Thursday, December 19, 2013

Bath Time for Wylla

Wylla is always spilling soup on her bib. It's a hard-to-reach area, and she relies greatly on Bean to keep this region clean for her.  Bean usually does a good job, and we help Wylla too with an occasional spot clean, but recently our wee kitten has just been looking a little too scrappy, and I decided it was time to give her a full-on bath.


So, this morning I cranked up the thermostat to 72 degrees,  heated her bed, and gathered all the bathing necessities.

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 An unsuspecting Wylla jumped up on the counter and crawled into the sink,  climbed out,  and watched the sink fill and bubbles rise.  

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 Then into the water she went.  

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I saturated her fur with warm water and shampoo and worked as quickly as I could. She was very good and sat patiently through the process.   I don't think she enjoyed it, but she didn't resist.

Once the suds were rinsed clean, I wrapped her up in a towel and dabbed away as much of the water as I could.  

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Poor, damp little dormouse.

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The hardest part about washing a cat, is drying the cat. It takes forever.

With the heat setting on "low" I gave her a good blow-drying. She has SO much hair, it took a very long time to get her somewhat close to dry.  She was tolerant at first, but started to get really restless towards the end.  I stopped and gave her a little treat every couple of minutes, which helped a little, but still, she was getting pretty grumpy.

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After fifteen solid minutes of blow-drying, which seemed an eternity, we decided it was enough and I took her into the living room and put her on her pre-heated bed and fresh, warm towels.

And she gave herself a bath.

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That was an hour ago, and she's still sitting on her bed, looking like the saddest kitten in the world.

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And I think she's holding a grudge.

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Because she won't make eye contact with me.

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I'm sorry, Wylla.  It had to be done.

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64 comments:

  1. omg....she is so tiny (and I burst out laughing when I hit the first picture of her soaking wet). poor Wylla..... but good girl for being so tolerant :)

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    1. I laughed out loud at that picture too.

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    2. I laughed at that, too. Sorry, Wylla--we still love you! I bet she'll feel so much better (and hopefully forgive you) after she dries out all the way.

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    3. OMG she is all eyes & ears! i'm laughing but my heart is full of love, poor wet wee wooly wylla.

      the pics of her cleaning herself are adorable, as is her grudge-face.

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    4. All eyes and ears. Exactly! Perfect description. And same here....laughing but full of love for little Wylla.

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  2. Awww, poor little thing! When she's wet and her floof isn't showing, that girl is ALL eyes! I hope she forgives you soon

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  3. Oh, what a poor, mistreated, abused kitty! Wylla, you are lucky that Mom is so careful giving you a bath to make sure you're as comfy as possible during what I recognize is a tough process for a kitty. But what a good girl! Mom didn't even need a suit of armor or welding gloves! :-)

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  4. She looks so thin! She really is mostly floof!

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  5. When I went to pick up my boy Perry from the shelter, they had not quite finished his bath. I watched through the window as it took several volunteers to wash him and then try to blow him dry (he has a short coat). They finally gave up and wrapped him in a billion towels, put him in the carry box and handed him over. I had the car heater going full blast the entire way home (it was close to Thanksgiving in Michigan and it was cold). I can still remember 16 years later how he looked like a wet rat slinking around his new home till he found a place to curl into until he felt comfortable enough to come out and get to know me and his new home (only took an hour or so to start exploring).

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    1. I love this story of a boy finding comfort in his brand new home!

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  6. Aw, sweetie! Floofy kitties always manage to look extra pathetic when wet, since they shrink down so much. Glad she was such a good girl.

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  7. "My tiny trust...you has betrayed it."

    That is her expression in the first wet one.

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  8. LOL The wet kitten pic reminds me of when we wash my Mom's tiny Persian. She's also just barely over 5 pounds, and turns into eyeballs and anger when it happens. ;-)

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  9. I had to bathe both Indy and Zu every day for 2 weeks and Indy didn't mind, but Zoubi acted like I was attempting to murder her. I was so glad when that was over! But boy, they were both so fluffy and clean. Poor Wylla- it is such a shock to have to get wet all over. Give her a hug for me and tell her she has all our sympathy. She is adorable.

