Nope, that's not a euphemism for something writerly. Yesterday, I bathed the cat. It's not as horrific as it sounds. Kira is a really good kitty. Usually, she just sits there and serenades me with the saddest of kitty songs. Yesterday, she only meowed a couple times and then settled in for the bath. She even let me lay her on her side so I could scrub her tummy. And she only tried one half-hearted escape. Of course, she's old and less uppity than she used to be.
Getting her dry is always interesting. She has a thick undercoat and isn't a big fan of the blow dryer. But by bedtime she was totally dry. Now she's all soft and fluffy and smells really nice.
And I am totally counting that as my exercise for yesterday. You kneel over the bathtub for a half hour using only your stomach and back to hold yourself upright and see if your muscles aren't screaming. It's like planking. (I think. I'm not exactly sure what planking is.)
Now, Max... he was a pain to bathe - literally. The second time I bathed him he put up a real fight (the first time he was too weak to bother) and I ended up with my forearms crisscrossed with scratches. Try bathing a cat with one hand bunched in its scruff and only the other hand for soaping and rinsing. It was like bathing the Tasmanian Devil. He was also fond of trying to climb the shower curtain. But slowly, over time, he got over it. By his last few baths, he was also just serenading me with very few escape attempts. And he liked to bury his head in my cleavage. :shrug: I guess he felt safe there.
Bathing dogs was so much easier. Back in the day, we'd take the dog outside (in the summer only), turn on the hose and go at it. I think we used dish soap. Of course, I know better now. Inside, in the tub, with real pet shampoo. You know, if I had a dog. Kira has Hartz shampoo with conditioner.
Anyhoo, I wish this had been a more interesting post, but I couldn't think of anything else to talk about this morning. And I couldn't make an analogy between cat bathing and writing. Maybe 'cat bathing is like editing - it's a pain, but it has to get done, so we do it' and 'it's always better once it's done'.
How do pet baths go at your house?
Herding cats can be a euphemism for writing--as in wrangling characters and plot. Bathing the cat should be, too. I'd say it's more like revisions than editing--having to tear apart a scene, restructure it, and rewrite it. I haven't bathed Adidas since she was a kitten. I don't have body armor. She's been known to sleep in the shower and then get caught in there when we turn on the water without looking for her first. That's as close to a bath as she'll come. I should probably start Loki early so he's used to it. Since I found him after a rain storm and soaking wet, I'm a little reluctant for fear of traumatising him. He's going to have long hair though sooo....
ReplyDeleteThe dogs? Yeah, I need to do that. Soon. Both of them. Cooper loved baths. Boone, not so much. We'll see with Jake. He's been known to lay down in the doggy pool so maybe a bath will be okay. And I'm bad. I use Dawn, being very careful not to get it in their eyes. I use a sponge on their faces to help mitigate and then cover their eyes with one hand while spraying the hose with the other. I have them on leash and tied off in the backyard when we have bafftime. 😜
I haven't bathed Jammy since I got him. I hope I never have to. I think he'd be annoyed but would tolerate a bath since he knows I won't give up.
ReplyDeleteThe dog I bathe regularly since she has a bad habit of finding wildlife poop. :(