My mom’s cat has been coming home with these little balls all over him? What are they?
They stick to his fur and they’re so hard to get out! I just wanna figure out what they are cause getting them off him is a nightmare! They have like very small fibers that stick to him and get tangled in his fur
It’s dangerous to the environment and your own cat to let them be outdoors 😢
leanderland
keeping cats indoors is better for the environment and the cat
No-Structure8402
maybe cleavers
DunkTheBiscuit
Goose Grass seeds. Also known as cleavers, the whole plant is covered in velcro like hooked hairs that catch on everything. But the seeds especially are like that in order to be carried away to new growing areas.
You need to pick them off if you can, they’re irritating to his mouth and stomach if he grooms them off himself, and they tend to work down to the skin and can form irritated little sores.
miriamwebster
It’s weed seeds.
I’m amazed how many people ignore the question but instead chastise OP.
FlashyCondition8294
In Brazil we call it picão, grass seeds.
fromhelley
My gsd picks those up. I have a flea comb at the door. She has no fleas, but it removes those if they are fresh.
If allowed to stay one her, they get cross tangled in her hair and its 10x harder to remove them. I do a check before we come inside every time!
Sorry for you and him. These suck! Also, check between the paw pads and inside ears. That is the worst place to remove them from, especially after they have “latched on” .
FlashyCondition8294
Walk in the same places and the seeds will stick to your clothes hehe!! 🌿 {Here in Brazil, in addition to picão, we also know it as carrapicho.)
Anyone trying to give you specific species is wrong. There is no identifiable features for the plant, or listed region. Galium as a genus is the most narrow answer. Nobody can get a species ID off a cat photo (although i appreciate the kitty🫶)
stellarpaws
They come off very easily with a slicker brush!
WildlifePolicyChick
The best way to handle goose grass seeds is to keep your cat INDOORS.
There are so many reasons – life-threatening reasons – to have you cats indoor-only.
Get your cat fixed and don’t let them out.
happyjazzycook
Our dogs get those through their fur at this time of year if I allow them to wander off of the sidewalk, they’re a huge pain to remove.
That being said, your Mom needs to use a flea comb to remove these burrs. And it would be a great idea if this little guy (girl) would remain indoors for the rest of its life. Too many dangers out there, especially for black cats, and that beautiful longer fur makes it much harder to groom too.
Cherabee
Picker burrs. Brush them out and put them in a bag
Top-Department-9957
Cats are a lot likely to stay healthy if they stay indoors.
I’ve had out/indoor cats I understand, but if you don’t want your baby to get stickers on her, or get hit by a car, shot by some asshole, or get bird flu from hunting the local fauna; it’s best to keep them inside.
No-Sign-1137
Burrs where I’m at in Michigan
kelimac
My dad calls them “beggar lice”. It’s a type of burr that sticks to everything from clothing to animal fur. They can also get in between the paw pads and toes of dogs and cats. Annoying things.
SusyMumbles
Poor thing is probably so itchy, doesn’t look like your mom cares about his well being at all =/
BigWhiteDog14
Sticktights in midwest. You should not let your cat outside to kill native wildlife
Subject-Project-2263
Just get a wire cat brush, that also has little plastic balls on the end of the wire bristles. They come off very easily with those.
Alone-Tackle-17
Burrs
theoloniusmonk
In Oregon we call them hitchhikers
BluebirdUpbeat6811
cockaburrs here in the midwest
BananaPrimary8767
I vote for windflower/anemone seeds.
14cakes
A slicker brush works well to get them off and my cat’s love being brushed with one
teriwella
We call these biddy bids at home (NZ)
vetmcstuffin
Cleavers aka stickybacks
EmergencyAd4225
We call them sticky willy’s in Scotland, not sure about the rest if the UK. We had a very similar type of cat who had them almost permanently. She was a bit feral who didn’t like getting touched, but they never caused her any harm.
Icy-Decision-4530
These things would get on your socks and forever be on your socks lol
HomesteadGranny1959
Ugh. Mine is a shorthair and I hate those things.
hardFraughtBattle
There’s a plant in the US Midwest called swamp agrimony that has velcro-like seeds that are about that shape and size. My dog gets a few in his coat every time he goes for a walk.
Visible_Dance1
How would you decribe the Taste?
Mundane_Top_338
They’re his spoils of war
PutinDisDickInTrump
Stop letting the cat outside
ComedianRude5032
As an owner of a long-haired German Shepherd mix with a long krinkly furred tail who has run through a field of these, my best advice for removing them is oil (something safe for the cat), slicker brush (while holding the base of the fur), and then wash with blue dawn to remove the last of them and remove the oil. Luckily, dog saliva has the sliminess to pull them out so I was able to let mine help me a bit, but I suspect that a cat would have some issues trying to remove them and I’d be a bit concerned about them swallowing them (thankfully my pup is great at spitting stuff like this out).
Considering it’s probably a repetitive thing, I’d go looking for them. They’re from low lying shrubbery/grass, come up to about knee height if that usually, they look like a brown ball of spikes. If they’re on your mom’s property, get rid of them.
