The good news is that Slinkie does not have a mystery disease, or cancer, as I had feared. The vet said she'd put on weight and was disinclined to torture herself with the Kitty-Yoga poses necessary to keep herself clean.
The diagnosis was made from a distance, as my, usually sociable, cat hissed and growled from her solidly anchored position on the table top scales. 14.8 lbs is just over a pound more than she weighed three months ago, when she came in for her yearly shots. The vet had suggested that I start feeding her some dry kibble to keep her teeth clean. It also kept her from waking us up in the pre-dawn hours, begging for breakfast. That's been lovely, but no more. Kitty diet is on.
I bought cat shampoo to go and once home with my grumpy feline, donned an apron as I filled a plastic bowl with tepid water. The kitchen sink has a movable shower head attachment which is great.
Lifting Slinky into the waiting bath, holding strategically to the scruff of her neck with one hand, pointing the rearing, clawing side of the cat away from me, I was able to give her a good soaking, despite her vertical position and charming commentaries. Next was time to add shampoo to the mix. I flipped the cap, inverted the bottle and squeezed...nothing.
Technical hitch being the interior plastic seal that was unbroken. Wet cat at arm's length in one hand, shampoo bottle gripped under same arm, I managed to unscrew the cap, find a knife and perforate to allow free flowing shampoo. After several applications and rinses, Stinky cat has been reborn as soft and silky cat. Once she finished drying herself off and was served her carefully apportioned dinner, she seemed much happier.
After vigorously washing the cat you've turned her from a stinky cat into a silky cat. Kudos to you!. She looks rather defiant in the picture, but cute.
ReplyDeleteDUTA,Defiant is about right.
DeleteAmazing how dextrous one becomes in time of need...
ReplyDeleteHelen, Yep! Only the second time in my life that I've bathed a cat. Just pretending to be in charge is half the battle.
DeleteCongrats on getting a cat through the wash. I doubt my arms or face would have come away unscathed had I bathed the cats I've had.
ReplyDeleteMR, If she'd been a venomous snake, I couldn't have been more determined to retain my grip:)
DeleteShe looks like she just might be plotting revenge. Sleep with one eye open for a while.
ReplyDeleteBirdie, strangely enough, she's exuding happiness and pride and has resumed her own grooming, with a vengeance.
DeleteSo glad you were able to bathe her, though what a chore! I hope the diet is successful.
ReplyDeletee, galloping cat hooves thundered up the hallway this morning, to leap and thunk down on our bed very ready to discuss breakfast, at 5:30 am.
DeleteClean AND svelte .... you're very demanding ! I'm surprised she's talking to you at all !
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing just how inventive one can be in an emergency , isn't it .
S&S, Keeping Calm is more than half the battle. Having dealt with many random emergencies already in life, seals the deal.
ReplyDeleteI have never bathed our cats. Oh man, I can't even think about it. You're very brave.
ReplyDeleteI have imposed a variety of diets on our cats, all for different complicated reasons. The vet said that research shows dry kibble doesn't actually improve dental health (really??) Anyway, to maintain a weight of 10 or 11 pounds, the cats get 1/2 can (5.5 oz size) of cat food daily, plus about a Tbsp of kibble. Not much food.
Kerry, It was a case of "It had to be done, so I did it". Story of much of my life really.
DeleteYes, I was previously buying the smaller cans and feeding her half a can, twice a day. The change came when I started feeding a couple of ferals to trap them for spay/neuter. You can't stop feeding them once you start and we ahd a colony of nine for a while. I was doling out a lot of food so bought big cans and lost my judgement on portion size. Then the vet said to add dry kibble (which Slinkie adores and inhales non-stop if allowed). I tamed a couple of the ferals enough to bring them into our guest bedroom for socialization. They got adopted, but left an infestation of fleas that all jumped onto Slinkie. Does this sound like another "no good deed goes unpunished" tale?
We're all much happier having resolved all that.
You are braver than I. Fortunately, none of my extensive cat collection needs bathing. There used to be a dry food called Dental Diet that was supposed to help keep teeth clean. They don't sell it any more.
ReplyDeleteSounds as if Slinkie really wanted to be clean. She was probably just overwhelmed. Whatever kept her from cleaning herself just got out of control....fleas are a real problem, of course.
Jean, I'm happy with the result and so is Slinkie. She's perked up no end. Of course, we're back to the early morning wake-up call.
DeleteWe don't see many posts from you anymore. Hope all is well.
Haven't been doing much with the horses lately. My blog at Magiskeep is active. It's about the Fantasy books I have written. And I am working on the last novel in the Saga. magiskeep.blogspot.com
DeleteBusy Lady!
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