FileTitle: Prose1590.html
Category: Humor
Type: Prose
Description: Cat Bathing as a Martial Art
                    Cat Bathing as a Martial Art

Some people say cats never have to be bathed. They say cats lick
themselves clean.  They say cats have a special enzyme of some sort
in their saliva that works like new, improved Wisk - dislodging the
dirt where it hides and whisking it away.
        I've spent most of my life believing this folklore. Like most blind
believers,  I've been able to discount all the facts to the
contrary - the kitty odors that lurk in the corners of the garage
and dirt smudges that cling to the throw rug by the fireplace.
        The time comes, however, when a man must face reality; when he must
look squarely in the face of massive public sentiment to the contrary
and announce: "This cat smells like a port-a-potty on a hot day in
Juarez."
        When that day arrives at your house, as it has in mine, I have some
advice you might consider as you place your feline friend under you
arm and head for the bathtub:
        * Know that although the cat has the advantage of quickness and lack
  of concern for human life, you have the advantage of strength.
  Capitalize on that advantage by selecting the battlefield. Don't
  try to bathe him in an open area where he can force you to chase him.
  Pick a very small bathroom. If your bathroom is more than four feet
  square, I recommend that you get in the tub with the cat and close
  the sliding-glass doors as if you were about to take a shower.
  (A simple shower curtain will not do. A berserk cat can shred a
   three-ply rubber shower curtain quicker than a politician can shift
   positions.)
        * Know that a cat has claws and will not hesitate to remove all the
  skin from your body. Your advantage here is that you are smart and
  know how to dress to protect yourself. I recommend canvas overalls
  tucked into high-top construction boots, a pair of steel-mesh gloves,
  an army helmet, a hockey face mask and a long-sleeve flak jacket.
        * Prepare everything in advance. There is no time to go out for a
  towel when you have a cat digging a hole in your flak jacket.  Draw
  the water. Make sure the bottle of kitty shampoo is inside the glass
  enclosure. Make sure the towel can be reached, even if you are
  lying on your back in the water.
        * Use the element of surprise. Pick up your cat nonchalantly, as if to
  simply carry him to his supper dish. (Cats will not usually notice
  your strange attire. They have little or no interest in fashion as a
  rule. If he does notice your garb, calmly explain that you are taking
  part in a product-testing experiment for J.C. Penney.)
        * Once you are inside the bathroom, speed is essential to survival.  In
  a single liquid motion, shut the bathroom door, step into the tub
  enclosure, slide the glass door shut, dip the cat in the water and
  squirt him with shampoo. You have begun one of the wildest 45 seconds
  of your life. Cats have no handles.
        Add the fact that he now has soapy fur, and the problem is radically
compounded.  Do not expect to hold on to him for more that two or
three seconds at a time.  When you have him, however, you must
remember to give him another squirt of shampoo and rub like crazy.
He'll then spring free and fall back into the water, thereby rinsing
himself off. (The national record is - for cats - three latherings,
so don't expect too much.)
        * Next, the cat must be dried. Novice cat bathers always assume this
  part will be the most difficult, for humans generally are worn out
  at this point and the cat is just getting really determined. In fact,
  the drying is simple compared to what you have just been through.
  That's because by now the cat is semi-permanently affixed to your right
  leg. You simply pop the drain plug with your foot, reach for your towel
  and wait. (Occasionally, however, the cat will end up clinging to the
  top of your army helmet. If this happens, the best thing you can do is
  to shake him loose and to encourage him toward your leg.)  After all
  the water is drained from the tub, it is a simple matter to just reach
  down and dry the cat.
        * Do *NOT* try to use a blow dryer.  You might as well use a vacuum
cleaner.
        In a few days the cat will relax enough to be removed from your leg.
He will usually have nothing to say for about three weeks and will
spend a lot of time sitting with his back to you. He might even become
psychoceramic and develop the fixed stare of a plaster figurine.
        You will be tempted to assume he is angry. This isn't usually the
case. As a rule he is simply plotting ways to get through your
defenses and injure you for life the next time you decide to give
him a bath. But, at least now he smells a lot better.