"Eat that?! You MUST be joking."
Written: Sep 02 '02 (Updated Sep 02 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Claims to end hairballs. Fun to bat across the kitchen floor.
Cons: Neither of my cats will eat the treats.
The Bottom Line: It might work. I wouldn't know, because my cats refused to eat it.
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| LilScamp's Full Review: Pounce Hairball Treat Ment |
Hairballs are definitely one of the grossest aspects of cat ownership. A short while back, I had the unpleasant experience of stepping in something wet and hairy on my way to the washroom one dark night. After dancing about the room in a panic, fearing that my foot was being absorbed by the creeping unknown, I realized that my darling Jamie-cat had spewed forth a lovely hairball just for me. The next day, I set off to find a hairball remedy, and met up with these Pounce Hairball Treat-ment thingies in my grocery store.
"Crunchy Tuna Flavor with gel inside! Helps prevent and eliminate hairballs!" read the garish purple packaging. Cats like tuna. I like purple. And we did indeed have hairballs that needed preventing and eliminating, lest my poor foot again meet with peril on the way to the bathroom late at night. It might have been a match made in heaven, but alas, the kitties had other plans.
Upon popping off the resealable top and removing the foil liner, I discovered that the tuna treats enclosed were BRIGHT red-- certainly not a natural tuna color. They didn't smell much like tuna either. In fact, the thingies-- hard, crispy thingies-- have an odor that reminds me of ancient Playdoh. Special, I thought, but I couldn't exactly predict my cats' reactions seeing as they've been known to eat many things that smell much worse than old Playdoh.
I shook out the recommended 3-5 piece dose for my adult female kitty. Jamie pushed the pieces around with her nose, then discovered that the tiny square treats are excellent projectiles. With gusto, she began batting them across the kitchen floor. I allowed this for a while, thinking that play might trigger her hunter instincts and lead her to kill and devour her cat treat prey, but after a half an hour or so, I realized that she had no intention of eating her new toys. I picked up a piece and held it under her nose, thinking she might prefer it from my fingers, but she was utterly disinterested and soon marched away with her tail held high in the air.
So much for that.
Since the canister said that the treats could be given for prevention as well as treatment, I tried to give a couple of pieces to my little 10 week old kitten, Benjamin. This kitten will generally scarf down anything that is set before it mainly so as to keep the larger cat from eating whatever-it-is first. After a disinterested sniff, Ben also batted the treats across the floor with great enthusiasm. There was no munching, no crunching, and no licking.
Repeated attempts yielded no better results. The cats were utterly unimpressed by these treats, and when my cats are unimpressed, so am I. I suppose I might have been better off had I read the label before purchasing the Pounce Hairball Treat-ment; the first ingredient listed is "ground yellow corn", and I can't think of any cat that I've met who has gone ga-ga for ground yellow corn.
Pounce Hairball Treat-ment earns a seven-paw down review from Her Royal Highness Princess Jamie and Master Benjamin Moose. The single paw up is to acknowledge the excellent distance these babies fly when batted across the kitchen floor. At least they're entertaining!
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
LilScamp
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Member: Sara
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Reviews written: 94
Trusted by: 76 members
About Me:
I'm back-- and starting down the road to veterinary school! Critters will be my life.
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