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  10. At least you were polite enough not to post pictures of her poor skinny soaked tail. That would have been the final indignity!

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  11. OMG! The wet picture... her head is nothing but eyes and ears! So adorable. Thank you so much for the precious photos of her bathtime. It made my day!

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  12. "You has betrayed my tiny, tender trust..."

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  13. She is so tiny without all that fluffed up fur! She was so amazingly well behaved and calm during the bath. That really says a lot about how you have raised her.

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  14. wylla you are so cute with your big round eyes. thanks for sharing these pictures.

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  15. Poor little precious, there she was innocently admiring the bubbles, and then...

    :)

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  16. Poor thing, she looks so bedraggled! I hope she has returned to her floofy self by now!

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  17. When you said you put the heat UP to 72 I almost fainted. Low around here 75. Any lower and I freeze. I would have it up to 80 for the little angel!! I hope she trusts you again soon!!

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  18. When we board our cats the vet's office always asks if we want them to get a bath. I always tell them the cats are "dry clean only" (no one laughs, by the way), and now I'm glad they don't get baths! I'd feel terrible knowing they look so sad and pathetic.

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  19. I think I feel sorriest for you, Laurie. How those expressions must make a mama's heart ache. Such a sweet, patient little girl Wylla is.

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  20. My goodness! Poor little thing looks like a drowned rat. I HOPE she forgives you soon. ;-)

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  21. We have our temp set at 67 here in Minnesota. I think 72 would be quite balmy! Good little wee, wet and bewildered Wylla! We have never bathed our 5 cats. The oldest is 18. I can't even imagine what they would do!

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  22. Love, love, love the grumpy face. What a stink eye Miss Wylla!
    You are an expressive kitteh, for sures. Warm hugs to you and the IBKC clan.
    Melissa & Tdubz in Brisbane.

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  23. She looks so fluffy and clean! haha. It takes sacrifice to look beautiful, wee Wylla!

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  24. Brave little Wylla! I couldn't imagine doing this for a second with my cat Cookie: I would be scratched all over. He says he can bath all by himself :))… Wylla is so gorgeous, wet or not. Big hugs to her, hope it will chase away the "grumpiness" (I don't know if this word exists…)
    Mimi (Switzerland)

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  25. She's plotting her revenge...probably with that cute little Christmas tree....

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  26. Awww poor Wylla! I wouldn't mind betting that even a sweet kitty like you is plotting revenge! ;)

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  27. In case no one has mentioned it yet, the IBKC and the Lamms (I'm 90% sure it was the Lamms) made it on Cute Overload again today. Properly attributed too!

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  28. I'm pretty sure she's going to be telling Grandpa all about how mean Mom was...

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  29. Ohhh, the eyes and ears in the first wet pic. Wylla, your mom loves you so much. I'm sure you won't hold a grudge for too long. Anyway, you look even more fabulous than you did before. (Is that even possible?)

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  30. I love this post--it's funny, accurate, wry and just captures the moment so perfectly. Poor sweet Wylla!

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  31. So precious, she looks sooo teeny when she is wet! She does look a little grumpy but she'll get over it soon!

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  32. OMG, I laughed so loud at the picture of her all wet! You can really see how little she is. And yeah, that's definitely the "I love you, but right now, you suck" look. And those cute little clean pink toes! so cute!!!

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  33. Oh, those pics are just too adorable!

    I made a promise to my cats, my boys who are with me now and my girls who are over the rainbow bridge, keep yourselves clean, and no baths.

    My girls and my Buddy, DSH, kept/keep themselves pretty clean. Although, years ago, my Sammy girl, rubbed up against me when I had Nair on my legs. It was a real comedy of errors: me with just a towel on chasing Sam through the house so I could bathe the Nair off! All turned out well.

