Steve, like most Maine Coons, I’m assuming, becomes predictably hostile and aggressive when you try to shave his ass. I used treats and wrapped him into a blanket so I could have access to the foul nether regions, and he got loose 3/4 of the way through.
I staunched most of the bleeding after I let it bleed out under cold water and let Lily lick it, and then I threw some rubbing alcohol on the cuts (holy fuck that hurt) and I am busting out the New Skin to handle the long term damage.
No pictures because I am busy bleeding into my keyboard.
Keith G
Sooo…what were your plans for after the shaving?
COB
I don’t imagine that reaction is exclusive to Maine Coons, John. Who the hell shaves a cat’s ass?
Shana
Oh man, I’m so sorry. In a couple of days you may find it funny. Having tried to do things to various cats over the years that they didn’t want me to do, I sympathize.
becca
Color me unsurprised.
russell
i’d get hostile if you tried to shave my ass. just saying.
SiubhanDuinne
Wait, who got cut? You or Steve?
Also, as usual, pictures or it never happened….
Baud
@Keith G:
Mustard is involved.
Mustang Bobby
Well, how would you like to be wrapped up in a towel and then have a sharp blade go after your taint?
(I know… some like it.)
jl
Why is Cole shaving his cat’s ass? I must have missed something. I hope I did.
Edit: anyway, thanks for the info. Note to self: if you get Maine Coon cat, it does not like to get its ass shaved.
You do learn so much useful information on this blog.
CaseyL
Well, how would you like it if some giant wrapped you up and held you down and started wielding sharp and pointy things near your boy bits?
Some kitties are better than others at keeping their nether regions clean, I guess. Would trimming him regularly be easier on both of you than waiting until he’s achieved ShitCon 5 and having to shave the area?
ETA: Mustang Bobby beat me to it.
JPL
Don’t close your eyes tonight. Steve might hold a grudge.
Dave
John got cut. I had to do this to mine once. He had some issues that were becoming messy. And when you put that much cat behind some claws they do serious damage just trying to run away.
MomSense
I feel your pain.
IowaOldLady
I must have missed something that would make this make sense.
becca
@COB: seriously. I wish my cats could read this so they would appreciate me more.
jayboat
Seems like ‘trimming’ might be more in order than ‘shaving’.
Just Some Fuckhead, Thought Leader
John, I don’t think I have to tell you that now is not the time to be interviewing Steve.
Corner Stone
This has gone beyond some kind of weird, cat lady fetishist site. And into something…I don’t know.
aimai
@jl: Yes, absolutely News You Can Use. Not like those other blogs.
Just Some Fuckhead, Thought Leader
@jl:
It’s a sport in West Virginia.
Violet
Why do you shave your cat’s ass? Maybe the next time you go for a mani pedi you can get him waxed.
sjw
Your life is just a kaleidoscope of vivid experiences, isn’t it, John? Hang in there.
Mike E
ROTFLMFAO
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@becca: “Ah, go trim your ass” doesn’t have quite the same impact
@Violet: “Go wax your ass”, that could work
jl
@Dave: Oh, mess back there? Was that it? Why not go at it with some little grooming shears? After donning suitable gloves.
Corner Stone
This may be a bad time to ask, but does anyone know what the end result of the flipped car into the farmer’s field is?
Aji
Lemme guess: You completely skipped the “positive reinforcement” step, didn’t you?
[Shakes head] look: You’re gonna do something traumatic like that to the boy, you gotta break out that weapons-grade ‘nip you’re always on about.
I put Ice in the stall for 20 minutes today (apparently only his second time in an enclosed space like EVER in his life), and afterward, he got grain fed by hand. Which is why tomorrow I’ll be able to catch him again if I want to halter him up. Presumably without stepping on my foot this time.
Baud
You will, I hope, post some pictures of the bare-assed kitty after you’ve succeeded.
Aji
@IowaOldLady: Doubtful.
jl
@Baud: I wanna see blood, or it didn’t happen. Trust but verify. I am skeptical, was well as depraved.
Just Some Fuckhead, Thought Leader
@jl:
The sport has equipment: one 35 cent plastic razor, a quilt no larger than four feet across, and cat snacks of any variety.
