[Vazra]
Pensive on a leaden afternoon
Category Archives: The Kids
The lion cut
I mentioned once after Larenti‘s rescue that I needed “to have him shaved to get rid of some knots.” Truth be told, even the vet recommended a full shave as the dozens of knots along his back were near the skin and impossible to brush out.
I knew these remnants of his medium hair and time outside without proper care needed remedy for him to be comfortable. One had only to see him stretch to understand how they pulled at him, hurt him, and interfered with his normal activities.
The solution? It’s called a lion cut. You’ve undoubtedly seen it before: when a cat is shaved all but for the head, the paws, and the tail. Thus would be Larenti’s fate.
Thankfully, the best groomers in town are about 30 minutes away, give or take traffic, and they can be trusted never to use muzzles, restraints, or other inhumane means on any cat they groom. So off we went on a Saturday morning, and by that afternoon Larenti returned home a new man. Or at least a naked yet more comfortable man.
Here’s the proof.
You can see where the knots pulled hair away from the skin. Like racing stripes on a car, Larenti’s hairless streaks mean something more than bravado; they mean pain as every bit of fur pulled out from the roots to leave a bald spot, one growing and stretching from stem to stern.
But afterward? Well, that’s a different story.
Remember that very same position under different circumstances?
Since the deed was done I’ve seen him be far more comfortable, far more playful and relaxed. Something in his movement, from stretching to sleeping, appears normal to a degree he could not attain before.
Regular brushing/combing will help inhibit this in the future. For now, however, he’s never enjoyed a back rub like this before!
[that’s Kako in the background of the second photo]
Death and destruction
Or not so much.
And on the other side of this mayhem?
That’s right! It’s the devil himself.
You can see the chaos engendered by Larenti‘s addition to the xenogere home.
Grendel has erred on the side of dominance, something I’m working on without causing too much stress in the natural pecking order. His behavior has surprised me a wee bit, although not horribly given he’s the alpha male. Still, he’s been a bit “Gonna kick your ass!” lately, at least from time to time (okay, I can count these instances on less than three fingers, but still. . .).
As for Loki, he’s rather uncaring about it all, careful not to push Larenti’s buttons or cause too much disorder, yet not entirely restrained or concerned. He gives the new kid a bit of wiggle room, but otherwise he is who he is.
Vazra seems completely unconcerned. Mind you, he knew Larenti long before his own rescue, let alone this most recent adoption from the streets. In fact, I’ve seen Vazra and Larenti playing in the most comfortable of ways. They’ve brought many a smile to my face with their beer-buddy antics.
Kazon has taken it all in stride. While he generally gives Larenti all the room he needs to be comfortable, he’s also enjoyed several rounds of cat-chase-cat with his new sibling. Add to that his unending desire to be friends with everyone. Needless to say, nothing of concern has cropped up in their interactions.
But then comes Kako. Her bitchy attention suddenly finds Vazra quite acceptable. Whereas he had been the outcast in her eyes since his adoption, Larenti’s presence has offered a new target for her “Get out of my house!” attitude. I suspect that will take some time before it smooths out, or at least becomes less hostile.
As for Larenti, he’s coming along nicely. He day by day grows more comfortable. At first, he wouldn’t leave the cat carrier in the bathroom. Eventually, he came out of that phase and began exploring his new world. Now he sleeps in the bedroom with the rest of The Kids. He doesn’t frighten as easily. He lets the rest of us walk near him without fleeing. He talks incessantly and expects his morning lovin’ just like the rest of the spoiled brats in this household.
Progress? You betcha!
[please excuse the quality of the photos; my camera increasingly offers me nothing but headaches; more on that later]
Dismal
I’ve been sick as a dog since Friday. Only now am I finally scratching my way above wretchedness to misery. And that’s a major improvement!
As I have nothing to offer save my own despairing gloom, let this photo of Vazra serve as a reminder of my own mood and physical state.
Need I say more?
Fearful
What terrifies you so, Larenti?
No hiss. Never. Not once in all your recent ordeals.
Fear? Yes. Blatant and brutal, it drips from your eyes like tears in those moments I’ve barely started to predict.
Medication. I coax you from your box and lure you into a false sense of security, and I feel wretched for it, yet the deed must be done.
As you rest against me purring, a rumble that soars through me for what I’ve accomplished since we met, I finally reach down and take you in my hands.
Then comes the fear. A horrible fear. A terror so real I can feel it oozing over my hands where they meet your body.
You look at me. Eyes are wide. A depth of fright I care never to see again greets me as I look at you face to face.
Then the tears come.
What I intend is help, not harm. What I will do brings you no pain, only aid.
Yet I weep.
Somewhere in the past only you know, someone only you would recognize did unspeakable things to you. It’s written all over your face as I dab a bit of medicine between your shoulders.
Petrified. You feel like stiffened wood nestled between my knees. Even when I release you, your breath remains unheard and your essence rigid. You don’t move.
What unconscionable being did this to you? What poor excuse for a human forced in you this unbeatable fear of us, of we simple apes?
What did they do to you?
Vision blurred by my own lamentation, I see your still form held close to the ground, held stoically until it seems you no longer live.
It takes my gentle prodding to get you to move.
And then?
You race to your box, cower in its furthest corner despite how uncomfortable it makes you, and your wide eyes look at me with a trembling I dare not speak.
In time you will learn you have nothing to fear from me.
In time I will learn not to hate those who did this to you, learn not to wish for their wicked lives to end horribly, painfully, with much suffering and anguish. . .at my hands.