# Hairballs come with the territory of owning a cat?



## Baltic Sea

Hello everyone!

Does "Hairballs come with the territory of owning a cat" mean "Kulki włosowe są nieuniknione gdy ma się kota" or "Kulki włosowe są naturalnym skutkiem posiadania kota" or "Kulki włosowe ściśle wiążą się z posiadaniem kota"?

The source:
The term comes from Hairballs in cats: Signs, treatment and prevention.The first sentence is *Hairballs come with the territory of owning a cat*.

Thank you.


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## LilianaB

No, I am sorry Baltic. You cannot translated it like that, if you were to perform any serious type of translation, other than for yourself. This is what it means, but it cannot be translated like that. It might be actually hard to translate so it sounds stylistically good, but I will think about it.  There must be a way. "sierść wokół (w mieszkaniu) to urok kota" something like that. "Kołtuny to urok (posiadania) kota." (it is slightly unclear if they mean that it is your responsibility as an owner to untangle them, or that the hair, or fur, will be all over your place, from just this sentenece. It might actually be the first. " Rozplątywanie kołtunów (Kołtuny) (w sierści) kota należy(ą) do obowiazków własciciela." Rozplątywanie kołtunów w sieści kota to jeden z obowiązków (przywilejow) posiadania kota". 

If you just wanted to know if this is the literal meaning -- yes it is, but it cannot be translated like that. It might actually be used metaphorically, in reference to something totally different than real cat fur. "If you want something, you have to accept the consequences", sort of.


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## Baltic Sea

Thank you LilianaB. I am sorry to have to disagree with you about ths question, but let's face the facts. http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dic...h-the-territory#go-come-with-the-territory__1. If you applied this meaning, the sentence would make sense. Let's wait for others. http://www.helium.com/items/2376089-hairballs-in-cats-signs-treatment-and-prevention


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## LilianaB

What exactly are you disagreeing with, Baltic? Yes, it is most likely related to hair balls that cats get -- not their hair floating around, which was my first impression. I did not realize cats got often hair balls, but apparently some do. I am convinced it is related to the balls within their fur that  have to be untangled. Yours is basically a word for word translation. So, if you just need to know what it means  -- this is what it means roughly, but it cannot be translated like that as professional translation.


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## dreamlike

First we would do well to mention that "hairball" is a really nasty thing (just look at the google pictures, distasteful! ), and that's why, as much as I like Liliana's suggestions, I wouldn't use "to uroki posiadania kota" -- unless ironically. There's nothing appealing about "hairballs", but it might work as an irony.

I'd translate it this way:
Hairballs (whichever way you translate this word into Polish) to _nieodłączny element_ posiadania kota. It's neutral, and by extension, it's good. At least to me


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## LilianaB

Yes, I like your translation, too. I think a hair ball is _kołtun_ in Polish. Yes, _uroki_ was slightly ironic.(_Hair balls are one of the perks of having a cat_, sort of)


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## dreamlike

Here's what wikipedia says "hairballs" are, if it's anything to go by: 

_A hairball is a small collection of hair or fur formed in the stomach of animals that is occasionally vomited up when it becomes too big. Hairballs are primarily a tight elongated cylinder of packed fur, but may include bits of other elements such as swallowed food._

The underlined parts would prevent me from translating this into Polish as "kołtuny". It's something different.
And yes, actually "uroki" might work perfectly well as an irony, but since the vast majority of population isn't really used to this poetic device and might misunderstand it, I'd go for something more neutral.


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## Baltic Sea

Thank you both very much.


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## LilianaB

Do you think there is a word for this kind of hair ball in Polish? A mass of tangled hair or fur will be _kołtun_, but if it is swallowed and vomited by a cat or a rabbit, what would it be then. sorry for the graphic language. _Kulki_ _sieści_, maybe?

Kulki sierści wypluwane prze koty (naszych ulubieńców) to jeden z nieodlącznych elemntów (uroków) posiadania kota -- maybe?


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## dreamlike

"Kulki sierści" would get the point across, I think, although it doesn't really allow for the fact that those hairballs might occasionally include things other than just fur. 
But the same seems to be the case in English, so I guess it's fine. 

Bezoar is something I've just found but it's more of a medical term...

I don't know, honestly, let's wait for someone else have their say -- I don't know much about cats.


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## tirop

IDIOMS: to go with the territory - być nieodłącznym

^That's what my dictionary says, agreeing with dreamlike's suggestion.

I wouldn't have known exactly what hairballs were even in English, but in the Polish Wikipedia article they're referred to as "zakłaczenia".


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## Baltic Sea

Thank you, Tirop.


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## kknd

„kłaczki”! – tak przynajmniej przetłumaczono to w którejś części shreka (po odchrząknięciu kota w butach).


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## Baltic Sea

Thank you, Kknd.


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## kknd

przy okazji: jeśli chodzi o sierść gubioną przez ulubieńca, to jej większe elementy nazywane są przez moją mamę „kotami” lub po prostu „sierścią” (o ile o to chodzi; nadmienię, że w domu mamy psa… ).


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