Wordless Wednesday

Bath Time!!!

Last night Marley got a much needed B-A-T-H. He is so smart though, he knows when I'm running the bath water and he looks at me with these big dilated eyes, and then proceeds to hide. After the water was finished running and I had it all nice and warm and soapy for him, I had to entice him out of hiding.

We then entered the bathroom and the door was shut. He let out a little whiny meow, but once I placed him in the warm bath water which reached almost completely up to his tummy, he just sat there. I think he really enjoyed it last night too because I had made the water warmer than usual and he kept crouching down so that most of his tummy was submerged under the water. All in all he was probably in the water for 5 minutes or so.

I scrubbed his body. I cleaned his ears. I trimmed his nails (by lifting out one paw at a time). I even did the least pleasant part and that was scrubbing his manly parts (what's left of them) and his you know what. Since he is hairless this often gets stained with you know what and can become quite stinky. (Sorry, but that's what happens to the sphynx!) I am gentle and it takes a good 20 seconds or so to complete this "task".

I then rinsed him using the water that was already in the tub. He freaks out just a little if I start to draw fresh water. Then he got wrapped up in a towel and was dry in probably 30 seconds! (Love this part).

As soon as I opened the door Reggie was waiting for him. I asked Reggie, "What, do you want one too?" As you may know Reggie is a nightmare when it comes to his baths, so I decided to put this off for another time. Plus, Reggie can go about a month in between baths, whereas Marley needs one every 2-3 weeks.

Here are some pictures of Marley after his bath. Hopefully you can see how squeaky clean and pretty he is. Although, he always finds it necessary to give himself another bath as soon as I finish. Go figure.

Bath time

Not your typical bath, but the following pictures were taken back in August 2008 probably within the first few weeks we brought Reggie into our home. You can see how tiny he was and how Marley absolutely fell in love with his brother from the get go. Even to this day the baths only go one way, with Marley bathing Reggie. Reggie is a little selfish in that way I guess!

Speaking of bathing Reggie...that took place last Sunday and what an ordeal that always is...as you recall Marley is very, very good with his baths, but Reggie on the other hand...

My long sleeve shirt was soaking by the end, water was all over the floor and Reggie squealed like a little piglet during most of it - no joke, that was the sound he was making. Poor thing. He then slept the rest of the day and wouldn't even purr for me like he usually does if he's napping and I start rubbing his back. Weird thing is, he enjoys sitting on the sink while I'm washing my face and brushing my teeth, but wants nothing to do with water when it involves him! Sphynx need regular baths because they don't have the hair to absorb the body oils. Lucky for me, and Reggie, he only gets a bath every three weeks.

How we met

Marley: Well, my mom and dad brought Reggie home when I was just 1 year old. I wasn't quite sure what to make of him, but I quickly adapted and only hissed at him a total of two times. My mom tried to keep us separated for awhile, but that didn't really work because I would just meow at the door and try to get in to the room where they were keeping this little guy. So, my mom and dad just gave up, especially because living in a 2 bedroom apartment there aren't many options (also she did know that we could make each other sick, but hoped for the best). For the first few days I would just rush Reggie and tackle him whenever he came out of his room. My mom and dad thought this was pretty funny, but they still kept pulling me off of Reggie. Reggie got overwhelmed too at times and would hide under furniture that my big body couldn't fit under. But eventually after about 10 days I got used to him and realized he wasn't going anywhere and stopped tackling him every chance I got. Here are some pictures from our first week together. As you can see Reggie tried to raise his two paws at me trying to fend me off (didn't work, but he tried).

Also, I never did get sick from Reggie besides a minor eye infection that healed up quickly with Terramycin and antibiotics. Reggie never got sick either (Mom was very thankful for this because she has had sick kittens before and it just stresses her out too much).

Lastly, many of you out there have been likening us to Dragonheart and Merlin! We know all about them. Our mom found them several months ago while "googling" and has been reading their blog ever since. She got really excited because she saw how Dragonheart loved his brother and she was anxious to get Marley a brother too!! We don't mind being compared to them because they are the bestest kitties and live all the way in Deutchland, which our mom and dad visited a couple of months ago while on vacation....Marley = Dragonheart, aka a good kitty, and Reggie = Merlin, a little terror at times who hates baths!!!

Also, we are very excited that our Gizzy Quilt is on its way! It should be here Monday! Thanks Millie!!!

Bath Time

Marley does not mind his baths. He is quite good and just stands there and takes it like a good kitty....Reggie on the other hand is a nightmare. Thus, I don't have any pictures of him in the bath at the present time....

Sphynx cats must have regular baths or else they can get skin infections....since they do not have hair there is nothing to absorb the natural body oils that all cats produce. My two boys get a bath every 2 weeks. Along with baths goes weekly (well, every 10 days) ear cleanings and nail cleanings as they get black waxy "gunk" in between their nails (again no hair to filter out the dirt and oils). Marley is very good with all these maintenance items....Reggie....not so much!!! I should count my blessings though - they could both be nightmares!

Good thing about bathing sphynx though - they are dry in no time!