Atticus does his part.

 

Atticus, before the haircut

If you remember when we had Scruffy shaved, you'll know where I'm heading on this.  Atticus (the baby of the family at 4 years old) is a mixed breed, probably of a Norwegian Forest Cat.  He's slim, has long hair, and all in all - quite the handsome little boy.  His only downfall is that he is terrible at taking care of his coat!  As a result, he frequently has mats that need cutting out - never a fun experience for him or for us.  In fact, it was in cutting out some mats in the past that we, accidentally, cut some skin as well.  Some of his current mats were knotted really close to the skin...heading for dread lock category.  It was time to take some action.  This morning Dean took Atticus to the groomer.  I had an early class, so I didn't get to go along for the fun.  Dean said that Atty did very well, in fact he behaved like the best of the show cats!  He also enjoyed getting to see the poodles who were there, getting their haircuts too!  Other than seeing him with mostly short hair for the first time, the other shocking aspect is how skinny this guy is!  Really, we DO feed him!  In fact, he has a very healthy appetite - finishing his food, and usually Annie's as well!  He is a really active kitty, however, and I think he burns up a lot of calories chasing leaves and butterflies.  You can see in the pictures where the hair has been cut nearly to the skin...that is where the worst of the mats were.  It's nice to have that problem taken care of for now. 

Atticus, after his haircut!

After the haircut!

The best part of this story, however, is what happens to the hair that was shaved away! The groomer told Dean that, yes, the hair is being shipped to the Gulf of Mexico - to use to try and clog up the oil spill! So, not only is our little guy neat and clean now; he is also doing his part to remedy the environmental problem at the moment!  

YellowCat, when he first came in from the outside.

Of course, no "Kitty Post" is complete without the latest update on YellowCat!  After being on antibiotics for a week it was time to get to the Vets for the rest of his care.  I had spent a good part of that week cleaning him up as much as possible.  He had some pretty nasty cuts on his head, near his right ear; and his left eye was red, swollen, and draining.  He didn't seem to mind me wiping his head with a warm, damp washcloth - so I did that a lot.  I'm sure the antibiotics helped with the healing, as well as constant (healthy) nutrition.  He was looking pretty good, over all, by the time he went to the Vet's office yesterday.  We haven't gotten his lab results back, yet, but his surgery was without incident or complication and Dean picked him up last evening.  He was pretty sleepy and quiet when I first saw him.  Today he is more active, happy and purring!  You can see in the 'after' picture, he still squints that left eye a little.  He still has a couple of scabs to come off from his head too.  He's making a great comeback though!

What a handsome YellowCat!