Best of luck! He’s a gorgeous cat!
mickeybrains
My GF from South Africa calls them “beggar’s lice”
rawshakr
Trump penis
Janefallsforflowers
I think my cat does it on purpose so that I brush him again and again!
48 Comments
It’s dangerous to the environment and your own cat to let them be outdoors 😢
keeping cats indoors is better for the environment and the cat
maybe cleavers
Goose Grass seeds. Also known as cleavers, the whole plant is covered in velcro like hooked hairs that catch on everything. But the seeds especially are like that in order to be carried away to new growing areas.
You need to pick them off if you can, they’re irritating to his mouth and stomach if he grooms them off himself, and they tend to work down to the skin and can form irritated little sores.
It’s weed seeds.
I’m amazed how many people ignore the question but instead chastise OP.
In Brazil we call it picão, grass seeds.
My gsd picks those up. I have a flea comb at the door. She has no fleas, but it removes those if they are fresh.
If allowed to stay one her, they get cross tangled in her hair and its 10x harder to remove them. I do a check before we come inside every time!
Sorry for you and him. These suck! Also, check between the paw pads and inside ears. That is the worst place to remove them from, especially after they have “latched on” .
Walk in the same places and the seeds will stick to your clothes hehe!! 🌿 {Here in Brazil, in addition to picão, we also know it as carrapicho.)
https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmodium_adscendens?wprov=sfla1 🤗🌿
[deleted]
I’d brush them or pick them off before they become knots all tangled in her fur.
in our part of the country we called them “burrs” but they’re just seeds. ugh they are a pain to get out of fur though
We call em burrs!
Galium sp. seeds
He’s a pawlinator
Thats a BEAUTIFUL cat
They are burr weeds and there are numerous forms of them
https://youtu.be/JqXG1_9g6Ms?si=aQZ5f0_6z6qtAZf3
… AND you did absolutely nothing wrong for looking for advice. WTF is wrong w/ ppl!
Bedstraw also called Cleavers
Yes Goosegrass I think
Anyone trying to give you specific species is wrong. There is no identifiable features for the plant, or listed region. Galium as a genus is the most narrow answer. Nobody can get a species ID off a cat photo (although i appreciate the kitty🫶)
They come off very easily with a slicker brush!
The best way to handle goose grass seeds is to keep your cat INDOORS.
There are so many reasons – life-threatening reasons – to have you cats indoor-only.
Get your cat fixed and don’t let them out.
Our dogs get those through their fur at this time of year if I allow them to wander off of the sidewalk, they’re a huge pain to remove.
That being said, your Mom needs to use a flea comb to remove these burrs. And it would be a great idea if this little guy (girl) would remain indoors for the rest of its life. Too many dangers out there, especially for black cats, and that beautiful longer fur makes it much harder to groom too.
Picker burrs. Brush them out and put them in a bag
Cats are a lot likely to stay healthy if they stay indoors.
I’ve had out/indoor cats I understand, but if you don’t want your baby to get stickers on her, or get hit by a car, shot by some asshole, or get bird flu from hunting the local fauna; it’s best to keep them inside.
Burrs where I’m at in Michigan
My dad calls them “beggar lice”. It’s a type of burr that sticks to everything from clothing to animal fur. They can also get in between the paw pads and toes of dogs and cats. Annoying things.
Poor thing is probably so itchy, doesn’t look like your mom cares about his well being at all =/
Sticktights in midwest. You should not let your cat outside to kill native wildlife
Just get a wire cat brush, that also has little plastic balls on the end of the wire bristles. They come off very easily with those.
Burrs
In Oregon we call them hitchhikers
cockaburrs here in the midwest
I vote for windflower/anemone seeds.
A slicker brush works well to get them off and my cat’s love being brushed with one
We call these biddy bids at home (NZ)
Cleavers aka stickybacks
We call them sticky willy’s in Scotland, not sure about the rest if the UK. We had a very similar type of cat who had them almost permanently. She was a bit feral who didn’t like getting touched, but they never caused her any harm.
These things would get on your socks and forever be on your socks lol
Ugh. Mine is a shorthair and I hate those things.
There’s a plant in the US Midwest called swamp agrimony that has velcro-like seeds that are about that shape and size. My dog gets a few in his coat every time he goes for a walk.
How would you decribe the Taste?
They’re his spoils of war
Stop letting the cat outside
As an owner of a long-haired German Shepherd mix with a long krinkly furred tail who has run through a field of these, my best advice for removing them is oil (something safe for the cat), slicker brush (while holding the base of the fur), and then wash with blue dawn to remove the last of them and remove the oil. Luckily, dog saliva has the sliminess to pull them out so I was able to let mine help me a bit, but I suspect that a cat would have some issues trying to remove them and I’d be a bit concerned about them swallowing them (thankfully my pup is great at spitting stuff like this out).
Considering it’s probably a repetitive thing, I’d go looking for them. They’re from low lying shrubbery/grass, come up to about knee height if that usually, they look like a brown ball of spikes. If they’re on your mom’s property, get rid of them.
Best of luck! He’s a gorgeous cat!
My GF from South Africa calls them “beggar’s lice”
Trump penis
I think my cat does it on purpose so that I brush him again and again!