My poor old cat, now age 16, was regularly waking me up in the middle of the night with pitiful moans. She would get continuously louder until I would answer her. Then, satisfied, she would quiet back down. I would assume her litter needed tending. Now, I am thinking she was asking me to groom her.
No one told me that old cats cannot groom themselves well. I have had cats, sometimes up to 3, for about 30 years, but none have been fortunate enough to live past age 14. This one is not a longhair version of domestic mix. I do comb her off and on, and she enjoys it, but I apparently have been neglecting my owner duties.
She crawled into my lap to lie on top of the book I was reading recently, and I noticed her fur looked very matted, especially for a short-haired cat. I also confess that I don't pet her as much as in the past as I have developed an allergy to cats. I have spent the last two weeks coaxing mats out of her fur any way I can. I comb, cut, and tease little rats out with my fingers. This is quite a delicate game. If it pulls, I get bit. Then she demands I recommence detangling her highness after bandages have been properly affixed so I don't get any blood on her fur.
Luckily for the cat I have much experience with tangles. My mother made me keep my hair short as a child. When I was about 14 and taller than my mom, I refused to cut it any more and grew it down to my bum. It stayed that long for over 20 years. I learned to patiently start with the bottom inch when combing, and work my way up.
My daughter was born with a mass of dark hair. By 20 months, her hair was down to her waist, or at least below the top of her diaper, since she really didn't show much of a waistline at that age. I spent many, many hours combing out mats, snarls, candy, gum, dirt, and who knows what else. We would sit on the sofa after a bath with her between my knees, and I would gently untangle her hair and dry it with the blow dryer. It was a nice, warm bonding time for both of us. She enjoyed having her hair stroked, and I enjoyed seeing it grow thicker and shinier through the years.
Every now and then I grow my hair long again. About 2 years ago I had a foot of hair cut off for Locks for Love, for children deprived of their hair due to medical reasons. Now I seem to be growing it longer again. To me, there is great pleasure in feeling a warm wind blow my hair around. My daughter still wears hers long, but not currently to her waist.
My cat, however, could use a nice brush cut, but no way is she letting me near her with clippers. I told her the cutout look on her sides is the current style. Please don't tell her otherwise.
3 comments:
Boy, can I identify with this entry. I groom my cats all the time, but am lucky because they're short-hairs. MY tangles on the other hand, are a real chore. Right now it's just touching my hips, so we're talking about 30" long. I never set out to grow it this long.. it just happened out of neglect! I wish I'd had it long when I was a child to experience the hair-brushing thing you've described between you & your daughter. That would have been nice. ¤Holly
Oh yes, I forgot to add this. Two years ago I lost the companion of a lifetime, my cat Canute. She was 20 years old & had to be put down after contracting stomatitis. Otherwise she'd been in great health & could have lived another 5 years. So it's entirely possible you could have your kitty for a long time yet. ¤Holly
I'm way behind on your journal, Suz!!!! Will try to catch up. My kitties get tangles too, I'm dying to take them for an expensive grooming treatment. Instead, it's just brushing whenever possible (they don't like it much) and scizzors for messes. The punk look. --Albert
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