It's a Cats Life

Feelin' Better

I'm happy to report both my kitties are feeling much better! I ended up taking Switch to the vet. She had to stay overnight before giving a urine sample. She had a UTI, and got a shot of antibiotics. She's back at Clip Clip Hooray, complaining loudly because she has to stay in a cage until I'm sure she's back to her usual litter box habits.

Crack had 2 big pockets of infection open up (that same day) and she's much happier. They have to drain on their own though. Which means I've done alot of laundry this week between her and Switch. Lots of infectious leakage...EEEEWWWWW.

But the important thing is both of them are feeling better! I don't mind doing a few extra loads of laundry. And while neither cat had anything that is contagious, I've been extra careful in my cleaning and disinfecting procedures.

Preventing the spread of diseases is pretty important here at Clip Clip Hooray. As you can imagine, it's pretty easy to have a dog come in with something and spread it to every other dog. I'm always sure to disinfect my grooming tools and equipment after every use, clean and disinfect the tub and dryer nozzle after each bath, and clean and disinfect the cages after every pet leaves. I always try and wash my hands in between pets too. I wash my floors with a regular cleaner, then go over them again with a disinfectant. Dogs are never allowed to interact while at Clip Clip Hooray, and I try and discourage from owners letting dogs interact during drop off/pick up. Not only do you never know how someone's dog might react to your pet, you never know what germs he might have!

Today I'm taking some extra time to disinfect any other areas that might pick up germs and whatnot. I'm also listening to the "Siamese" whine at me. Poor kitty. Heal up quick and I'll let you out!

2 sick kitties

Neither one has anything contagious! Poor kitties, both of mine are sick. Clip Clip Hooray's resident cat, Switch, probably has a UTI. She's been rather difficult to collect a urine sample from. But today I found out that she was peeing in one of her hidey holes and she's worse off than I first thought. If I can't get a sample by closing time she's off to the vet and they can get the sample. She needs to get on medication ASAP. Poor girl.

My house cat, Crack, lost a fight many years ago and has been battling a fungal infection that turns her belly fat necrotic. After years of attempting to treat it, we finally got a combination of steroids and antibiotics that worked. Crack was back to her bright eyed, bushy tailed, playful self! And no more lumps. But after only a week off the antibiotics and they came back. But she still acted happy and we restarted the regime. Yesterday she seemed sick. Not eating. Just curled up all day. Same thing this morning. She just looks like she doesn't feel well.

 

Even sick she's still adorable. This morning she made a little fort to sleep in. Please say a prayer, send a good vibe, healing thought or whatever you believe for my little cats today. They both need it.

Remembering Old Friends

I'm finally getting caught up from my 1-2-3 slam (away for 2 weeks, immediately followed by blizzards, and that employee that stopped showing up for work) and I'm tired! I think we're back on track though. Thank you to everyone for your patience and good nature! I truly appreciate it.

Today I was thinking about dogs I haven't seen in awhile. Some are older, some in poor health. And while some may have moved out of the area, and others behind with things things like I've been, I know some of those pets have passed away.

Sometimes I'll get a card in the mail, letting me know that someone's treasured companion has died. They often thank me for being a part of their life and for taking care of them. Sometimes a picture in included as well. I always sniffle and tear up. Believe it or not, I miss them too! Sometimes I'll come in one morning and there's a message on my voice mail. In these cases, the owner always calls at night, so they can leave a message, and almost always they wait until several weeks after.

And sometimes I just never hear from the owner again. Or, not until they've gotten a new pet. This is the main reason I don't do 'time to get groomed' calls. Of course not every animal that hasn't been in awhile hasn't passed, but it just takes one "It's time to get Fluffy groomed!" call to a grieving owner...

Today I'm thinking about Chessie, Lindsay, Kirby and Casey. You were great pets, fun for me to work with and a joy for your people to own. I'm thinking about dogs I haven't seen for a long time, that I think may have gone. I hope you left our life peacefully. That you're off someplace wonderful, sunny and warm, where you can run and play and nap in comfort. Thank you for being part of our lives. Sharing our homes, our beds and always being there for us.

And thank you to their owners as well. Thank you for allowing me to take care of your pet. I hope I was able to help you enjoy them more, to keep them clean and tidy so you were able to snuggle and play more. That's my favorite part of my job!

NCGIA Cat Grooming School

A couple quick pics.

Monica, the school cat. I love her

My first groom, she started out matted and greasy. Now look at her!

I wish I had gotten a before picture

Winter weather, looks like snow, but it's really ice

 

My Cat is Weird

Switch the Shop Cat is weird. I just thought you should know.

do you see something?

Let's get closer...

 
  A new place to hang out!

Why Hallo!

 
She likes hanging out by the cards, too.

Silly little Siamese!

The Unlucky Cat

 

You can't tell, but she has pretty ice blue eyes. She's very pretty and super soft. Not just soft, but luxuriously soft.

Switch has had bad luck all her life. Starting at birth, as she was born in a poor town in West Virginia. Then, she was purchased at only 6 weeks old by a college student that kept her in an empty dorm room, gave her food and water once a week. Cleaned out her litter box, swabbed her ears with mineral oil and doused her under running water to remove her fleas and mites. Once a week. Needless to say, she was pretty unhappy and very vocal about it. She was kicked out of the dorms and brought to me (I was working in the office) to take to the humane society.