The Ancient Randonneur
If Steve walks backward is he still better looking than you?
Just Some Fuckhead, Thought Leader
@Corner Stone: Nope, never heard. I think they’re saving that one for John Cole: The Movie.
SiubhanDuinne
@aimai:
NewsCatz.
JPL
@Corner Stone: Not I. Maybe the farmer took off the top and filled it with dirt. It might be an interesting herb garden. Cat hair could keep away the deer, maybe.
Just Some Fuckhead, Thought Leader
I feel like I hit the motherfucking lottery because I have a cat who doesn’t shit on himself.
Ash Can
If someone tried to shave my ass, I’d draw blood too. As much of it as I could, in fact. Just sayin’.
Dave
@jl: Oh just runny stool it became matted in his fur. I actually did trim not shave but he was understandably skittish about the whole thing. he was a rescue and while a complete lover could get freaked out, and when he panicked and ran away over twenty lbs of cat can leave some marks. He used to drool when he purred to guy was a beautiful mess.
Corner Stone
@JPL: I’ve been seeing those Subaru ads for “They Lived”, and I actually think they’re pretty powerful.
Just thought there may be some commercial angle Cole could monetize for the betterment of “his boys”.
BruceFromOhio
@COB:
Ah! A new exclamation of surprise and wonder!
“Well! Doesn’t that just shave the cat’s ass!”
That’s gonna be right up there with the cat’s pajamas and the bees knees.
BruceFromOhio
@COB:
Ah! A new exclamation of surprise and wonder!
“Well! Doesn’t that just shave the cat’s ass!”
That’s gonna be right up there with the cat’s pajamas and the bees knees.
BruceFromOhio
Oooh, finally scored the double-postie thing. FYWP.
trollhattan
Trying to picture Cole’s to-do list for the day, and can’t stop laughing at item #7, Shave Steve’s ass.
WTF? Like you need self-inflicted trauma when it happens to you naturally?
Baud
@Ash Can:
Even if they used treats and wrapped you in a blanket? Have to admit, it might win me over.
Mnemosyne
This is why we have professionals shave Keaton’s butt if he needs it. Also called a “sanitary clip” or a “potty trail,” BTW.
ETA: And, yes, long-haired cats occasionally get cling-ons and have to have their butts shaved, unless you WANT your cat to do a Mr. Hankey impression all over your living room.
WaterGirl
@Just Some Fuckhead, Thought Leader: I laughed out loud. Really.
Corner Stone
@Baud: You mean if someone bound you and took a cutting tool to your nether regions you’d be all blase?
This blog really has reset the spectrum.
schrodinger's cat
Shaving or trimming kitteh butt furs is a two person job.
Just Some Fuckhead, Thought Leader
@Corner Stone: You completely skipped the part where Baud was pacified with mechanically separated chicken and corn byproduct.
gbear
@COB: My vets offer the service under the name ‘Sanitary Trim’. It’s the best $20 I spend on pet care. I wouldn’t dream of trying to do it myself -that would be really dumb.
WaterGirl
@Corner Stone: My Subaru saved my life many years ago in an altercation with a semi.
Baud
@Corner Stone:
Well, when you put it that way, I’d probably also want them to tell me they love me…
BruceFromOhio
@Corner Stone:
In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.
Did TJ have cats? I’m thinking, prolly.
Baud
@Just Some Fuckhead, Thought Leader:
Huh?
AdamK
Take him to the vet’s for intimate grooming. The vet techs can do anything. Plus, they do it in the back where you don’t have to watch.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
“late breaking story” teased by The Rachel Maddow: The FBI has joined the investigation of Outlaw Joisey Whale.
Honus
You know, I started reading this blog for a little amusement, political news/commentary from a progressive viewpoint, mostly done with a good sense of humour….
…and tonight it’s 12 degrees and I sit down to relax in front of my woodstove with a glass of single malt… And the blog leads off with a story about getting all bloody from shaving a cat’s ass.
Being born and raised in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia, I guess I should have seen it coming.
