Where crazy cat ladies tend to congregate.

Took the old man Riley cat to the vet yesterday. Actually it's a cat clinic, no dogs or other types of pets around. Had to get his blood checked for his thyroid meds and bonus ( !!! ) they took some mats off him for me. Actually they got all the mats off him.

I AM a crazy cat lady, I have 4 cats. Although I didn't feel quite so insane for having 4 yesterday, one of the receptionists was talking about her 6, and another lady didn't say how many she had but it sounded like the cats rule her roost. Anyway. Three of my cats do not have mats. None. Riley has them all. Had.

Riley is the only one that doesn't groom well these days, and while the vet said that's a product of age I read somewhere that "unkempt fur" is a common symptom of thyroid problems in cats. So Riley has a couple of excuses but regardless of the reasons - he always has nasty mats which he doesn't like messed with. If I try, or my daughter Dani tries, he growls and rolls and bites and is just all around not happy about the process.

Dani and I shaved him once, from the tail to about the middle of the back, removing the greater part of the mats he had at the time. And I have NO IDEA where those pictures are, but you can bet that was one funny looking cat. He didn't seem to mind when it was all over, even though half of him was all pink and naked. Might have even liked it some.

So where am I going with all this? I think I scammed a grooming out of the cat clinic. Last time I brought Riley they removed a couple of mats when they took him back to take blood, since I was a few weeks late with making the appointment I'm sure they thought I was a terrible pet owner. At that visit the tech told me to make sure I make the next appointment on time and promised to get a few more mats off Riley when I brought him back. Sounded like a bribe to me.

Yesterday when they took him back to take his blood I told the tech who was taking him what the other girl had promised last time. She looked at me with the slightest bit of "that's not what your appointment is for" in her eye, but managed a polite "oh, um - okay."

Later when she brought Riley back out she was carrying what looked like a long haired messy guinea pig or something, but it was actually everything she had removed from my cat. Woo hoo!!! She explained how Riley could benefit from a grooming, they have a girl who comes in on Tuesdays so I might want to make an appointment for him sometime. I said okay and inquired about the price. $46.00. I thought yeah, maybe sometime. After I stop having to have blood work done every month on the damn cat.

When I got home and let Riley out of his carrier I saw just how handsome and well groomed he was! Not a mat left on him! So basically, I got a grooming for free, and I didn't get bit once. I hadn't intended to put anything over on them but I guess I did a little. Oh well, it was worth it - Riley looks great!

I am waiting for the results of the blood work, and the tech said it was good news - Riley has gained 2 ounces. Ounces! The cat has lost pounds and 2 ounces is good?? I've been feeding the cat everything he wants whenever he wants and he's only gained 2 ounces? Holy cow.

After I left though, it was suggested to me that maybe they weighed him after they took all that fur off of him. How much do you think a guinea pig's worth of cat fur weighs? Cause it looked like at least a pound to me!