Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow by Skeeter
Is that the same cat in both pictures? Yes, that would be my little 11 year old brother Pepper also known as Pep-Pot and Knot-head amongst other colorful names which cannot be mentioned here, after all, it is Sunday!
You can tell in the pictures that Pepper has had his summer Fur cut! I had never heard of clipping a cat’s hair until my mom informed me that she was taking Pep into the groomers. I was so mad at her for taking that babies beautiful fur coat off him! That is part of his personality and his fur is so beautiful. How could you do such a thing to him…
Well, that is the way I felt about it until our long haired girls came along. The Saint and I are too cheap to pay someone to clip our girls so we take on the task ourselves. We are now on our third set of clippers and the clipping process does not get any easier with time. But the girls feel great in the summer with less hair, thus less fur balls hacked up and my house stays cleaner as well so we are both happy with the end results.
Pepper has had a rough few months. It all started with him throwing up his food. This was not too concerning at first because he is a fast eater and sometimes barfs with unchewed food. Then his throwing up, started to become a daily event. He slacked off from eating his wet food and then his dry soon followed. Mom took Pep into Doc to see what was going on. They ruled out any major problems with a blood test. Upon an X-Ray, they found a constipated kitty. Ah, the culprit was a clogged up kitty! Doc sent mom and Pep home with some Laxatone which got things moving again in no time at all.
Pepper was no longer constipated but still not eating normal. We talked about it on the phone and decided that he was smart enough to associate eating his food with the constipated feeling and throwing up. We thought in time, he would adjust to some new type food and be okay. Mom has tried food after food with little luck. He would not even eat his beloved treats and he started to loose weight over time. Other then the not eating, he seemed fairly normal but not too active with the kitten, Patches which is his best bud.
Mom and dad took off to Gatlinburg for a weeklong softball tournament with a grand daughter. They left the kitties under the care of their entrusted pet sitters and a daily visit from my brother. Bro noticed Pepper not acting normal and much slimmer then normal also. When mom and dad arrived back home, they immediately noticed he had drastically lost weight! Back to Doc first thing in the morning! He had lost about 6 pounds or so in the past two months and was really weak. Again blood testing revealed a healthy cat but this time the teeth were found to be in bad shape. Pepper has had his teeth cleaned many times and had never had any tooth problem but this time was different. Doc found an abscessed tooth and also a small tumor type knot on this gums.
With teeth cleaned, one pulled and knot removed, he was free to go home and recoup. But once again, he was not eating normal. Doc said to try Baby food but not the Heinz brand as they have Onion Powder in them. Pep would eat but not from his bowl. Mom would sit in the middle of the kitchen floor and scoop spoonfuls on the floor as he ate.
Pep is now slowly coming around and is eating another brand of dry and wet foods and a new treat also. He will not eat from his old bowls either! His memory is too strong and he has basically changed his entire way of eating! He has gained a few of those lost pounds (about 4 or so) and is on his way to recovery but after talking with mom today, she says he is still not his once spunky self. We are hoping that in time, he will once again be chasing Patches down the hallway and picking at Punkin to the point of making her scream at him!
So let’s take a minute today and look into our fur babies mouth and make sure those gums are healthy and teeth clean!
posted by Skeeter at 8/12/2007 01:37:00 PM
Pet People
14 Comments:
That's a good reminder Skeeter. It's probably the last thing people think of if a pet isn't eating. If they have a sore tooth or other mouth problem, they aren't going to eat!
And I think it's always a good idea to have a pet's teeth professionally cleaned if they are put under anethesia for any other procedure.
Now, cat hair cuts--I don't know about that! That's still a bit crazy in my book!
You guys are right about taking care of our pets teeth. And Sandy, my Courtney has such fine soft hair and it gets so matted she has to have hair cuts. I don't shave her as she is so easialy traumatized but I do trim her with sissors. Matted hair can get to where it pulls away from the skin so it has to be trimmed.
Sandy,
Let me try to explain the cat clippings a bit better for you. Your cats, Tarzan and Catfish have a private apartment to live in. They can come and go outside as they please with their safety cat fence. Therefore, your cats scratch, eat grass and barf fur balls while being outside. You don’t have some of the problems that we have with our inside only cats.
My cats stay inside and in the same room as us most of the time. We get the scratching and barfs that you never see because our cats stay inside. Your cat’s fur is considered short hair so the fur balls are probably not as common as in long haired cats. Pepper hacked up a fur ball the size of a fat stogie type cigar and when I saw it, I about died at the size of the thing! I am sure it hurt him to cough it up! I don’t want my girls to have to cough up such matter and risk being harmed so I clip them instead. I also clip them for one of the reasons that Pam mentioned of butt hairs trapping poop! I tried brushing them and they loved being brushed but it did not matter how much or how often I brushed them, there was always just as much loose hair the next day! And the barfed up fur balls continued.