She was absolutely terrified of everything and fit in the palm of my hand. Needless to say, I couldn't turn her over to a shelter. She'd already suffered enough. So I kept her. After two days of her being hidden in my apartment I realized that "waiting for her to come to me" was never gonna happen. This kitten would never come to me and would stay hidden in the closet always. So I pulled her out and sat her in my lap. All weekend. It was a looong weekend. But it seemed to work and Switch was suddenly almost a real cat. She'd play with Ellie, my gentle lovey cat. Even with Crack, who at the time was more tolerant than she is now. I still couldn't approach her, but she'd come up to me on her own.

But anyways. She was always the cat that got locked in weird places. The dryer, the garage, out of the house at 3 am. When she lived with my brother she liked walking on the ledge of their 18th story apartment windows. While the vultures who liked to sun nearby watched her.

 

So being trapped underneath my floor isn't really out of character for her. It's hard to tell from pictures, but I think she looks and moves like a zorro. Go watch the related episode, Andes: The Dragons Back. It's awesome!

My floor has been fixed for the second time. The cat is safe and above ground. Back to sunning herself and lounging around. Me and my brother affectionately call her the "bad cat". But she's really not. Just unlucky.

Oh, and available for adoption to the right home :-)  

Monday

Well, I apologize for another long delay between posts. It's been COLD and that makes me not want to do anything. That and I've been taking blurry and missing tails or heads type pictures again.

So a couple weeks ago I was grooming a very pretty, very lovey kitty.

  Would you believe she's about 13 years old? I didn't! Plus Casey is even softer and silky than she looks in the picture.

Downside to beauty and fluffiness? When cats are tired of being brushed, they're TIRED OF BEING BRUSHED!

Isn't this the cutest band aid you've ever seen? Ever? It might be cuter than my My Little Pony band aids. Maybe. I wasn't really upset that I got scratched. As long as it's not my face. Cats are cats and I love 'em, whether it's in spite of or because of their unrestrained reactions to their surrounding, I'm not sure. I think I'm envious.

Anyway, this adorable bandage came out of a kids first aid kit I got at Big Lots. I was expecting a bit more from my first aid kit than a tube of anti itch cream, a box of band aids, stickers and a pack of crayons. I was annoyed, until I actually OPENED the band aids and saw how adorable they are! Besides the bee, there was a butterfly and a weiner dog.

Speaking of weiner dogs, these cuties came in recently. Not only are they sweet little dachshunds, they looked great after their grooming here at Clip Clip Hooray. Their owner even called the next tell to thank me for doing such a great job on her pups. She said they looked good, smelled good and she was delighted to have brought them in!

Of course, it was easy to make these guys look good! Kept well brushed at home and not bushy and over grown like long haired doxies tend to get, Cody and Leyna just needed a little trim and some coat shining conditioner. I didn't get before pics, so just imagine them with fuzzier feet.

 Leyna, bright eyed and hopeful her grooming is over with...

I show alot of drastic Before and After pictures. Sometimes it's fun to give extreme make overs to pets. Often they need it or their owners want a big change for fun. But it's wonderful to see well loved pets in great condition and keeping them in long trims. A dog without tangles gives a groomer a lot more choices about what style to do and makes it easier to play around.

These little guys got just a little bit of trimming, just enough to make them look nice and tidy. Cute, huh?

Switch Pictures

   

Feeling a little bit braver, Switch plans a daring move off the sofa! Isn't she pretty? Switch is still in need a home. If you or someone you know is interested, please give Clip Clip Hooray a call, 410-848-6863 or stop by during normal business hours.

Due to the snow and horrible road conditions, we missed out on Starlight Shopping this year. So far in a full year of doing downtown events, only the Cookie Walk has had good weather. Ah, well. Better luck in the coming year!

Halloween ends, Thanksgiving to begin!

Ok folks! Starting the day after Thanksgiving, also known as next Friday, all the  Halloween toys, treats, and possibly t shirts will be going into a big plastic tub and hidden away until next Halloween. But you still have a chance to pick up your Halloween goodies on sale until next Friday!

I guess means I have to put away my spider lights too. Booo!

After Thanksgiving Christmas stuff is going out. I have all kinds of toys, treats, colognes, blankies and jewelry perfect for gifts. Gifts for your friends, family, weird co-worker, your kids, granddog/grandcat or yourself or your pet! Tons of fun stuff. I'll have to take some pictures and post them a little later on.

Grooming appointments are still available for holiday grooming! Remember to call ahead, spots are going quick. I have several openings next week for pre-Thanksgiving grooming and bathing.

Finally, I have a kitty looking for a good home. Very sweet, but very shy cat that needs a good home. Switch has been in my family since she was about 10 weeks old. Prior to that she had a pretty crummy life. Switch needs a home where she can be a second cat or only cat. She's very playful, but with too many other cats (or dominate cats) she is easily cowed and spends all her time hiding and tends to have litter box issues. With a laid back friend or by herself she's fine. She did very well living with one other cat in a 2 bedroom apartment, not so well with 3 other cats, including one rather dominate female. Right now Switch is staying at Clip Clip Hooray, since Crack is not a laid back friend and intolerant of other cats in her house.

Switch is very sweet, very playful, entertaining and very ready for a new home. If you're interested or know someone that is, please call us at 410-848-6863 or stop by during regular shop hours to visit.

Hmmm...I had pictures, but my computer ate them. I'll have to take some more pictures this afternoon.