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squeaky
May 6, 2010
Tonight Claire and I bundled Ms Cleo’s old bones into the tub and gave her a bath. She’s nineteen years old and getting rather creaky, and her hips give her some trouble. I can’t remember the last time I saw her groom herself; was it last summer, or the summer before? At any rate, she’s lost her flexibility and her bones get stiff even from lying down, and she’s no longer grooming. Last week I was sitting on the front porch railing with her in my lap, drinking coffee and idly stroking her head, when I realized that my fingers were coming away with a layer of gray grime on them as if I’d been flipping through dusty sleeves at the used record store for about four hours. Ew.
So we scrubbed the old girl down as best we could without hurting her. Rinsed her off with a sponge and water scooped with a cup so as not to spook her with the loud, splashy tub faucet; the water ran to the drain in dirty streaks just like in Psycho only with less killing. We rubbed her down gently, bundled her into a thick dry towel, and Claire held her close for a very long time to keep her warm as she dried. I don’t think we got her completely clean, but I’m not planning to do this to her again. As it is, she won’t be speaking to me for days.
Posted by jodi on May 6, 2010 at 7.22pm
Categories: crazy cat lady
Comments on "squeaky"
you’re a good mummy. she’s sweet.
Posted by nicole on May 6, 2010 at 7.30pm :: link
Will she consent to being groomed with a damp cloth once in a while? My old girl was a real lap cat, so if you snuck the cloth in between strokes she didn’t usually protest too much. She looks a dear, I hope you’re back on good terms soon!
Posted by Dani B on May 7, 2010 at 8.03pm :: link
Oh, you are a good mummy, indeed! I’m sure, deep down, she really appreciates it, but her feline dignity would never let her express that with anything other than the silent treatment.
Posted by shannon on May 8, 2010 at 1.33am :: link