On 01.02.02, I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. Too late for surgery, I had chemotherapy, which failed. In May the chemotherapy was changed and I was soon in remission which was celebrated and welcome and lasted nine years - until October 2011. There was progression in 2011 so more treatment was indicated and I am now back in partial remission. But I'm not only a cancer patient - I also enjoy my family, walk my dogs and am learning to draw and paint. Life is good!

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Belle's hard day



I've never given a cat a bath and don't even know if you're supposed to. Our dogs, on the other hand, are bathed often. Demi is such a public dog that no Saturday ever passes without bathing her. Brix and Parisse are close behind.

Lately, however, I'm been concerned about Belle's ability to groom herself. Some of her fur is matted and won't comb out. I've tried. I've even scissored away chunks of mat and fur but it never seems to be enough.

This afternoon Belle had her first bath -- and I had my first experience bathing a cat. More mats came out, but the job isn't done. She smells wonderful! Her long fur, shampooed and combed, looks great (until you notice the mats under the fur).

I wasn't impressed with my first cat bath experience and Belle was even less so. Eventually Youngest Daughter scooped her up in a towel and craded and comforted her until she was dry.

5 comments:

  1. Anonymous8:34 PM

    Have you considered taking her to a groomer and having her "clipped" to get rid of all of the mats?? you're not really supposed to bathe cats, but if they need cleaning, dry is reccommended....I'm sure there are plenty of specialty products out there but plain old oatmeal rubbed into the fur and then brushed out works really well. just a thought.....deni....;)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous8:45 PM

    Aww! This is a good drawing of the moment! I like that your daughter was there to comfort the kitty!

    I've had to bathe 5 small cats, which I shouldn't have done because you're not supposed to if they are kittens... but I was the kitty momma after their mother was killed on the highway. The way I saw it, they needed the bath or they could get sick and maybe not make it. They had gotten soaked in the rain and then their fur became matted with dirt, twigs, leaves... I warmed the bathroom up really hot with an electric heater first... they were shivering.

    Hope your kitty doesn't get many more matted places in its fur. Those are hard to remove.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for sharing, your blog is worth reading, nice post. Keep it up.

    ReplyDelete
  4. give her some catnip so that she can throw up the hair balls. get one of those back hair brushes also to get rid of the mats...also she may be getting into something sticky

    ReplyDelete
  5. Began following your blog recently and saw this posting - my cat who is, shall we say, a 'big girl' (as I am!) has trouble grooming herself and tends to get matted fur. I find it easier to pull the mats apart with my fingers (usually finding a few white wisps of fur caught in the center)...slowly and gently...instead of combing them out. Once they are gone, combing every day with a small-toothed comb - gently - has kept them away.
    Good luck! Ilene in Md.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts with Thumbnails