Anne Laurie
Cole, you have access to a reasonably-priced veterinary office. Maine Coons with grooming issues is why vet techs (and Mikki muzzles) were invented.
You know this, because you’ve posted pictures of the late great Tunch wearing just such a muzzle (and very fetching it looked on him, too).
Keep those scratches disinfected, and if they start to look puffy, run do not walk to your own doctor for antibiotics. I can attest from personal experience that trying to type after hand surgery is a Major Unpleasantness!
Baud
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Now that’s someone who needs his ass shaved…in prison.
eastriver
YOU SHAVED YOUR CAT’S ASS?
omg.
You are a simple man.
jl
@Dave: Thanks.
Hey, Cole, I think commenter Dave has a pro-tip on the cat’s butt shaving business: don’t.
” trim not shave”
WaterGirl
@eastriver: Cole had to shave his cat’s butt in order to get you out of hiding? Or maybe I’ve just missed it when you’ve posted lately, but it seems like it’s been months, at least.
schrodinger's cat
Steve’s blogpost tomorrow.
Baud
Y’all should do a Google search for “balloon juice anal glands.” Cat-ass shaving ain’t nothing.
MikeInSewickley
Amen to anyone who says to watch cat scratches carefully. Years ago our Angora took offense to some rough housing and sunk her canine into the top of my hand. 24 hours later, I’m in the ER getting IV antibiotic. Doc said the only reason I wasn’t spending the night is due to better antibiotics than 20 years ago.
Why we let our animals beat the shit out of us, I’ll never know. Better them than Republicans…
raven
If my dog had a face like yours I’d shave his ass and teach him to walk backwards.
schrodinger's cat
@Baud: I remember that one!
gbear
Another benefit of taking my cat to the vet for a butt trim is that she gets a bit of a mini-checkup, including a weigh-in, when they do the trim.
Baud
@schrodinger’s cat:
Google comes up with more than one!
scav
Sounds like Freedom is even spillier in West Virginia than they wanted to boast about. Another chemical spilled at the same time, The unexpected things one finds under the couch and in the waterways, oh whoops. That invisible hand can be so clumsy. Guard
Poopyman
@russell: +1
That is clearly a two-person operation, not unlike the time I tried to dip my first (training) cat’s paw in the vet’s iodine solution for her infected claw. I’ll bet he was laughing his ass off, but I never went back to that guy.
schrodinger's cat
@MikeInSewickley: Cat bites are nasty, I got in the middle of a horrible cat fight between my two cats and got bit, the wound got infected and looked really nasty and my palm puffed up to twice its size.
JPL
Let us not ignore Steve’s feelings about this matter. He is now a cat with a half shaved ass. How would you feel if only half your ass were shaved? Just sayin! Please don’t close your eyes tonight John.
gbear
@JPL: He has to lean sideways when he poops. Poor kitty.
catclub
@Baud: “bare-assed kitty” 2/3rd to 3/4 bare-assed. The stylish cats all do it that way.
Goldenhawk
Still having trouble with healthcare.gov?
catclub
I remember the Henri the Chat videos. They had butt trimming, but it was classy and french.
ruemara
Honey. Sweety. You don’t do it that way unless you really understand the kitty burrito wrap and you don’t shave (esp. with a noisy razor) you use a set of thinning shears for pets. A lot of this could be solved by grooming the cat and letting them relax, offer a treat bit for successful cuts until you get them to understand it’s just grooming and loving cuddles with the hooman kitteh will follow. Lord, what does go on in your head?
Poopyman
@WaterGirl: Sold my ’84 Legacy in ’91 to my neighbor. Two weeks later they got broadsided by a van, and they all walked away. That was before side airbags.
chopper
@COB:
this band that played the Metro. there were over 500 people at the rock show. the jam session was awesome.
schrodinger's cat
I blame Obama, Obamacare should has covered kittehs.
trollhattan
@schrodinger’s cat:
Nowhere near as bad as a MØØSE bite. They are really nāsty.
WaterGirl
@Poopyman: My accident was around that same timeframe, and I don’t believe my Subaru had airbags of any kind.
