urgh...

[jasmineskie]

I love my cats, I really do. But there are days....

Two of the boys are having a territorial pissing contest -- quite literally -- and it's hot and I'm tired of cleaning up after them. Add to that the increased puking of hairballs because of all the shedding because of all the heat (I already feed them stuff that's supposed to help reduce that), and I just want to shave them all and put them in diapers.

Of course, getting a mental image of bald kitties in diapers kinda makes me laugh. So I guess it all evens out. Especially when they want to snuggle up just because I'm their person. :)

But there are days....

Comments

[silvs-fiction.livejournal.com]

Love the image of the bald kitties! ROFLMAO!!

[jasmineskie.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, bald kitties. Would definitely cut down on the instances of floating clouds of cat fur and the monster size dust bunnies that live under the couch. ;)

[viggosterri.livejournal.com]

*HUGS*

[jasmineskie.livejournal.com]

*HUGS*

Here, have an iced tea on me. :) Heavy on the ice.

[thdancingferret.livejournal.com]

A few years ago, we were having a particularly hot summer and one of my cats started to experience heat distress. So what did the roomie do? Dunk him under running water. When that didn't work? She took out the clippers I used to use for my hair (I was a lot wilder back then *g*) and gave my kitty a crew cut. I came home from work to the sorriest looking cat ever, peach fuzz on most of his body with the exception of his head and feet. It did the trick with the heat but man, that poor cat... lol

[jasmineskie.livejournal.com]

Oh my... LOL! That must have been a shock to come home from work to see you cat like that! Poor baby.

[angiepen.livejournal.com]

You know, when I was a kid the guy a couple houses down had this gorgeous Persian cat named Kitty (OK, so he wasn't the most creative guy in the world) and as soon as the weather got warm in the late spring he'd have Kitty shaved down. It was kind of funny -- Kitty was this typical huge, poofy Persian and then he'd get shaved and he'd have this big poofy head and tail but his body was all skinny and wiry, LOL! But he was fine, never acted distressed or tried to hide or anything. His owner did it because of the heat but I'm sure it helped with shedding too.

You might try this with yours. Kitty didn't get shaved down bald, but more like a close buzz-cut, so he didn't get sunburned or anything like that. My mom does the same thing to her dogs every year and they're fine too. With the way the weather's been lately, I'll bet your cats would appreciate losing the coats.

Angie

[jasmineskie.livejournal.com]

The only problem I have is that the kitty who needs it the most is also the most averse to any kind of clipping or trimming of his fur. It's a two-person job just to give him a bath, much less cut out the knots he's too lazy to groom out. And the person doing the holding -- hubby -- has to wear thick leather gloves. But we're just going to have to buckle down and do it because he's clearly miserable in this heat, although not to the point of distress, thank goodness.

LOL though at the image of your neighbor's Persian! Poor silly-looking cat. ;)

[angiepen.livejournal.com]

Well, see, that's what professional groomers are for. :D If thick leather armor is required, finding it is their problem, heh. Seriously, if your animal is radically difficult then they just won't do it but they can handle most of 'em. Call your local PetCo or whatever and ask what they'd charge to buzz-cut your kitty. It doesn't cost anything to ask and it could solve your shedding and hairball problem. And if it's been anywhere near as hot in your chunk of the world as its been in mind (and most chunks of the northern hemisphere are even hotter than it is here so it probably is) your kitties will feel better mostly naked anyway. :)

Angie

[jasmineskie.livejournal.com]

Ah, if it was only that easy. :P

The local PetCo's and PetSmarts don't groom cats, only dogs. I've asked. Neither do the mobile groomers. In fact, I've found only one place in town with one lady who will groom cats. I took this cat to her once, on a snowy day when I had to bundle him in the carrier before work, drop him off, leave him there for six hours, all with explicit instructions that I just wanted her to give him a bath. He desperately needed a bath. When I picked him up after she said he was ready, it was to discover she hadn't given him a bath, only brushed him out. She said I needed to bring him back for the bath. Right. He was very nice and fluffy, and still stinky. We ended up giving him the bath ourselves since the brushout was $45 and not what I'd told her to do in the first place. I haven't been back.

