Columnist Lisa Ferguson: Trends, Oct. 16, 2000

Lisa Ferguson

Monday, Oct. 16, 2000 | 1:41 a.m.

It wakes you in the middle of the night -- heavy breathing coupled with odd choking sounds.

Is your significant other having a nightmare? No. In fact it's Fluffy, and she's trying her darndest to hack up another nasty furball.

Poor kitty. But it doesn't have to be that way, according to the makers of Eukanuba cat food. The company recently introduced Hairball Relief Formula food that it claims reduces the occurrence of hairballs.

To coincide with the food's debut, the company compiled a list of hairball facts and figures:

* Cats, on average, cough up a hairball once each month. For the 65 million cats the call the U.S. home, that equates to 780 million of them annually.

* Be forewarned: Hairballs occur most frequently during cats' spring and summer shedding seasons.

* The largest hairball on record is listed in the Guinness Book of Pet Records as measuring 3 1/2 inches in length and weighing 2 ounces. The baseball-sized mass was removed by a veterinarian in 1975 from Bushie, a 14-year-old cat, in England.

Tripping out

As though watching television isn't mind-numbing enough, a new product will make sure you're good and zoned out while staring at the tube.

Trancetrip 3D, as the name implies, uses 3D glasses, a video and (its makers claim) "the features of a brain machine and ambient stress-reducing tunes" to create weird visuals and promote relaxation.

For two hours, your television turns into a kaleidoscope of sorts, with digitally recorded colors presenting a "psychedelic, holographic light show" on nine 3D screens that appear to surround you.

Sounds like this one needs to be seen to be believed, folks. If you're game, Tracetrip 3D can be ordered for $19.95 (plus shipping and handling) by calling (800) 803-4370.

Enough already

Things you probably never wanted to know about that annoying Energizer Bunny (but probably could have guessed if you really had to):

His nicknames are E.B. and Hot Hare. His favorite book is anything on tape "so that he can listen to them on the go." His favorite song is "I've Got the Power."

These lame factoids come courtesy of the Energizer battery company, of course, which recently launched yet another ad campaign featuring the Pepto Bismol-pink bunny that keeps going and going and going ...

Now he's headed for cyberspace, interrupting several "micro sites" (based on the products being parodied in Energizer's TV ads). Check him out at inmyunderwear.com, bobfremgen.com and growzan.com.

Meanwhile the company made a list of celebrities whose own personalities embody "the spirit and endurance" of the rabbit. See if you agree: among the celebs are Mick Jagger, Mickey Rooney, Tom Petty, Halle Berry and Madeline Albright.

Lisa Ferguson is the Sun assistant features editor. Her Trends column appears Mondays. Reach her at lisa@lasvegassun.com or 259-4060.