Alexander and the Lion's Cut

Here's one of the e-mails I received on the Great Cat Butt Wiping Adventure story, along with accompanying photo of Alexander.  Thanks to Alex's owner, Linda, for giving me permission to reprint here:

Hello Dena,

Oh my gosh...what a great story !! I have this 5 year old , 25 lb Main Coon (Alexander), who also can't seem to reach his bottom. I've only had him about 4 months and I've had lots of cats in the past but none with this problem. I took him to a groomer about a month ago to get a cool "lion cut" for the summer months and his bottom was a disgrace. Anyway, they cleaned him up good and said I could bring him back anytime for a bottom wash (only $5). I try to keep him clean with baby wipes but sometimes he's not in the mood and when a 25 lb cat is not in the mood to have his bottom cleaned .....it don't get done! Anyway, I decided today he was going to have a bottom wash here at home. So I put some cat shampoo in the sink with warm water and put him up on the counter, with his bottom next to the edge of the sink and we got it done. His bottom is washed, rinsed and dry and the view is much better as he walks away from me with his big fluffy tail up in the air. Thanks for the great story & the idea to just do it myself.

Linda Shook

Lakewood, WA

The Great Cat Butt Wiping Adventure - Fan Mail

You know, I try my best as a writer.  I work hard, research, double check facts, interview experts and spend hours searching for the perfect words.  But there's not a lot of recognition in the craft.  My piece on Morris the Cat's comeback?  Big deal.  My article on what happens to pets when owners divorce?  No one cared.  All my articles on breeds and backgrounds?  All escaped unnoticed.

Which is why I am LAUGHING at the fact that yesterday when the new issue of Cats & Kittenscame out that contained my humor piece on having to wipe my cat's ass because she was too fat to clean herself, I received no less than 3 pieces of fan e-mail before 5 o'clock.  All this time I've been trying to write high-profile pieces when really what I should have been focusing on is poo.

I love it though.  What a great feeling to know you made someone laugh through your writing.  It's the best high there is.  And I doubly appreciate it because I know how difficult it is to get people to write in about anything.  So I'm honored they bothered to find my website, then my e-mail and go to the trouble of dropping me a line.  Absolutely made my day.

BTW, I e-mailed my editor that I was receiving complimentary mail on the piece and advised her if she ever needed someone to write about s---, I was her gal.  Her response: "I had always suspected as much."

It's great to be valued. =)

Sick Kitty

As I went to hop into the shower before my writer's panel meeting my left foot stepped in something warm.  I looked down and liquid appeared splashed across the carpet.  Warm liquid? For anyone who owns a pet, this sets off warning bells.

Moments earlier I'd seen our younger cat Olivia slink under our bed so I had my suspicions on who the culprit was.  Was she upset at us for being gone?  We'd only been gone a little over 48 hours--hardly worth a vengeance pee.  I worried she was sick.

I went into the hall and there near the litter box was a bit of goo, as if someone had spit up.  Now I was worried.  I went and found Blair.

"Olivia pee'd on the floor and threw up a little, " I said.  "So keep an eye on her."

I hoped in the shower and Blair came in a few minutes later to say he'd found Olivia under the bed, along with a bit more sick-up. 

Blair had been planning on going out to our property to do some work but as he was getting in the car to pull away I waved him back into the house.

"I know it's not fair and I know nothing is going to happen, but can you please stay home with Olivia until I get back from my meeting?"

He's a good sport.  He really wanted to go get some work done but my nerves were already under stress from other issues and I really would have been worried about the cats if left alone.  I have that "worst case scenario" ability and imagined Olivia choking or passing out and no one here to help her.  I also knew the chances of that happening were slim but if one of us was going to have the "I told you so" last word, in this scenario I was happy to give it to Blair.

And she was fine.  She's looked a little stressed all evening but she's stayed out with us, which is a good sign. She usually hides when she's sick.  So we'll keep an eye on her and see how it goes.

Peacock On The Loose

We live in an odd town.  The first week we moved here we noticed a man walking a pig on a leash and the pig easily weighed in at 200 lbs.  That was his pet pig and he walked it every day and when the pig died some years back, the whole town went into mourning and 3 local papers covered it.

Now we have peacocks.  The picture below was taken by our neighbor across the street.  The bird was behind their house and was a good 6-feet in length from head to tail feathers.  Remember Spike the great hunter cat from my earlier post?  Well, this bird was in Spike's back yard.  According to Spike's owners, Pat & Donny, Spike watched the bird from about a 3-feet distance but declined to get any closer.  He must have thought that was the mother of all birds.

Pat and Donny took the photo you see here and e-mailed it around the block.  My favorite reply is from a neighbor who e-mailed back, "If you catch it, I have a great recipe for peacock stew."

Pat's brother who was in town visiting followed the bird up the street, where it took a left at a house with a small pond outfront and then flew about 10 feet in the air to perch in a tree.  I would have liked to see a bird that size flying.  I always thought peacocks gave little hop-jumps more than took flight.  Looks like I was wrong.

What's next?  Elephants in the garden?