I burst into tears when I went back to get my stuff out of the car the day after the accident. When I saw the shape the car was in I realized I was lucky to be alive. My Subaru had a solid metal feel and most of the other cars then had that lightweight feel of something you could dent if you just pushed the door shut with your hip.
Pogonip
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Well, doesn’t that just shave the cat’s ass?
Suzanne
@gbear: My grandfather referred to it as the “poop chute”.
schrodinger's cat
@trollhattan: When did a moose bite you? What were you doing?
jl
@Pogonip: Thanks. Is that a new saying invented right here on this blog, right today? Anyway, I am using it from now on.
I’ve never liked ‘more than one way to skin a cat’ because 1) the image is cruel, and 2) why would anyone want to skin a cat?
But there is a reason to remove hair from around cat’s ass (Edit in certain kitty sanitary emergencies).
So, I hereby copyright “There is more than one way to shave a cat’s ass’, so I can sue Christie the Thuggish Clown if he uses it, but BJ commenters can use it for free.
Edit: the new version is vulgar, but everything you do involves a a cost. That is a trivial meaningless truism with no empirical content, er, I mean a basic principle of microeconomics.
schrodinger's cat
@Poopyman: I had an accident in the winter almost ten years ago. The only injuries I had were from the air bag. I is petite.
ETA: It was a red Subaru Legacy.
SiubhanDuinne
@scav:
The part I like most is that all the affected West Virginians have to keep paying their water bills (if Facebook is to be believed).
celiadexter
If the damage involved a bite rather than a scratch you need to get your ass to the human doc for some Augmentin, sooner rather than later. Possibly even if it’s a bad scratch.
Pogonip
John, use scissors. Catnip and treats before and after. Or, as suggested above, let the vet tackle him.
Next long haired critter you get, get young and start clipping and they’ll take it for granted. (Steve’s previous owners must not have cared if he left, Er, moose tracks, or else they did care and nicked him while mowing. If that happened, I guess you can’t blame him for reacting so violently.)
Corner Stone
@WaterGirl: I don’t know if you’ve seen the commercial I’m thinking of, but the guy at the junk yard kind of does a heartbreaking stop and the tow truck guy delivering the smashed metal says, “Hey, they lived.” And the junk guy does a double take.
That’s pretty nasty, in my book.
Pogonip
@schrodinger’s cat: I wondered about that too. Even John Cole has not (yet) been bitten by a moose. Tell the story, please!
Corner Stone
@Suzanne:
Poop chute, baby (a-Poop chute, baby)
Poop chute, baby, Poop chute
Poop chute, baby, Poop chute
/sung to the tune of “Love Shack”
trollhattan
@schrodinger’s cat:
My sister, she was carving… here you go.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KYm1UpXiq0
Morbo
Ever the overachiever. I mean I am assuming you did this stupid thing because he had poop stuck in there and it started to smell and was unhygienic. Most people WASH and TRIM the cat’s hair if this is a problem, but nooooo, not John Cole. He just has to go the extra mile and try to actually shave the cat’s ass.
GregB
I think it may be high time for an intervention.
Pogonip
@Corner Stone: Steve says, stay away fool, stay away, fool, from my poop chute…
(Background chant: poop chute, baby, poop chute…)
I was thinking about starting a blog myself, but who’d read it? How can I possibly compete with nude mopping, cars in cornfields, and cat-shaving injuries?
different-church-lady
@Violet:
Because it feels so good when you stop.
Owner of a maine coon
@COB: Someone who has a cat that has poop stuck to the butt fur. That’s who shaves a cat’s ass. I have scars to prove it.
different-church-lady
@Corner Stone: The farmer turned it into a watering trough for the cattle. Beat ’em, join ’em, all that all that.
Pogonip
My mom had, for obvious reasons, a special pair of scissors used for nothing else than trimming the aft end of our poodle. She never minded (the poodle; I’m sure Mom wasn’t thrilled with the job.). Maybe when Steve’s scent gets all over the scissors he won’t mind so much either.
ranchandsyrup
From caddyshack
Platypus
I am totally putting “Shave Steve’s ass” on my to-do list. Not that I ever expect to do such a thing, but I crack up imagining the look on my wife’s face if she ever finds that list. Totally worth it.
max
@trollhattan: Nowhere near as bad as a MØØSE bite. They are really nāsty.
