I have had some trouble being patient and gently with the cats, although it is not intentional, and I have had to BACK OFF.
I have not brushed Sake regularly, and she has become severely matted. Sometimes, she lets me cut the worst of her clumped matts off, but not always. Mostly, she is patient when I want to cut terribly matted clumps on her britches. Which I did several days ago. A few days later, I cut a terribly matted clump from her side: there is a gaping hole in her fur now. I think I must have hurt her feelings, because her resistance to grooming has escalated since then. Cutting the clump was not physically painful. In fact, when I did it, I do not think she realized what I was doing. But she has been very angry with me since then. I guess I can understand: it is like getting a really bad haircut.
The last few days, I have been trying to pull apart or comb out a matt a day, but this has not resulted in any progress with the problem.
Saturday, I just really tried to groom her, and she became very distraught with me. Well, I can not blame her, because trying to comb the matts, even though I try to be gentle, can hurt. Then she yanks away and that pulls even more.
I went on line looking for a cat version of "no more tangles" but found none. I saw a website from a cat owner who suggested using just that. But I hate to put those chemicals, whatever they are, on my cat. One ex-breeder suggested cornstarch. Well, that seems innocuous. The first time I tried to put cornstarch on Sake, she object wildly. But I did get some on her, and later in the day, was able to finger the matts apart. I put more on her yesterday, and later in the day, again, was able to finger the matts apart. It seems the cornstarch helps things to become a little slick. It is not great, but better than what I was doing.
The advice on line said not to comb a cat, but to brush them. So, I got the brush out, and today, I briefly brushed her. I got a few matts. The brush is not as efficient with the matts, but less stressful for her, but still, did not please her.
I have spent a lot of time making nice with her the last couple of days.
Yesterday morning, as I was stumbling around getting up, I stepped on Taki's tail. It was brief, and unintentional, but I hate doing that, to any of my cats.
Tonight, after work, I was feeding the cats but getting ready to go out afterwards. Haiku slipped into the garage, in spite of my efforts to keep her out. I went into the garage and yelled at her, because I did not want her to get on the high shelf, where I could not reach her.
I can not leave from the garage if a cat is in the garage: The opening of the garage door scares them and they become unmanageable. I am afraid to run over a cat if one is in the garage. I am afraid one will escape if I open the garage door. If I leave a cat in the garage and go away, and come back, and open the garage door, I am afraid, once again, one will escape, or I will run over a cat. So this becomes quite a dilemma for me.
Well, I am ashamed that I yelled at Haiku, because I wanted her to get back into the house, and she would not come when I called. Well, much to my chagrin, she jumped to the high shelf. I took a deep breath, and said as sweetly as I could, that she had a half hour, then I would have to get her down. Well, less than ten minutes later, she was off the shelf and I could pick her up and put her in the house. I have petted her gently and often since then, both before and after my outing. She has joined me in the computer room, so I hope she has forgiven me. I was just rude.
After my outing, Sake wanted into the garage. I had decided that any or all three of the cats could go into the garage when I got home. Because the outside garage door sometimes bounces back up, I made a point to be sure it was totally closed before I went into the house. I had some groceries which I took with me. As I said, Sake wanted into the garage, and she was allowed.
The outside garage door opener light was on, when Sake went into the garage. Usually, as a signal to me, if I have a cat in the garage, I turn on the garage light. This is a reminder to me when I am in the house, that there is a cat in the garage. And, if I am working in the front yard, having come around from the back, it is a reminder to me that there is a cat in the garage, and I do not want to open the garage door from the outside key panel. Or, at least, I should err on the side of caution, and assume there is a cat in the garage, and I should not open the outside garage door using the key panel.
Well, I forgot to turn on the garage light, and while checking on Sake, did so after a little while. As is my habit, I again checked a few minutes later to see how Sake was doing. She was at the south end of the garage, and acted very skittish about coming into the house. It was then that I noticed that the garage door was open! And, I was hearing lots of blustering wind from the cold front the was moving in from the north (my garage opens to the north,)
My heart was in my throat!. I did not want Sake to run outside. I knew that closing the garage door would make her even more skittish (if she is standing at the door that goes from the kitchen to the garage when the outside door is going up or down, the noise seems to frighten her.) I stepped into the garage, in the lane between the car and the outside door, and encouraged her to go into the house, which she did, hesitantly.
I am grateful that there was a front blowing in from the north. Sake dislikes the wind. If it had a been a calm night, even a cold, calm night, I suspect she would have ventured outside, and I would have had hell to pay to find her. In reality, she would have returned home on her own terms, and I would have been heart sick in the mean time.
I am not sure why the garage door was open. Years ago, with a different, older, garage door opener, sometimes the garage door would just open of its own accord. One of my neighbors, who was a police officer in a neighboring town, noticed that, and came by one time when that happened, and talked to me about taking precautions and getting it fixed. He was right, and I followed his advice about securing the garage door until I could get it fixed, and then, fixing it.
I am hoping, tonight, when I hit the light switch because Sake was in the garage, I inadvertently hit the garage door opener switch, although they are some inches apart. Otherwise, I have no idea why the outside garage door was open!
I will just keep vigilant about making sure the garage door is closed as it should be. Otherwise, I have a recalcitrant garage door which I, of course, cannot trust to behave as a garage door should.
All three cats are safely inside. The wind has picked up and is making all kinds of rude noises outside. But we are inside. And safe. And, hopefully contented to be inside and safe.
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