From the “if you want something done, do it yourself” department…
A week ago, I called up a cat groomer recommended by a friend and chatted with her on the phone. I asked her how much it would be to give Gus a haircut.
Groomer: So, basically, what do you want, a wash, his nails clipped?
Me: Nails clipped? Good idea. Can you do that too?
Groomer: Certainly! I have no trouble.
Me: Well, he needs a haircut. He’s getting a little shaggy.
Groomer: Are you sure? He’s an indoor cat, you say, so he probably just needs a bath and a good comb-out. That will remove a lot of the hair he’s already shed for the summer. I could do that, and then trim what was left as needed.
Me: How much for all that?
Groomer: About twenty, twenty-five dollars.
Me: (blinks — that’s it?!!?) Twenty-five dollars. You know he is a rather big cat.
Groomer: No problem!
Me: And he has his claws.
Groomer:
No problem!
Me: And his teeth.
Groomer: No problem!
Me: Twenty-five dollars?
Groomer: Around that, yes.
Me: I’ll be over Wednesday at six.
So, Wednesday at six rolls around, and I scoop Gus into his carrying case and walk him across my townhouse complex to where the groomer lives. The groomer has two cats of her own — silent siamese things which immediately set about checking out Gus’ carrying case. The groomer greets me and tells me to leave Gus with her. She’ll call when she’s done — about two hours. I say “okay!” and leave.
About fifteen minutes later, the Groomer calls. Gus is a little freaked out. In fact, he won’t let her open the door to his carrying case. He keeps on hissing and swatting at her fingers. I personally would have just suggested swiping open the door and upending the case, but that’s not this woman’s style. And, to be fair, she’s been in the pet grooming business for ten years and was only bitten once (by a dog). So, clearly she’s gotten this far by knowing when a pet is a lost cause.
No charge, of course. But we still have to bathe Gus. She suggested that there was a “dry shampoo” we could use. Just put it in a spray-bottle with 1 part water for 1 part shampoo, spray it on him and towel off. Hmm… Make it a super-soaker, and it might make things interesting…
Once again, I apologize to Northern Ontario for thinking that the province’s northern boundary was the French River. No wonder the North sometimes muses about becoming a separate province!