Someday they’re going to find Cole’s body in the woods, buck naked and covered in voodoo tattoos, all torn up from the MØØSE bites, and they’re going to go look for the moose and it’s going to be wear a pink tutu and ratty bathrobe, and no one will have any idea what the fuck happened.
max
[‘And they’re going to notice his liver is missing.’]
Pogonip
@Platypus: Better be prepared to explain to your wife who this Steve guy is.
trollhattan
@max:
And let’s not forget the MØØStard-dipped antlers.
Pogonip
@max: But we will not be at all surprised.
9 degrees here. This polar vortex bites moose ass.
Keith G
@max: Good work, sir.
MomSense
So my son has been volunteering at the humane society and has fallen for a 14-16 year old tabby who attacks everyone and tries to bite them except she loves my son and purrs and asks for skritches. This has not gone unnoticed among the female volunteer population and son had a date last night with a lovely young woman. Unfortunately we can’t adopt cranky kitty because we already have two plus a dog and this is a diva who needs to be worshipped exclusively. The elderly man who surrendered her described her as mean but nice to look at.
BruceFromOhio
@JPL:
Warmer than I would be if the hairless pinkskinned sonofagun had completed his eeeevil machinations!
The Thin Black Duke
@max: Wasn’t that the last David Lynch movie…?
Corner Stone
I hope Lawrence O’Donnell fires whoever booked these two gambones on tonight’s show.
Fordpowers
I’m trying to understand why in the actual fuck anyone would literally shave a cats ass…?
I’m definitely not a cat person.
BruceFromOhio
@jl, @Pogonip: GMTA
Corner Stone
Shouldn’t this go among the immortalized lexicon?
[Insert Name], like most sentient beings, I’m assuming, becomes predictably hostile and aggressive when you try to [insert action].
beltane
If I ever need my cat’s ass shaved, I know who to call.
Thermometer says it’s -19.2 outside, and I’m wearing two sweaters and a wool hat inside. The seed and nursery catalogs assure me that spring is coming but I don’t believe it.
Corner Stone
@Pogonip:
Nude mopping in cornfields and cat-shaving injuries while driving on a highway covered in snow?
Citizen_X
@Corner Stone: At least the farmer could fill it with gasoline and dynamite and blow it the fuck up, right?
gbear
@Pogonip: Five below in the Twin Cities. The Minneapolis and St. Paul school districts decided to cancel classes tomorrow rather than make kids wait for the bus in -35 wind chills. Actual air temps overnight are going to be -15.
It was 40+ degrees last sunday, and this friday is supposed to be in the 30’s. This yo-yo weather is just bizarre. And it sucks, also, too.
jl
@Citizen_X:
” At least the farmer could fill it with gasoline and dynamite and blow it the fuck up, right? ”
Should write up a pitch fro a reality show first, might get some pay for that.
Southern Beale
You shave your cat’s ass? Dude. I have the vet do that, and only because my damn cat is sick and has chronic diarrhea.
OldDave
That’s why Minnesota has just two seasons – Winter and Road-Repair.
Ash Can
@jl: Mythbusters had that covered a long time ago.
Pogonip
@Corner Stone: Gee, why didn’t I think of that? Although the nude mopping will have to wait for a serious warmup.
Tractarian
This is the most disgusting thing I have ever read.
TS
@Corner Stone:
Giving folks the benefit of the doubt because the were prosecutors – sounds very doubtful. The stilted lawyer speak words of the Lt Governor deserved no benefit of any kind.
muddy
Steve needs a kitty bidet.
gbear
@OldDave: But the seasons are usually months apart rather than hours. The huge changes in temps is just tearing the asphalt roads to shreds this winter. Water gets in the cracks and then heaves the road when it freezes.
jl
@Ash Can: Yeah, OK. But did mythbusters combine that with ‘Can a hopelessly clumsy man who can kill himself installing a rubber doorstop shave his cat’s ass’? I think not.
gnomedad
@trollhattan:
You were shaving your moose’s ass?
gbear
@muddy: This sounds like it should be a song by They Might Be Giants.
kc
@catclub:
Ah oui. “Le maintenance delicat.”