    My Tiger boy, a DLH, recently needed a bath, pee in his britches and his back was just dirty and oily. Poor pathetic boy! I was nice though, didn't shampoo his head. I tried toweling him dry. That didn't last. No way was I going to try the hair dryer, especially since he's terrified of the vacuum.

    Buddy and Tiger's Mom

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  34. There's some definite stinkeye action going on in picture #6.. but there's nothing much funnier than a wet cat. Always amazing how little body is under all of that floof when you see them all wet. :) Poor Wylla.. it happens to the best of them.

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  35. Those eyes! I mean, honestly, how much bigger could those eyes get? She may be plotting revenge.....

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  36. Such a poor little wet kitty! But like everyone else, I laughed out loud!

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  37. "looking like the saddest kitten in the world"...!!! Oh, that "poor" little girl... :)

    Well, I'm sure we all enjoyed that bath much more than she did!

    Why do I feel so compelled to utter the word "priceless" every time I come to this site?? :D

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  38. "looking like the saddest kitten in the world"...!!! Oh, that "poor" little girl... :)

    Well, I'm sure we all enjoyed that bath much more than she did!

    Why do I feel so compelled to utter the word "priceless" every time I come to this site?? :D

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  39. Gosh, she is adorable and truly WEE Wylla when wet! I bet the wet fur made her 'gain' an ounce, even if temporarily.

    Smooches for Miss Wylla and Miss Charlene for just being gorgeous kitty girls

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  40. Have you seen this? http://youtu.be/Ceyo0_k9AEw

    I think this kitty ans Wylla could be friends.

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  41. She is such a good girl. Smart too. It's easier to just go with the flow and get it over with than to struggle.

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  42. Oh Wylla! Nothing cuter than a soggy puddy tat! Poor little thing! :)

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  43. Nothing will rip your heart faster than a reproachful look from one of your kitties after you've had to do something to them "for their own good." I remember the looks from Trixie when she had to get an emergency bath after she was in the wrong place at the wrong time when I knock the liquid detergent bottle over! :)

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  44. Humans... baths.... humpf!
    Wylla, you´re a pretty pretty girl!

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  45. She's very good, cute and pretty and just tad upset with Mum, The upset will only be for a short time though!! Love pics 5/6/7/8, her wee pink paws!!!! just lovely

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  46. I love the picture of her giving you the one-eyed stink eye while you were drying her. It is funny that she won't make eye contact with you. When my 2 babies get mad at me, they literally turn their backs on me. They make sure I am looking and they lay down with their backs facing me. Of course it is always something mean that I did, like wash their blankets, thereby erasing all the good smells on there, or trying to comb a big knot of hair from Winkie's long, long hair. Oh, our poor mistreated babies. If they only knew..... and I am glad that they don't.

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    1. LG does that to me when after we get back from vacation. He'll sit on the coffee table in front of me and not turn around when I talk to him. His ears move, though, so I know he's listening. He always relents, eventually. :-)

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  47. I'm sure you will be fast friends again very soon! And she will smell so good! Happy Holidays to all at Itty Bitty Kitty Committee and thanks for always providing a bright spot during my work day.

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  48. Looking back at the pictures, I just noticed that her eyes don't seem super dilated! That means that even though she was probably annoyed with you, she must not have been very scared or angry. The eyes are very expressive, especially when they take up half your face...

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  49. Sad to see the aftermath (afterbath?) pictures, but perhaps if Bean were given a bath, and Wylla was permitted to watch, the little cat would cheer right up.

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  50. Love the pictures! But Gordon Draper is still the saddest kitten on the planet. :-)

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  51. Wylla, you are SUCH a brave girl! My Amber tolerates baths(only twice);but like most kitties, doesn't love 'em.Kisses for you,Wylla and MERRY CHRISTMAS to the IBKC!❤️

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