fluffy again just so we get a photo. I would love to see it. It sounds like she is fine. Maybe it was a reaction to the ozone or just to all the noise.
I don't know, I'm inclined to think she really was fucking with me, the cat only likes me because I feed her. Otherwise, she is just like any husband I have had, stays out all night, comes home in the morning and wants a quick belly rub and some food and then is off again.
This is the funniest thing I've read. My cat was fluffy so I phoned the vet. Never ask those friends for advice again ha hah! You know that the next time you have to go to the vets there will be a crowd waiting to see the 'Fluffy cat' lady. You'll probably walk in to applause!
Your poor cat was probably nervous of the storm. Sukie hides even before the storm has reached us. She knows when one is on the way.
And you didn't get your camera?
I can't be the only one who asks stupid questions. Can I?
Of course you're not. That's why JD gets enough material to write her Q&A posts. You may find this question in her next post 😉
HAAAAAA!!!
OMG! How much and how long do you think that nurse was laughing at you when you hung up?
At least you gave her something to go home and entertain her family with. Who else could come home with a fluffy cat story like that…other than you of course.
Thanks, I hadn't thought about that aspect of the whole thing.
Hmm, maybe it was the static electricity in the air from all that lightning… Or maybe she was in the dryer and she didn't tell anyone. Like possibly she goes in the dryer when you're not home and doesn't tell you. By the time you get back, the fabric softener has patted down her static cling.
That's gotta be it, I bought some store brand static sheets and they must not work as well as my beloved Downy sheets.
DOWN WITH STORE BRAND FABRIC SOFTENER. Ahem, sorry about the shouting.
How do you write a 4,700-word post about a fluffy cat and keep it funny? Incredible! I'm nominating you for a Bloggy or something, even though I know you hate awards.
Hey, speaking of fluffy cats, how's James? I doubt anybody here has forgotten…they're just too polite to ask. Unlike me.
I know I ramble on way too long. But thanks, for not giving me an award. James is fine, life has sucker punched him recently, which sort of negates the whole 'fine' thing I guess. He's really busy, we haven't been out for the second date but as soon as it happens I will be sure to let you know.
I love that your vet suggested taking pics for LOL Cats.
Good God, I laughed all the way through that!!
I was recently on vacation- in a town with high humidity- and my hair, too, was fluffy. I don't think anyone laughed at me but I kept my head down a lot so I'm not sure. Perhaps it *is* the humidity that puffed up Dini. I hope she does it again so you can photograph it!
I bet the cat was scared by something onside. My dog chased my cat once and the cat jumped into my arms all fluffed up! P.S. You are NOT crazy lol