Don’t cats groom themselves?

Jacksonville by Laura R

This was the first question I asked myself when a friend of mine told me she was taking her cat to the groomer.  Of course, it would make more sense that the cat needed to go if it were a long-hair Persian or Himalayan that was covered with knots and balls of matted up fur.  There is only so much one cat can do to care for fur like that, eventually someone needs to help a sister out.

This cat, however, has relatively short fur and seems to be “knot-free”, so I was confused as to why my friend had an incessant desire to have the cat groomed.  It just didn’t make sense to toy with a cat’s emotions like that – you just never know how much they will like or, most likely, hate you after taking them for a few hours of torment and torture.  Most cats don’t really appreciate being dropped into a bucket of soapy water, scrubbed, rinsed, trimmed, blown dry and brushed.  In fact, most cats I have met would claw someone’s eyes out for even thinking about doing such a thing to their royal hein-asses.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I go to pick up this cat, as a favor to my friend (although I think she was probably just scared that the cat might claw her eyes out and sent me instead), and the cat is contently purring in her crate after her spa day extravaganza.  I should probably mention at this point that my mom was here visiting.  It’s kind of an important detail because she has adopted this cat and will be taking it home with her to Reeeeno at the end of her trip!

I guess my friend thought it would be a nice touch to send my mom home with a clean cat….did she not realize that cats spend half their time bathing themselves and she could have saved herself the $40?  Oh well.  The cat is cleaner than clean, and not ready to scratch my face off, so all is well.  She and my mom made it safely home and the next day I get a text….

Mom:  The groomer shaved her belly and her backside

Me: What?  Why?

Mom: I don’t know.  I’m calling it a kitty Brazilian!

And there you have it people!  THAT is why you take a cat to a groomer….to give them a Brazilian!