The result? One grey kitten with black splodges. Pushka, my moggie had a big white bib and four white stockings and seemed to always manage to keep them snow white so I figured Bowie would get himself sorted. Two days later and he was still looking pretty manky so down the pet shop I went to buy a bottle of neutral cat shampoo.
I have never bathed a cat before so I heated the bathroom up for a good hour first and decided to run enough gently warm water to come up to the top of his legs. He was pretty okay about it... he escaped a few times but I let him as I didn't want to force him in the water and put him off bathtime forever more. I just placed him gently back in the water each time, giving him lots of fuss and talking to him gently.
My arm has been pretty badly scratched but I can't really blame him for that, poor boy. I did find that holding him gently by the scruff of the neck seemed to help him calm down a little. I figured getting him gently used to the bath will be better in the long run rather than getting him brilliantly clean now and having a cat so traumatised he'd never go near water again so not much shampooing or scrubbing went on and he's still pretty grubby but I reckon overall the first bath was a success and my baby is currently wrapped up warmly in a towel and snoozing away on my lap.
I love Devon Rexes!
ReplyDeleteI have never bathed a cat before so I heated the bathroom up for a good hour first and decided to run enough gently warm water to come up to the top of his legs. As any Devon owner knows, these guys are into everything you do and always want to get involved. The other day, while I was cleaning out the fireplace, I turned my head for just a moment and... Bowie was straight in there to investigate. My arm has been pretty badly scratched but I can't really blame him for that, poor boy. I did find that holding him gently by the scruff of the neck seemed to help him calm down a little. Your post is very important for the cats because the cats have to be aware of all the issues.Thank you…
http://onedaytop.com/september-happy-cat-month/
ReplyDeleteI have never bathed a cat before so I heated the bathroom up for a good hour first and decided to run enough gently warm water to come up to the top of his legs. As any Devon owner knows, these guys are into everything you do and always want to get involved. The other day, while I was cleaning out the fireplace, I turned my head for just a moment and... Bowie was straight in there to investigate. My arm has been pretty badly scratched but I can't really blame him for that, poor boy. I did find that holding him gently by the scruff of the neck seemed to help him calm down a little. Your post is very important for the cats because the cats have to be aware of all the issues.Thank you…
http://onedaytop.com/september-happy-cat-month/
I have had 2 female Devon Rex cats, 1 at a time. The first one lived 7 years. The second one lived 11 years. They were from different breeders in different states. Both cats lived their lives with IBD Inflammatory Bowel Disease which eventually killed them. In both cases, I worked intensively with both cats vets. We tried many cutting edge treatments. What worked as treatment was Prednisolone as a main treatment. Anti nausea medicines, occasional treatment with Metronidazole, Vitamin B12 injections once per week. Neither cat ever had formed stools. I loved both cats intensely. They were playful, beautiful, active, until the illness became too intense. IBD, in my experience over 17 years, never improves. My first cat, Maya, died at home. Lucy cat #2, was put to sleep 2 days ago after becoming skin and bones, in spite of eating 5-6 times per day. She could no longer control her liquid poops which would get on her legs, tail, face. I bathed her with baby shampoo since I had to wash her face so often. She would snuggle up onto my shoulder after her bath, wrapped in a warm fluffy blanket. Her last weeks, she needed to be on a lap or shoulder all the time. She had 2 litter boxes downstairs and 2 upstairs, but still dripped kaka on the rug. She could not help it.
ReplyDeleteThe reason I am writing this letter is to warn potential owners. These beautiful, charming, loving hypoallergenic kittens may have a chronic, expensive illness. Be careful. Ask questions about the parents' histories. As much as I love this breed, I cannot put myself through the risk of a third one. Linda, I hope Bowie is well.
I am Jeannie Szorqady jeszorady@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteThis is Jeannie Szorady again. When I wrote the above depressing blog, Lucy, my snow white D.R. with intense green eyes had been put to sleep 2 days earlier. Everything I said was absolutely true; but the breed is still beautiful, playful and hypoallergenic. My husband and our son-in-law are allergic to cat dander. Our daughter and I adore cats so my husband found this incredible breed when our daughter was 10. Maya our first cat was tortoiseshell color and 5 pounds. She was so sweet, affectionate and loving. Our daughter adored her and my husband had no allergic reaction to her ever. He and I also adored this sweet tiny cat; so when she died after 7 years, we immediately found another breeder from another state to get our next Devon Rex. I have never regretted finding this breed until the exhausting last several months of Lucy's life. Ultimately, if we had not found our first Devon Rex, our daughter would have not had the joy of living with a cat; so no regrets.
ReplyDelete