Wild Wild Wet

Last Sunday, 10 June was Bath Day for the girls. We bathe them once every three weeks. I usually take this on, gladly because it's a good way to bond with them. Each has her own preference on how the bathing should go so my handling skills are put to the test.

In the beginning when we only had Skoda, we used to bathe her once weekly. This came about because she was a "chia char bo" (fierce girl) during her early days with us. After her very first bath - the honour was Grimlock's and we used Johnson & Johnson lavender shower cream on her (we hadn't bought her cat shampoo yet), she became subdued and after licking herself dry, she slept so soundly. We were awed by the wonders the bath did for her. We even speculated if the lavender fragrance had any doing with her "transformation". She then was also kept in a room while we were away at work, so we placed a lavendar air freshener in this room, hoping the scent would add to her sweetness quotient. Silly human beings, right? Ok, fast-forward...during Skoda's subsequent vet visit, we were told the frequent baths would strip her coat of its natural oil/shine so we changed the frequency to once every three weeks.

Skoda is the vocal one when it comes to bathing time. Once we start to touch her belly, that's when her "scolding" starts. Sometimes, I wonder if my neighbours think we're trying to murder some cat. And she won't stay still, she walks all over the place. And I've to keep talking to her (that I'm not trying to 'kill' her). When we use the shower head/jet for the final rinse-down, she'll try to swipe the shower head and keep hissing away. Quite energy-consuming to bathe her.

"You can run but you can't hide! Off to the bathroom you go!!"

It was Grimlock's turn to bathe the girls.

Mikki peeks anxiously under the door, hoping to catch a glimpse of the commotion...

Lick, lick, lick...gotta get this water off asap!

Braun is the cooperative one when it comes to bathing time. I normally have her sit on the toilet seat (cover placed down) and she'll stay on it from start to end. No struggle, no "scolding" from her whatsoever. When I use the shower head to rinse-out her belly, she'll even arch up her back so the water can reach that area easily. No sweat!

Ditto for Mikki. She doesn't mind being bathed. A little vocal but manageable. And she is not that big-sized yet so to towel her dry can be quite quickly done.

After they had licked themselves dry, their coat appeared whiter (applicable only for Skoda and Braun) and felt so smooth and fuller, and they smelt so good. I think the bath helped in reducing the animosity between Skoda and Mikki because they now smell the same too :)