[angiepen.livejournal.com]

Well, that sucks. :( And no, I don't think I would've been back either, especially since the broad would doubtless have charged you for the bath, after charging you for the brushout you hadn't requested. [eyeroll]

The only other suggestion I can come up with is anesthesia. :P

Angie

[jasmineskie.livejournal.com]

Oh, she would have charged me. I have no doubt about that.

is anesthesia.

For my hubby? A local, maybe? ;) *just kidding*

I've actually had my vet shave one of my long-hair cats once when she was having an operation for something else. The vet tech said it probably wouldn't look as good as a groomer, but at the time I didn't care.

Hubby and I can probably deal with this cat. It just takes time and patience. And thick gloves. ;)

[thalassatx.livejournal.com]

That made me laugh too!!

[jasmineskie.livejournal.com]

:D

[poetic-self.livejournal.com]

Oh god, yes, they do that sometimes. Just make sure the bookshelves are safe :)

[jasmineskie.livejournal.com]

Bookshelves, yes. I have to be careful there. :/ The vast majority of my books aren't on the bottom shelf of my bookshelves. I store CDs there, since the plastic cases are washable if necessary.

Life with cats. ;)

[alliwantisanelf.livejournal.com]

Scissors.

Done carefully, it's a lot easier than clippers. Cut it all even length with the hair on the legs, and it doesn't even look all that bad. Just be super careful you don't nick the skin-- lift only the hair to snip, leaving the skin against the muscles underneath without tenting it up when you lift.

If you wait until naptime, put the cat in your lap and turn on a nice long movie, this experience isn't really all that bad. After a few times, you can actually get good enough that it doesn't look a whole lot different from the clipper cut, and it's a whole lot more gentle on the whole family too. No leather needed.

Good luck. I want pictures. ;~D

[jasmineskie.livejournal.com]

I've trimmed knots with scissors lots of times, so I'm very careful there. I'll nick myself before I'll nick the cat's skin. I've managed to trim the occasional knot while holding a sleepy kitty in my lap. This problem with this one cat is that he's hyper-vigilant. He was a young, stray tom cat when we got him; not feral by any means, but definitely an alpha male, and he has no issues about biting if he's not happy with whatever you're doing to him. He's also strong as hell. I've actually gotten him to let me brush his back for all of a minute before he gets annoyed and leaves. Major achievement. I'm not sure the naptime thing will work with him. He seems to know when scissors are even in the vicinity. :P

If I get the cat trimmed and he doesn't look like he's been scalped, I'll take pictures. :)

[frogglez.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the furballs.

I give my cats sardines at least once a week now, the oil helps the fur to pass, and they love it.

And, the furriest one, I sneak up on him when he's sleeping and put dabs of canola oil on his paws once or twice a week to help the fur along.

I give them the furball stuff too, it works for my short hair, but not for the furry one.

Poor you, cleaning up after them all the time. They're worth it, though.

:)

[jasmineskie.livejournal.com]

Cool ideas! Thanks! :D I'll have to try the oil thing. Maybe sardines too, although my cats are remarkable picky eaters. :P

They're worth it, though.

Yes, they are. :) I was grumbling loudly about them yesterday, and hubby looked really surprised. I told him I still loved my cats, they were just annoying me. ;)

[em-ee-ell.livejournal.com]

Oh my goodness...Bald kitties in diapers...*snortWHEEZEcackle* ;D

*hugs you*

*tries to lure the pissing, hairball-barfing kitties away so you can have some peace*

[jasmineskie.livejournal.com]

Heh... if I just keep giggling, things will be fine. *g*

*snuggles*

Here's hoping your kitties aren't doing the same hairball barfy thing.