I had an absolutely delightful morning at the cats-only boarding facility yesterday!
Don’t get me wrong — I really like this job. I enjoy working with the cats, I like the exercise, I like the change of pace from my other job (writing). We have great clients and some really wonderful guests. But some days, the job is challenging. The kitties are extra messy, or I’m just off my routine and trying to catch up.
Yesterday was the opposite. Yesterday, I had the magic touch. I was the cat whisperer. An aggressive cat needed to be weighed? I picked her up and she barely complained. A cat came in with some mats in his fur? He let me feel around to see how big they were, and try to brush out some of the smaller ones. (The vet side will take a look at the bigger ones and see if they need to be clipped or shaved — I don’t feel comfortable doing that myself.)
But the best part of the day was the brushathon. One of our guests was due for a brushing with the Furminator. (I’ve already mentioned that I’m a fan of the Furminator — I brush my dog Moose with it nearly every day!)
I wasn’t sure if the cat would like brushing at all, so I grabbed the slicker brush and the Furminator and joined him in the playroom. First, I tried the slicker brush. He liked it so much, all I had to do was hold the brush out and he would rub himself against it! Then, I tried the Furminator and he seemed to like that, too.
So I went to work.
He loved it. I loved it. The fur was flying! At one point, he was sprawled out on the floor next to me and I was using both brushes. He even rolled on his back to let me give his belly a few quick strokes. It was awesome.
And let me tell you… the amount of hair I collected afterwards was MASSIVE. Just piled up, it was bigger than a basketball. Squished down, it was at least softball sized. And I could have gotten more! After a half hour of brushing, I had to go tackle other chores.
But seriously, it was the best half hour of my day. Brushing and cuddling and laughing at this big kitty rolling around on the floor. Moments like that, I wish we had a video camera in the playroom!