A black kitten, 3 - 4 weeks old, was found in a rubbish skip, badly injured and had probably been thrown away to die. "He" was taken to the local vet and kept overnight to see if he was likely to survive. He proved to be a fighter and was fostered by the local "Tierschutzverein" here in Germany. I met him 2 weeks later when he let me treat his injuries. I should have been rather suspicious when I was encouraged to take him home - I was even lent a transport-box. It's now 13 years later and I have never again been so close to this cat as I was on that day, attending his injuries. When I took him to be castrated, I still was not sure if he was really a male or female - his injuries were to his hindquarters, which I couldn't touch. He turned out to be female.
Mogi is not unfriendly, she just does not like to be touched, let alone handled. She comes when called, rubs herself against my hand so long as I refrain from moving it. Sometimes, when I am asleep in bed, I wake up to find her lying on me but, as soon as I move, or try to touch her, she leaves - but not always before giving me a nip or a scratch.
She lives at peace with my 3 other younger cats (all fosters, who have not found homes) and spends most of her days on my chair in the middle of the living room, only disappearing under a bed or into a cupboard as soon as the doorbell rings or she suspects that she's going to be grabbed for medication or a visit to the vet.
Recently I found a small clump of matted fur on her back. I was able to separate it out with my fingers and removed it after 2 days of gentle coaxing, and getting bitten more than once. But then, 2 more matts appeared, and eventually I had to give up the struggle. She was due to go to the vets for urine and blood tests, which, with this cat are only possible, under sedation so I let the assistant give her a good brush. Matts were found on her lower back, her back legs and stomach. Now she is lovely and smooth-coated again, but, how long will that last if she's not able to clean herself?
I will not get the laboratory results till next week, so that may be the beginning of another story.
I am now giving her painkillers in the hope that she will be able to clean herself. The vet believes that the injuries she received as a kitten (as far as I know, no x-rays were taken at the time) have led to arthrosis. I am attempting to do what I perhaps should have insisted on doing when she was younger - combing her! She has short, silky hair which is normally completely tangle-free. Some dandruff accumulates at the end of her spine which, for a long time, I have been gently combing out when she jumps on my lap to reach the coldwater tap when I'm in the bathroom! Now that I am more insistent, I often come out of the bathroom with blood on my hands!
For her only slightly matted fur, I definitely find fingers and then combing more effective than brushing. A glove is completely unacceptable! At the moment I am using a baby comb with rounded teeth. I would prefer something even smaller, which I could hide in the palm of my hand. I am not managing more than 3 or 4 strokes from head to tail per day (avoiding her bony spine) without her turning round, ready to bite off my nose. So her legs and stomach will have to go unattended, at least for the time being.
Has anyone come up with this problem? How can I help Mogi without spoiling our good, if rather special relationship. Any ideas for a small grooming tool?
Mogi is not unfriendly, she just does not like to be touched, let alone handled. She comes when called, rubs herself against my hand so long as I refrain from moving it. Sometimes, when I am asleep in bed, I wake up to find her lying on me but, as soon as I move, or try to touch her, she leaves - but not always before giving me a nip or a scratch.
She lives at peace with my 3 other younger cats (all fosters, who have not found homes) and spends most of her days on my chair in the middle of the living room, only disappearing under a bed or into a cupboard as soon as the doorbell rings or she suspects that she's going to be grabbed for medication or a visit to the vet.
Recently I found a small clump of matted fur on her back. I was able to separate it out with my fingers and removed it after 2 days of gentle coaxing, and getting bitten more than once. But then, 2 more matts appeared, and eventually I had to give up the struggle. She was due to go to the vets for urine and blood tests, which, with this cat are only possible, under sedation so I let the assistant give her a good brush. Matts were found on her lower back, her back legs and stomach. Now she is lovely and smooth-coated again, but, how long will that last if she's not able to clean herself?
I will not get the laboratory results till next week, so that may be the beginning of another story.
I am now giving her painkillers in the hope that she will be able to clean herself. The vet believes that the injuries she received as a kitten (as far as I know, no x-rays were taken at the time) have led to arthrosis. I am attempting to do what I perhaps should have insisted on doing when she was younger - combing her! She has short, silky hair which is normally completely tangle-free. Some dandruff accumulates at the end of her spine which, for a long time, I have been gently combing out when she jumps on my lap to reach the coldwater tap when I'm in the bathroom! Now that I am more insistent, I often come out of the bathroom with blood on my hands!
For her only slightly matted fur, I definitely find fingers and then combing more effective than brushing. A glove is completely unacceptable! At the moment I am using a baby comb with rounded teeth. I would prefer something even smaller, which I could hide in the palm of my hand. I am not managing more than 3 or 4 strokes from head to tail per day (avoiding her bony spine) without her turning round, ready to bite off my nose. So her legs and stomach will have to go unattended, at least for the time being.
Has anyone come up with this problem? How can I help Mogi without spoiling our good, if rather special relationship. Any ideas for a small grooming tool?