King of the Forest

God made the cat in order that man might have
the pleasure of caressing the lion.
- Fernand Mery

Yesterday was Simon's yearly trip to the vet to be groomed, meaning he gets shaved. His hair is not only very long and thick, but it's fluffy. Not silky. He's one of three cats that we own share our lives with that have long hair. Boo, whom we call our 'Pretty Boy,' is fastidious about his appearance. I only have to brush and comb him once a week to keep him in good shape. Luna, Boo's brother, couldn't care less about the whole process, yet he rarely gets matted and tangled, and if he does, it's a small matter to brush him out, because he rather likes it.

Simon HATES it. He hears the jangle of the drawer pull where I keep the brush and comb and he takes off running for the hinterlands of the house and won't come back out for hours. I have to trick him by picking him up and then getting the brush, but anymore, he's onto that tactic, too. If I so much as walk in his direction, off he goes.

Romie is always saying, "Simon needs brushing," and I say, "You do it," because you see, I have been on the receiving end of Simon's wrath. He's been declawed, so you figure out how a declawed cat defends himself. Romie will have no part of it. He's seen my arms.

So, we pay $25 and haul him off to the vet for the day, after no food and water since midnight. They won't shave him without giving him anesthetic. (Smart!) I took him in at 7:30 and we picked him up at 4:00. He was still sleepy from the anesthetic, so a day at the barber's is pretty much a lost day to him. He will lie contentedly on my lap when we bring him home, so I take advantage of that, you can be sure. Yes, once a year, Simon loves me.

The first time we had this done, we wondered how Simon would react to his new look. It must feel different to him. He weighs 16 pounds and I think they removed 12 pounds of hair. Most humans would fret about such a drastic change in their looks, but Simon loves it. He acts almost kitten-like, having a renewed bounce to his steps. The other cats take their time in getting used to this 'new' creature, doing lots of sniffing. Baby, who is the only other strictly-indoor cat and Simon's only constant companion, hisses at him. She probably thinks to herself, "Dude! What did you go and dooooooo???"

But Simon isn't bothered. He knows he is King of the Forest around here, especially with his new Lion Do.