We all get hair cuts. I do, the Saint does and a lot of dog breeds do. So what is so different of a long haired cat getting one? Like I said in the Posting, when my mom first had Pepper clipped I was upset at her, but after having long haired cats myself, I fully understand the need to clip them. Skeeter was a short haired cat such as Tarzan and Catfish. He shed but did not often have fur balls therefore; I did not have to clip him. But with my girls, I feel they have to be clipped for their good health...
I am rushing with my words today so this may not be as explanatory as I think it may be. But hope it helps you to understand my reasoning’s behind clipping the girls…
Oh, I understand Skeeter, I just love teasing you, especially because I know what your cats look like with the faux lion cuts! A bit of Dragon in me!
And even though my cats have short hair and I brush, there's hair ALL over the apartment!
Sniff, why did only Pam and Sandy make a comment on the Posting about my little brother, Pepper? He is so proud to have his picture on the Blog. He is feeling much better since seeing himself on display! I heard he had to order extra sunglasses for his Hollywood status! He is accepting phone calls from some purty felines also. You would think he is the center fold of "Puss 'N Boots" magazine! And no one here took notice but Sandy and Pam… Sniff….
It's so hot, everyone should be given shaved haircuts.
Oh Skeeter, people notice. How could they not. Sometimes it's just the "cat got their tongue"
I wonder where that saying came from? Cat got your tongue? Hmmmmmm.
And pepper is a beautiful pussy cat!
Skeeter,
Sorry!!!!I am really not able to get on here much lately- I hate I am missing out on so many topics. I definitely did not mean to let the cat get my tongue on this one!
Pepper is so regal looking, both with the hair and without. He just has an "air" about him. I was so wanting to have my Bubby shaved this summer, but I wasn't brave enough to try to get him to the vet. He is such a mean boy when it comes to his carrier. He bit me hard ( I think a wittle tear came to my eye...and a few "bleeps..." out of my mouth!haha)) the last time I tried to get him in it. I think he would tear me to shreds if I came anywhere near him with clippers. Do you sedate your babies or are they just that good? I would love to hear your technique. I am vey disappointed in myself for not being brave and trying this. Pepper just looks very cool and dignified. I bet he really felt good after the haircut. I am glad he is starting to feel better, even if it is slow-it is still progress.
Shannon,
I talked with mom last night and she said that Pepper gave both her and dad shoe shines when they walked in the door yesterday so he is getting back to normal...
Shoe shines. Not sure if I have told y'all of this quirky thing that Pep does. He will come up to you and lean over (while butt in air) and rub your shoes with his front paws as if giving you a shoe shine! Anyway, he has not done that or other typical Pepper things in a long time. He also played "string" with mom until mom wore out so he is defiantly getting back to the Pep we all love! I can’t wait to see my baby brother next week so I can get me a free shoe shine!
Pep used to go to Petsmart for hair cuts but the person that worked on him moved and no one did cat clips for a while so mom started taking him to Doc’s office. I am not sure about Petsmart but Doc’s office does sedate him lightly but totally safe with Doc on hand…
The Saint and I clip them together without any medication. We both have some aspirin and stiff drinks after the process though! I hold the babies while the Saint clips. When my arms get tired, then the Saint and I reverse roles. The girls are great for about the first 15 minutes then get squirmy and a bit verbal with us. They squirm away from us at times but we have them closed up in the sunroom so they cannot get too far. Getting them out from under the futon is always fun though. On a good clipping day, it usually takes us about an hour a cat to get the job finished. The hard part is their head. I clip their heads and must admit, I am getting much better with tapering the fur with each new clip. They don’t look so much like Lions as Dragon and Sandy like to tease…
Shannon....Bubby? You have a Bubby? That is Catfish's nickname.I call him Bubby and Bublinski.Bubby to me is a combo of "bubba and buddy"
Skeeter, I didn't want you to accuse me of picking on your poor little brother when I remarked on his hair cut. You know, my mama always said, if you can't say something nice............
HEE HEE HEE
Oh, thanks Stacey! LOL
Sandy,
yes, we have a Bubby too. He is named Bubba (just because we are rednecks and LIKE the name Bubba..haha) but then that turned into Bubby Wubby and now we have shortened it to Bubby. He only gets called his proper name now when he is in trouble.
That's how my Mom is. My real name is Sandra and my middle Jean, so when she was pissed she'd yell, "Sandra Jean!"
I rarely call Catfish and Tarzan their proper names to their face, just when I talk about them. Tarzan's nicknames are "puff puff" (because he used to have puffy cheeks before he was neutered) and squall-e-wag because he is a BIG talker and complainer.
I also call Catfish "bubby toes" because he is a tuxedo and has little white socks. I like Bubby Wubby too!
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