It’s that time of year Andy dreads: Matting Season!

Andy doesn’t shed so much as he mats, thanks to the dual coat, dense nature of Persian fur. He instantly avoids me when he knows I have the brush and if I extend my hand toward him. He runs over to the cactus kitty scratcher, which as you can see in the photo he uses a lot. That helps comfort him to scratch the cactus.  He uses it for normal claw maintenance, of course, but he also uses it to tell me to stop tormenting him!

Yes, it’s that time of year. Andy dreads it because he hates being brushed. If he were more compliant, the brushing would be daily, weekly, or on a regular schedule. Now that he doesn’t have a confirmed groomer, his coat’s gone past the stage where matting happens, so Mr. Brush comes out again after lots of hiding.

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I already brushed his tummy and chest today, both big problem areas for his hair. I pulled one mat apart on his chest and one in his left armpit. Or was it the right? Maybe both! I want to get in control of his cute little butt hair before that is a problem. I may try a hygienic cut, though it would be the first time I tried it.

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Andy purrs when I brush him, but I know from the size of his pupils and other signs that he is upset and scared. As soon as he can manage it, he tries to escape! Come to think of it, he’s not hanging out with me this morning, part of the aftermath of brushing sessions. 

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Bless his heart! Andy decided to stop by to pose, then hop off the lapboard for important kitty business elsewhere. I bet it is watching for birds out the front door. It’s about that time of morning they stop around.

By afternoon, Andy came around to give me more good poses!

“Yes, thanks for holding that pose, Andrew! Good shot!“

I rewarded the wee rascal with ear rubs, neck scratches, and face rubs.

Wow! Then Andy gave me his glamour pose!

So much hard kitty work deserves some Greenies.

Then Andy hopped onto the kitty lounger for a snooze.

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I thought this was going to be a one-kitty-photo day, given how upset Andy was about being brushed, then he gave me several opportunities to fill this page! You never know with a kitty boy.

A quick touch up.

Off to a busy morning. Andy already checked cabinets for “mousies” so has lots of time for more important kitty business! 

I see you, Andrew!

“No, you don’t!”

Greenies! Nom! Nom!

Andy takes a short break on the kitty lounger. Time to plan the next stop. 

After lots of promptings – Pat! Pat! Pat! – Doug finally follows Andy to the back door…

…so Andy can check out the night scene on Lane 2. Apparently, there were no bunnies hopping around this morning and the early birds aren’t in birdy morning song because Andy…

…returned to the kitty lounger for another snooze, perhaps to dream of other kitty business he’ll do when he wakes up. 

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I have two chicken breasts in the crockpot. They are huge, which makes me think I’ll half them instead of trying to eat either whole. It would be helpful if you could buy single breasts or half portions of meat. Ground beef, at least at my grocery store, can be purchased in roughly pound/ .45kg or roughly two-pound/ .91kg portions in any of three levels of lean – 80%, 85%, or 90% – depending on how you plan to use it. 

I had some deli-sliced Black Forest ham I needed to use as soon as possible, too, so I split the breasts and stuffed some ham in both of them. Not any recipe in particular,  just a thought on how to use the ham in something other than another sandwich! It should season the chicken or ruin the ham. I’ll find out later today. 

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I accidentally trashed this post when correcting the heading. Several comments got erased in that situation and I haven’t been able to retrieve them. If your comment was one of them, please repost it and I gladly will return here to answer it.

Andy waited for me to finish cleaning up to go to dialysis. There he was, on the blue carrier.

He made the amazing seven-foot leap from the blue carrier to the cat tree by my bedroom door, then assumed the “massage me pose.”

Yes, Andy expected me to do to do that thing we usually do in the dark when I wake up and get out of bed. Andy wasn’t waiting on the cat tree when I passed it then. Now…!

I realized Andy wouldn’t handle it well if we skipped his favorite morning ritual, even if I was ready to leave for dialysis!

Aw! The head and ear rub and “skritches.”

His little butt elevated to get in better contact with my fingers. Yes, the morning ritual wouldn’t be complete without my fingers passing up and down Andy’s spine, never missing to “scritch” that spot near the tail that especially pleases him! 

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Standing for any length of time is difficult for me, so I leave a walker close to the cat tree so I can massage Andy as long as he wants me to. When he’s had enough  – long after I am ready to stop most mornings  – he hops back over to the blue carrier!  

Andy changes directions two, three, four times during our sessions and I change hands several times as well. My fingers give out well before Andy is satisfied the ritual is done!

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I know that in situations when a sentence ends with a quotation mark around a comment or word, the period goes inside the quotation marks: The dog says “Woof.”

That always looks wrong, wrong, wrong to me!

English orthography pedants frown on this: The dog says “Woof”. They aren’t just woofing, but you know what a pedant is: “…a person who is excessively concerned with minor details and rules or with displaying academic learning.” (Notice where I put the period. Woof!)

Andy isn’t ready for play, I guess.

“Meh.”

“Meh.”

Whew! Andy finally got his kitty on!

After play, Andy takes a rest. 

I get Andy’s attention.

Then tease him!

“NYAH! NYAH!”

Andy’s got his kitty on now!

RAWR!

The feather must die!

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I was waiting for Andy to continue his zoomies. I expected him to come from behind me and steak toward the open guest bedroom door. Of course, that isn’t how his zoomies ended. Play the video for the closest I’ve got to filming a zoomies episode.

Andy is on the verge of a snooze!

I guessed that correctly.

…or did I? He woke up suddenly.

Here he comes.

Yes, Andy stopped by for one of his favorite interactions with me! 

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Today should be fun today (Wednesday) at the Golden Hour Barbeque, a new business I’ve yet to try. Everyone who has eaten there speaks highly of it. Maybe I’ll take my smartphone with me so you can see what I enjoyed in food and friends.

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This older photo of my breakfast (with Andy cleaning his bum…) is what I’ve been eating regularly of late, though today it was with blueberries and lemon pie filling on top. That combination beats the syrup version and the pie filling holds the blueberries on the waffles! 

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I have one of these Fibber McGee closets that I rarely open because of the calamity that follows. Today, however, Andy wanted to see what was in it – what Andy wants, Andy gets, eh? – and, after Andy ran away when things fell out of the closet, I noticed that’s where I put the peacock feathers! I took one out and Andy and I played with it for a while. What fun! I’ll try to photograph a session for tomorrow’s post. That’s a trick, of course, since I’m not a Hindu god with more than two arms.

Andy makes a grand entrance. I think he is going to stop.

A little stare-down….

Decision time: Greenies or…

…fake-out! He gives me a lookover…

…then he exits the room.

Silly me! He slips back and stretches out on the lapboard. He ignores the Greenies. And me!

My turn! I bring out the ribbon. When he tries to snare it, I pull it out of his reach and swing it in front of his face.

Oops! Fake-out!

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Andy’s coat’s at the stage where he’ll mat up without intervention. I snatched Andy off the end table and gave him a top-to-bottom quick brushing. He hated the whole process, of course, but any mat avoided is every mat that impedes movement and comfort that doesn’t form. Tough, my kitty! 

Andy came around.

He was ready for a nap.

Then I called his name.

Even at nap time, some things are better, says Andy!

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I had a request by John of Las Vegas a while back for a video of Andy having a zoomies attack, which my kitty boy had this morning (Sunday), running from the dining area into the guest bedroom. I waited for him to return zooming from the other direction. I never know what I’m going to get when I try to catch Andy doing kitty stuff. He just walked out. Of course! No zoomie video for now, but I’m trying, John!

Sleepy time again!