This is one of those times where I REALLY wish my camera wasn't broken

[trinityvixen]

I've given Oscar--my fluffy black and white kitty--a haircut.

This isn't a cosmetic thing (truth be told, it looks terrible; it's as weirdly and blockily layered as Jem's hair). This isn't a "I'm a bad cat mommy" thing either. Not even a "I'm bored, so I'm going to abuse my cat." Anyone who thought that last was even remotely likely is no longer even my friend.

It's because I've given up trying to tame the snarls in Oscar's hair otherwise. It hurts him to brush it too hard, and his hair is redonkulously tangled because he's too dim (love him dearly, but he's an idiot) to clean himself properly. I cut like an entire second cat's worth of hair off of him, and there are still really tightly bound knots of hair that are really close to his skin on his belly. That will take a more two-person approach to get rid of, but I'm determined to get rid of all the tangles and start fresh with grooming him now so that when his hair is long again, it stays relatively snarl-free. I have never had a longer-haired cat like this before; when we got him as a kitten, I thought he'd stay the way he was then, with mostly short hair with the occasional strands that were longer. His hairs are three inches long on a good strand. So, new plan is: start from scratch and groom, groom, groom.

And it's amazing how skinny he is now. Under all that fluff, Oscar is skinner than Wally. I miss his fluffiness, but he's got really soft under fur (he's also a lot whiter/grayer now, since a lot of the black is only at the end of his hair). I want it all to grow back nicely, though, so I must keep up with trimming until all the snags are gone. Before it grows back. Otherwise, this is an exercise in futility (if it's not already).

Aww, writing this? I feel guilty. Like a bad cat-mommy for butchering my cute widdle kitty's hair. Must remember that it's for the greater good. Yes.

Totally still on track to be a crazy cat lady, y'all.

Comments

[bethynyc.livejournal.com]

There seems to be a lot of feeling like a bad cat-mommy going around!

In any case, I'm sure it's fine, and he will be a lot more comfy in this weather. *hugs*

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

He cuddled with me a lot this morning, so, despite his protests and discomfort with the shearing process, I think he doesn't hate me, and that's of the good.

[ivy03.livejournal.com]

I visited someone two weeks ago with a dog with really shaggy fur. Because his food kept getting stuck in the fur around his mouth, she'd trimmed his head...but not the rest of him. He looked like a pinhead.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Oscar's kind of the reverse of that right now. His head and down his neck and back still have thick fur (it's really hard to trim up by his head without help) and then his back and side flank are all bare. And his tail is still fluffy. He looks kind of like a poodle.

And I still haven't cut out the worst snag. It's difficult to get at because it's on his chest and it's really thickly tangled (it looks like a hair-tumor because it's thick and, like, hard). I'm determined to try again, though, but first I have to win back his good opinion of me.

[teneda.livejournal.com]

Get those snub-nosed scissors that they make for kids. That way, you can cut his belly hair by hand while he sits/lies in your lap without worrying you'll stab him, AND there won't be any noise like with clippers.

I warn you though, you'll need to vaccum REALLY well afterwards.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

If I could be sure those things would actually cut his hair, I would. Unfortunately, he's got a tangle that I can't just cut out with the sides of the scissors and I need to the point to even get at, so I'll have to keep at it with the scissors I have. I just have to be careful. And get my roommate to hold him down while I work, which I just should have waited for her to do before getting started.

[teneda.livejournal.com]

If you need the point to get at it, you're starting too close to the tangle. You have to work your way in from one side of it so that the hair attached to said tangle comes loose.

Another option: get a "kitty valium" from the vet for each kitten, knock them out, and let them wake up "trimmed."

[arcane-the-sage.livejournal.com]

You realize of course that if Wally ends up not liking his new hairdo, you might wake up bald one morning. Cats do revenge quite well ^_^

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Wally? Do you mean Oscar? I don't think Wally would be offended by the other kitty's haircut except that it meant mommy paid more attention to Oscar for a good chunk of the evening. My kitties don't come in my room, neither, when I sleep, so they'll have to revenge themselves by pooing outside the litter and throwing up on the floor.

Oh wait, they do that anyway.

[arcane-the-sage.livejournal.com]

Just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean your kitties aren't ninja masters =-þ Even now they plot against you ^_^

[chuckro.livejournal.com]

Totally still on track to be a crazy cat lady, y'all.

Do we need to stage an intervention?

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

If anything, I'm actually less likely to be a crazy cat lady. I'm just learning that I can barely keep on top of one cat with problems, let alone two or more.I might have to go quality over quantity if I want to be a cat lady.

[moonlightalice.livejournal.com]

Don't feel guilty. Think of him as a sheep. He needs to be shorn. Desperately. On a regular basis.

Why you won't just take him to a groomer I'm not sure, though.... I can't imagine trying to tackle that myself without making him look terrible. But then again the teacher never liked to give me scissors in grade school, so...