To Shave A Cat

This is not one of those email jokes that make the rounds, this is for real. Illustrated.

My #4 daughter’s cat, Alexander Russianpants, is closer to 19 than he is to 18, and he just doesn’t groom himself very well anymore. He spends the summers outside so, when he came in for the winter, he was all matted up. I tried to brush him, but the mats are like dreadlocks that got run over by a steamroller, so brushing didn’t work.

While visiting the fabulous Tamara Ikenberg, I floated the idea of using the hair clippers to shave the mats off. Daughter was iffy about it, but Tamara backed me up, so I did it.

Al wasn’t best pleased about the project, but as the mats disappeared, he discooperated less. Finally, I could brush him, and got almost as much hair from the brush as I’d gotten with the clippers.

He looks a bit raggedy, but less so than he did with DIY potholders hanging all over him.

I did not escape scatheless, but I’ve done less and come away worse, so I consider the whole thing a success. From now on, I vow to run a brush through his hair at least once a day.

WRITING PROMPT: Have a character groom an animal that does not wish to be groomed.

Oh, by the way, I’m not taking a vacation. I’ll be right here, as usual, every day, unless we lose power.

MA

About

I was born in Louisville, Kentucky, but now live in the woods in southern Indiana. Though I only write fiction, I love to read non-fiction. The more I learn about this world, the more fantastic I see it is.

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One thought on “To Shave A Cat

  1. Marion

    December 23, 2010 at 8:55am

    This was a very brave thing to do Marian. And the cat needed it.
    My own Ninja had the same problem. I tried combing him, brushing him, but to no avail. In the end I had to make an appointment with the vet, so Ninja could be shaven under complete anesthesia. He had a problem with his throat and gums, so didn’t groom himself. The cat, not the vet 😉

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    • Author

      Marian Allen

      December 24, 2010 at 9:07am

      Poor Ninja! I don’t think I could get away with shaving my cat, Katya, but Sara’s cat, Al, is a big sweetie. Not that he didn’t object. lol! I fulfilled my vow and gave him a good brushing today–he loved it! That’s going to be part of our daily routine, now. 🙂

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