After David left for work this morning, about 7:00am, I was contemplating going back to bed when I heard a lot more bird noise than is usual around here. We slept with the windows open, and while I expected the usual morning songs of cardinals, robins, black-capped chickadees, guineaus, and of course our rooster, this was different and much louder. I looked out the window to see our front trees full of ducks, Black-bellied Whistling Ducks to be precise. The cats and I watched them for about 15 minutes until the ducks decided to move on. I guess we were a rest stop on their way to wherever they are planning to live for the summer.
Our neighbor's dogs whom we take care of, our foster dogs, have fleas. I dusted both yesterday with flea powder and put a flea collar on the big one. Both dogs seem much better today.
All of our cats are indoor cats. Emily, however, loves to go outside and occasionally manages to slip by us. Emily now has fleas. She has passed her fleas on to Fuller and Neko. This has happened before and the fleas are usually taken care of with a good flea shampoo. If the infestation is bad, I'll use the drops on the back, and have even bombed the house once. This flea attack looks pretty mild so a good bath should do the trick. It sounds so easy, doesn't it? Would you believe that I have to actually make a cat bathing plan? Here is how bath time for kitties went today.
*I haven't had a shower myself yet which is good since I'll definately need one after I bathe the cats.
*Make sure I'm wearing grungy clothes.
*Gather at least 3 large towels and place in the bathroom.
*Run about 3 inches of lukewarm water in the tub.
*Set flea shampoo on edge of tub within easy reach of my right hand.
*Get large plastic cup for rinsing and set on edge of tub.
*Nonchalantly wander house looking for Fuller. Sweetly call, "Fuller-kitty...where's my favorite kitty?"
*Go into kitchen and open cabinet where cat food is stored.
*Grab Fuller when she runs into kitchen.
****NOTE ON WHY FULLER HAS TO BE FIRST****
Fuller is the oldest and wisest cat. If I bathe a cat before her, she'll know, hide, and I won't see her for the rest of the day. When Fuller hides, you practically have to tear the house down to the studs to find her.
*Hold Fuller as far out in front of me as I can and run into bathroom, kicking the door shut behind me.
*Place Fuller into tub. While talking soothingly non-stop, wet, lather, lather, lather (supposed to leave lather on 5 minutes), lather, lather...start tub draining...get water going for rinsing...lather...test rinse water temp...lather...test rinse water temp again, and rinse.
*Remove Fuller from tub and towel dry...catch her and keep drying...catch her again and keep drying.
*Let Fuller out of bathroom.
Our neighbor's dogs whom we take care of, our foster dogs, have fleas. I dusted both yesterday with flea powder and put a flea collar on the big one. Both dogs seem much better today.
All of our cats are indoor cats. Emily, however, loves to go outside and occasionally manages to slip by us. Emily now has fleas. She has passed her fleas on to Fuller and Neko. This has happened before and the fleas are usually taken care of with a good flea shampoo. If the infestation is bad, I'll use the drops on the back, and have even bombed the house once. This flea attack looks pretty mild so a good bath should do the trick. It sounds so easy, doesn't it? Would you believe that I have to actually make a cat bathing plan? Here is how bath time for kitties went today.
*I haven't had a shower myself yet which is good since I'll definately need one after I bathe the cats.
*Make sure I'm wearing grungy clothes.
*Gather at least 3 large towels and place in the bathroom.
*Run about 3 inches of lukewarm water in the tub.
*Set flea shampoo on edge of tub within easy reach of my right hand.
*Get large plastic cup for rinsing and set on edge of tub.
*Nonchalantly wander house looking for Fuller. Sweetly call, "Fuller-kitty...where's my favorite kitty?"
*Go into kitchen and open cabinet where cat food is stored.
*Grab Fuller when she runs into kitchen.
****NOTE ON WHY FULLER HAS TO BE FIRST****
Fuller is the oldest and wisest cat. If I bathe a cat before her, she'll know, hide, and I won't see her for the rest of the day. When Fuller hides, you practically have to tear the house down to the studs to find her.
*Hold Fuller as far out in front of me as I can and run into bathroom, kicking the door shut behind me.
*Place Fuller into tub. While talking soothingly non-stop, wet, lather, lather, lather (supposed to leave lather on 5 minutes), lather, lather...start tub draining...get water going for rinsing...lather...test rinse water temp...lather...test rinse water temp again, and rinse.
*Remove Fuller from tub and towel dry...catch her and keep drying...catch her again and keep drying.
*Let Fuller out of bathroom.
*Run about 3 inches of fresh water in the tub.
*Retrieve a sleeping Emily from my bed.
*Hold Emily as far out in front of me as I can and run into bathroom, kicking the door shut behind me.
Emily's bath routine is identical to Fuller's except I sing to her.
*Let Emily out of bathroom.
*Run about 3 inches of fresh water in the tub.
*Go look for the beast...I mean Neko.
*Grab Neko from kitchen.
*Hold Neko as far out in front of me as I can and run into bathroom, kicking the door shut behind me.
****NOTE ON WHY NEKO IS LAST****
Neko is deaf so she most likely won't realize that I'm bathing the others. Neko has only had 2 baths before today, so she doesn't yet understand that I'm NOT trying to kill her. If Neko is last, then if/when I get scratched up by her, I can treat my wounds instead of plunging them back into soapy water to bath the others. Neko throws such a caterwauling fit that Emily and Fuller are always waiting just outside the bathroom door. They always stare at me accusingly as they comfort Neko.
*Attempt to towel dry Neko, but finally let her out of the bathroom when she leaps for my face.
*Tell Fuller and Emily to quit looking at me that way.
*Throw pile of used towels into washing machine.
*Take pictures of wet, pissed-off kitties.
*Wait for water to reheat so I can shower.
2 comments:
We only have 1 cat but she doesn't mind water at all. When my youngest takes a bath she loves to walk around the edge of the tub, occasionally falling in, at least I think she falls in, Blake probably helps her along with the tumble into the tub. She jumps out and continues her walk around the tub.
Remember Boo Kitty? Well I remember those days of bathing her and not trying to get scratched. We have only bathed Buddy once and I thought Bill had broken his neck so we have never bathed him again. The female we have, Truffles, keeps her self bathed really well and loves, loves, loves, to be brushed so I don't even try to bathe her. I actually laughed when I imagined you running with cats out in front of you.
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