I know what you were thinking, get your mind out of the gutter!! I have a 16-year-old long-haired calico named Jane Doe. When I got her, I was having trouble coming up with the perfect name for her. I absolutely refuse to name a pet Fluffy or Poopy or whatever other cutsie little names people give to their pets. So one day I looked at her and said, “If I can’t come up with a good name for you, you’re going to be a Jane Doe.” So now we call her Janie.
Anyway…being 16 years old, she has decided that keeping her fur straight is just way too much effort for her, and so over the last few months it had gotten terribly tangled and matted. If she so much as sees me with the brush in my hand, she’s gone. So…I was left with no other recourse than to take her to the vet and have her shaved. The thing is, this was not nearly as easy as it sounds. It all started in October of last year….
I took her to the Columbia Animal Hospital to have her checked out and to ask them what to do about her fur. They charged me over $200 for the office visit – they did bloodwork, trimmed her nails (2 were ingrown and infected), and prescribed her an antibiotic. As for her fur, they said, “Take her to a groomer.” What? You want me to take my 16-year-old cat to the groomer?? Gee, thanks for all your help.
Shortly thereafter, I moved, so the fur situation had to be put on hold for awhile. When I started looking into where on earth I could take her, I called PetSmart. Yes, they would groom a cat and trim its nails for around $80. Oh, and you need to bring proof that she’s current on her rabies vaccination. Great. When I took her to the vet in October, they didn’t even mention her vaccinations, and I *know* she isn’t current…so before I can even *try* to take her to the groomer, we have to go back to the vet yet again for the rabies shot. This time I decide to take her to a different vet.
We go to the Rocky Gorge Animal Hospital. I explain why we’re there, that she needs her shots so that I can take her to the groomer per the Columbia Animal Hospital’s instructions. This vet actually has a clue. He takes one look at her and says that there is no way a groomer will be able to help her – the fur is matted too closely to her skin, and the only way to get it off without hurting her is to sedate her first, which incidentally is what I had asked the other animal hospital, and they didn’t want to do it. This place says that they will do it, no problem. They do some bloodwork just to make sure the sedation won’t kill her, and we’re good to go. I made an appointment to take her back for her haircut.
So yesterday was the big day, and as you can see from the picture, my previously long-haired cat now looks like a rat. They left the fur around her face, and a little puff at the end of her tail, but otherwise she’s been shaved down to fuzz. Every time I look at her, I do a double take. I hope it grows out soon!