Corner Stone
@TS: Those two guests on LOD looked like they had just exited a Chris Christie Hug-A-Thon Booth.
BruceFromOhio
@gbear: Ahem
Steve, he’s Maine Coon
To me, he’s the best boon
Shave, I would try soon
Though I might die soon
Now he’s not like the last cat
Who was, oh, so mostly white and fat
But le maintenance delicat
Brings out the best of any cat
Please don’t, don’t, don’t
Feel I’m not aware of that
Please don’t, don’t, don’t
Swear and bleed because of that
Shaving the ass of my pu$$y cat
YES! I BLEED!
YES! I NEED!
YES! YOU DECREED
I should remain clear of thee
Treats and nip and coverlet
Insufficient to cover it
Pink skin, my wounds are legion
From trying to shave your nether region
*keyboard solo fade*
Comrade Mary
@jl: I think John totally missed the chance to create some shit-enhanced topiary. Germans. /sigh
BruceFromOhio
Augh, moderation. Must have made a C!alis reference.
ETA: Or a pu$$y cat reference. Aye, that’s it likely.
muddy
@gbear: The other day I kept seeing a lot of black ropes or something on the road. Then I realized it was the tar that they pour into small cracks. It had bulged out and then been caught and pulled out as long strings by plows.
Suzanne
Seriously, some of the things that y’all think are breed-specific just amaze me. Like, “It must be a Maine Coon thing to not like getting your ass shaved!” Uh…have you ever MET a cat? Of any breed? They ALL hate that shit. Or the “my cat’s really affectionate, it’s because he’s a XXXXXX.” You know, they ARE living creatures, shaped by experiences and memories and some of it is really just differences in personality that can’t be explained by their genes. Sort of like people.
Comrade Mary
@Suzanne: If Cameron Diaz were a cat, she totally would have mauled John.
muddy
I think Maine Coons are greasier in the back end?
John says he brushes him every night. Maybe a nice warm washcloth to complete his spa experience?
cmm
I shared this post with my partner and the following conversation occurred:
J: why is he shaving his cats ass? If Steve is under 10 years old he will clean his own ass.
Me: Well, john seems to be a little OCD when it comes to pet maintenance.
J: OCD? like Ouch these Cuts Damn hurt?
Me: …
J: 50000 lesbians are going, is he nuts?
chopper
@jl:
there are three ways to shave a cat’s ass. the right way, the wrong way, and the john cole way.
but isn’t the john cole way the wrong way?
yes, only bloodier.
Omnes Omnibus
@Just Some Fuckhead, Thought Leader: Pure win.
wasabi gasp
This is a bit like climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, in that I would not be climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in this life. Then I spent a half hour checking out trekking expeditions and realized there is a chance, albeit slim, that I may one day climb Mount Kilimanjaro.
The Other Chuck
@wasabi gasp: Both peaks?
Omnes Omnibus
@Pogonip: @schrodinger’s cat: Monty Python and the Holy Grail opening credits. Good lord, people.
gbear
@Suzanne:
I have two cats; a Tort and a Blue Russian. I’m not buying your argument.
wasabi gasp
@The Other Chuck: I thought there were three, but whatever, doesn’t matter…peaks before peeks.
ruemara
@cmm:
There’s a whole Jamerican contingent who are wondering the same thing.
Corner Stone
@Comrade Mary: Difference being, I would enjoy getting my self shredded in the attempt, in that case.
jl
It suddenly occurred to me that when Cole posts have titles like “Quick update” “Just checking in”, “‘Something happened”, “Trivial item from the Annals of Cole”, “Interesting Travel Incident” “My morning (or afternoon, or evening or night, or high tea today)” it’s usually something really weird and kind of icky or bizarre.
I will prepare myself next time
Yes, I am a might slow on the uptake.
