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