The Do's And Don'ts Of Giving A Former Feral Cat A Bath.

Some more feline bonding.

Old Tiggi has recently lost some feeling in her neck which means that it droops continuously. Often when she scootles towards us she looks like a dressage horse on best behaviour. There is nothing we can do but to work around it. Naturally her cuteness factor has shot up tremendously and in tandem have her cuddling sessions.

These cuddling sessions are what made me venture forth and splash her in a wash basket filled with warm water. With her neck being impeded she battles to clean herself properly but also her love of resting in the dirtiest of places has meant that she looks less than her best. Never mind, mummy will sort it out.

The weather boded well for me although not for her, with the sun blazing away ready to dry any wet fur. I filled up the wash basket, put on a long sleeve jacket ( oh, that was a winner for me ) and the gardening gloves we use for the roses. Thorns and claws! Tiggi is so trusting with me and she had no idea of what would befall her when I picked her up and gently lowered her into the tub.

All my endearments were thrown to the wind and she fought valiantly to climb out the tub. No, I had to get it done and the two of us danced the tango of hissing and cooing for a few more minutes until I had reasonably cleaned her fur.

A towel was waiting to wrap her in it and once she felt secure in it and my arms, she calmed down ( at one stage I thought I had given the poor dear a heart attack ) and let the cleaning routine go ahead. In fact a small purr was heard.

When eventually I laid her gently on the ground expecting her to do a vault away from my clutches, she surprised me by leaning into my legs, perhaps grateful that someone else has taken over her grooming. All's well that ends without scratches and now, a few hours later, she is prancing elegantly around enjoying her freshness...Old pets deserve some reverence and care.

Biggi