Lawrence
I’m a bad person. I can’t stop laughing. The last time I dared inflicting major unwanted grooming on a cat was a bath I gave my black medium hair Tom because he got covered in transmission fluid avoiding a nasty dog by hiding under my POS Impala. One of Tom’s big fang teeth was broken in half. I never knew how. My niece picked him up by the head and dragged him around my apartment and he didn’t protest. He was a big furball. Years later my wife bathed our outdoor male, clawed, tuxedo cat. Because he was dusty. She didn’t know. Now she does. There was blood.
Omnes Omnibus
@ruemara: It’s not like the vaguely WASPy heteros are behind him all the way on this. Nah, “are you nuts?” is the common human (and probably general mammalian reaction).
OldDave
@gbear:
Oh, that’s why I said “Road Repair” – as you say, with a hot/cold/hot/cold winter the roads take a beating. I was remembering an old calendar full of Minnesota quips (“State bird: the mosquito”) and I’m pretty sure one of them was the two seasons joke.
Omnes Omnibus
@OldDave: Wisconsin has four seasons: Winter, Mosquito/Wood Tick, Road Repair, and Deer Hunting (divided in to bow season and gun season). The season do blend a bit, but long time residents can recognize the changes.
Mnemosyne
@gbear:
We used to have the same combo: Boris and Natasha. Boris probably had a chunk of Persian in him as well, so he was even more affectionate and loyal than a normal Russian Blue.
He was pain in the butt to groom, though. We would brush and brush and brush and the undercoat just wouldn’t stop.
Ruckus
@Tractarian:
Either you are new here or you don’t get out much.
Omnes Omnibus
@Ruckus: Few people are expecting German scheisse/cutter pr0n when they come to this site. I, for one, don’t know that is the case, but it is.
Kier Salmon
@COB:
I shave my cat’s ass several times a year. She’s a long hair and she hates the taste of her own waste… so she won’t clean it.
Stinky Kitty in my bed? No. I do it by stages, for about five minutes at a time, once she gets really upset I let her go, vacuum up the debris and do some more the next day.
Mike in Oly
I know this is so far down you’ll never see it, John, but in case you do – try taking him out of his home to do the intimate and necessary work of deep and personal grooming that occasional shaving involves. We have a female version of Steve and she will not allow ANY invasion of her person that doesn’t meet her stringent approval. But for some reason, at the vet’s office she is like playdoh – you can do anything to her and she will suffer in silence. Worth a shot!
Here’s a shot of our Miss Gracie: starrhillfarm.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/junebug-gracie.jpg
John Revolta
Belt sander. Duh.
HeartlandLiberal
Not necessary to shave, for $DEITY’s sake. Just trim the fur with scissors.
Those of you wondering why John was doing this have clearly never owned a Maine Coon, and had to clean up the mess when poop gets embedded in the massive ruff of fur that will develop on their rear end and down the back of their rather larger rear legs.
Having been there, I sympathize.
But shaving? Still wondering where that idea came from. Just a trim, please, John.
Manyakitty
@trollhattan: A moose once bit my sister.
Manyakitty
Also, I bathe my cats on the semi-regular, in the tub, using the shower sprayer. All three have claws. They’re not thrilled when it happens, but now they face bath day with what I can only describe as grim resignation. Important last step: LOTS of nip.
danielx
Dying thread, but worth noting – “cat’s ass” is an actual expression denoting surpassing excellence, the best, the finest.
Two girls discussing another very well dressed girl:
“And did you see her shoes?”
“I did. Cat’s ass.”
Tokyokie
Late to the thread, so you might not see this, but a tip my vet gave me about bathing cats is to wrap their feet in masking tap beforehand. It temporarily disables their claws, doesn’t hurt them, and because they’ll be busy removing the tape after the bath, by the time they’re done, they’re pretty much air-dried. I’m guessing the same trick would work should you feel the urge to shave your cat’s ass, which I never have felt.
Manyakitty
@Tokyokie: Interesting! I usually just scruff them.
BubbaDave
I can’t believe nobody mentioned that this post puts the “cat ass” in “catastrophe.”
ET
Oh jebeus, I wish that was on video…….
russell
i’m never getting a cat. that is all.