Sometimes, life is like a slapstick comedy and my cats are Buster Keaton.
Tucker has always been timid. He will often come over to me and rub his fuzzy head against my leg, just to tell me he likes me. But if I move as he is approaching - I sometimes don’t see him coming - he will take fright and retreat. Noises startle most cats - except Tungsten - but they scare Tucker and send him seeking cover.
Because of Tucker’s physical condition, I check his nether regions now and then, to clean him so as to prevent infection. Naturally, he dislikes this. Last night, I took him into the bathroom to do the necessary chore. He was nervous enough to begin with.
Then, I knocked a plastic cup onto the floor. This made the roly poly one scramble for the door. I caught him between my shins, but as I did so, I elbowed a roll of toilet paper off the counter. It struck Tucker on the bum and made him squirm out of my hold. As I turned to grab him, my knee caught the toilet-seat lid, lifted it briefly and dropped it. The bang that resulted shot Tucker out of the bathroom and into the corridor beyond. I managed to seize him, inadvertently taking hold only of his tail. Fortunately, it’s a strong one but it nevertheless caused a squeal.
By this time, Cammie and Kola had come to see what the fuss was about. Cammie, who detests any sounds of struggle, was hissing at all and sundry, while Kola appeared to be enjoying the discomfort of his enemy. The others were hiding on the bed in anxiety - except for Tungsten, who was sleeping.
At last, I scooped up my tubular cat, eased him over on his back and cleaned him. He wasn’t very dirty, after all.
A few minutes later, the uproar was forgotten. The cats were settled peacefully again and the roly poly sausage looked like this. Take a bow, Tucker.
Poor Tucker! Don't tell him I was laughing at this, okay? :-)
ReplyDeletePoor Tucker. I have to clean Annabelle's back side sometimes (well often) which she hates and it's tender. Being a manx she has more issues than cats with tails plus she has a lot of fluff back there. I have to close the door to the bathroom otherwise I would never be able to complete the task!
ReplyDeletePoor Tucker.....sometimes you just can't win
ReplyDeletePoor Tucker! But I must admit I laughed out loud at the description. Glad you were able to get the job done in the end....pun intended.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry I shouldn't laugh but I couldn't help myself. Poor Tucker! Flynn dislikes noise too.
ReplyDeleteOh my, I am so sorry but that had to be a sight to see :) Glad to see that Tucker has no lasting ill effects, hope you aren't too tramatized either!
ReplyDeleteMe and my Rumpy used to have much the same issue with a slight difference. He is not timid in the least. In fact he is brazen to a fault. Except when that bum needed a bit of attention and then he became stealth kitty. Imagine a one legged guy with a cane chasing a wild cat. Get the picture. No fun for either of us. After a few years of this I finally got the idea of treat training as he loves his treats. It only took a bit over a week and he was going into the bathroom under his own power. Getting a treat to start. Getting a clean. Getting a treat to finish. I make sure to go into the bathroom with him at least once a day even if he is clean. I close the door and give him his treat. Good boy Rumpy. It may work in your case too. Much easier than the here kitty roundup.
ReplyDeleteDad Pete