First of all, there's my kitty, G. G is a long-haired...well, freak. It's not all his fault as he has a "mom" that doesn't brush him frequently enough. So, he develops mats that are impossible to brush out. I shave him once a year and that seems to take care of it. He looks horrible shaved (as you can tell in the pictures below). Something like an old, wrinkly, flabby elephant/tiger creature.
(close-up of the mohawk)This Sunday I took G outside and shaved him. It started out very calmly. G's the best kitty. He puts up with all sorts of pill giving and ear cleaning and things of that kind. He also doesn't mind being shaved because it feels like being brushed to him (which he loves). All of this changes once you get down to the nitty-gritty - - the mats. Then, it's a different story. He started to get cranky and stabbed me a few times. You know how when kitties get their little claws stuck in a blanket or rug or something? Yeah - same thing. Except this was my hand.
Anyway, we've been outside for maybe 30 minutes tops and I can tell he's done. That's is. Finis. So, we go inside and G lays on the kitchen floor trying to cool off. Lucky comes up to him and I can tell that something's awry. Lucky does not know who G is anymore. This comes as quite a shock to me. Here's me and G: doo, doo, doo - we're coming back inside. I know who G is and he knows who he is and he knows the other kitties - but not one of them knows who the hell he is anymore.
Now, I know kitties aren't the smartest things in the world sometimes - but I'm always shocked to find out that their instinct doesn't prevail. They smell things right? They know "who" G is by his smell and his voice and, again, his smell if it's even his butt smell!!
No, they don't. They don't know him at all. They're scared and they scare G by hissing at him and trying to hit him. And it's turned our world upside down for a few days now. It's frustrating as hell. I'm also sad when I look at poor ol' G and can tell that he's frightened and confused.
So, he's getting a lot more attention from his humans...and that makes him feel better I'm sure.
TO BE CONTINUED...
3 comments:
Poor G! First he has to be shaved to look like flabby elephant and then he gets ostracized!
Yes, extra human attention is necessary. Give him a treat for me!
One time I dyed my hair and the dog kinda freaked out. They can be weird like that!
Cool. I came here from Gnightgirl and discovered that you and I have written posts with the same title, and on the same day (almost).
BTW, what implement do you use to shave him? (not a cat-person, but learning)
Jamie: Poor G is right! He looks awfully sad until it grows back. But, we taking good care of him.
Larry: I really enjoyed your post. I hope everything works out for that Tigger. He's a special cat.
I use an electric pet trimmer (set to the closest setting - no covers or combs) to shave G. It works very well for me and it is very quiet, too. It also helps to have a very serene cat!
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