Conference misery::feline

    My fear is that the black soot might be toxic and that is why
    she is throwing up.   I truly believe you should call your vet
    and discuss what would be best to use on her immediately to
    clean it up.   I wouldn't wait to long for this.
    
    I fear this because my little Dewey got very sick from being in 
    our old coal bin down the cellar. (we have since blocked the entire 
    coal bin off)  He came out black...and within a day he was throwing 
    up and looked very ragged.
    
    Keep us posted....and it sounds like you have a little ball of
    mischief on your hands. 
    
    Sandy
       

    I'd say a full fledged bath is needed here.  Try a professional
    groomer if you can't handle it yourself.
      Nancy DC
    

I agree, a real bath is needed.  Be careful, baths are not usually good
for kittens as it leaves them prone to colds or pneumonia.  Keep him
real warm and cuddled in a towel in a warm room until he's perfectly
dry.  Don't use a hair dryer on him.  Good luck; please tell us how you
make out.

Bill

    There is nothing in the bathing that leaves a kitten prone to colds or
    pneumonia, but you must take care to dry the kitten fully before
    letting him run around.  Baths themselves are not the problem.  
    
    It is my opinion that cats should be bathed as kittens to get them used
    to the procedure while they are young.  That way bathing will be much
    simpler if and when it has to be done in adulthood.
    
    Jo

If you do give her a bath watch out for those claws!..   a good way to keep them
from squirming and you from bleeding is to:

put your strongest, most dexterous hand under her chest;
place index and middle finger between front legs;
thumb and last two fingers outside front legs;
make sure outter fingers are on our above sholders; 
and squees outside fingers together.

If you are doing it right the front legs become straight and
cross each other just at the paws.  This doesn't hurt the cat
and helps keep the front legs immobile. 

The back legs should be left to stand in the sink..  They 
are "relatively" harmless... 

She'll most likely fuss and moan and give the characteristic
siamese "MAAAAAAAAAA", and hate you for a few minutes.. She 
probably won't even want you to dry her..  But she'll get over
it and she'll be squeaky clean when your done.. and you won't
need stitches. 

Make sure you use luke warm water.. not to hot and a good baby 
shampoo..  Avoid scrubbing her head if at all possible because the
closer you get to the face, the more they squeal and squirm.

I hope this works for you.. I know it does for me and my two brats..

-Rob

    One thing to remember is that cats have a higher body temperature than
    humans do and lukewarm to us will be too cold to the cat.  I use fairly
    warm water on my cats (it is as warm as my own hands can stand, but not 
    any cooler than that).  If the water isn't warm enough, the cat will
    squirm more.  If the cat is very squirmy, try using a tad bit warmer
    water and see if the cat calms down a bit.
    
    Human body temperature is 98.6
    Feline body temperature is 101-102.5
    
    Jo

    What happens if a cat gets a chill?  I was under the assumption that
    virus and bacteria cause illness,  not air temp?  I'm new to the
    cat-owning game, so any information will help tremendously.  I will be
    attempting to give my maine-coon (or lookalike, not really sure) a bath
    as soon as his abscess-drain site has healed.  I'm going to restrict
    him to house-only from now on, so he needs a good bath.  I'm really
    nervous about it! He's very large, but very good-natured and patient
    (witness the anitbiotic drops and drain-cleaning routine every day for
    the past week), but any secrets will be greatly appreciated.
    Sarah

    You don't want the cat to get a chill.  Just like people, leaving them
    soaking wet and exposed to cold air could lead to illness.  Maybe it is
    because of the stress on the body.  If you do not wish to attempt to
    use a blow dryer on your cat, maybe you could towel dry him very well
    and then set him in front of the fireplace, or in the bathroom with the
    heat lamp on, or in front of the furnace or something.
    
    Jo

                   <<< USER2:[NOTES$LIBRARY]FELINE.NOTE;1 >>>
                  -< Differing Opinions are Valued in FELINE >-
================================================================================
Note 82.0                      She is cleaner now                     No replies
MUNICH::TUSIA "Off To See The Lizard"                 8 lines  16-DEC-1991 03:13
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Well to update everyone on the status. We took her to the Vet last
    week. Her gave her something to make her sleepy and washed he up. 
    He cleaned everything except the face. She still is not as white as she
    was before. I learned the hard way about not getting scratched. She
    sure doesn't like water :<} Now if she would stop being so shy and
    come to us I would be happy. All she wants to do is lay on the
    raidiator.
    

    Next time you bathe her try using "Silver lights" shampoo.  Its a 
    human shampoo made for silver and white hair.  I use it on Shadow and
    it does a wonderful job.  Also, Blue Dawn is good for white cats. 
    (Just don't leave the Silver lights on too long - I know of someone
    with a white cat who used too much for too long and ended up with
    a lilac cat ;^)
    
    Jo - re: temp of water.  My cats seem to prefer tepid water to hot.
    The squirm less if I use cooler water.  Isn't that strange?

    Another tip for bathing my cats: I place an old towel in the sink
    before I fill it with water. I've found that they slip and slide on the
    stainless steel and this works like a bathmat. Plus I have the rinse
    water in a couple of buckets ready to use. They don't freak out by a
    faucet being turned on.
    
    I'm curious why you can't use a blow dryer on a cat? I did with one of
    the strays I took in and he loved it. I put it on a low setting and
    didn't have it pointing towards him when I turned it on. I let it run
    for a minute or so before using it on him.
    
    Roslyn

    Boy, the things that happen when you don't have that video camera set
    up. I finally bit the bullet and gave Spike a bath.  WHOOO, boy! I have
    a very large, shallow kitchen sink, so I though that would be better
    than the tub.  Score one for me.  However, I forgot that I have
    curtains just behind the sink.  Score one for Spike!  I was so
    concerned about his front legs, that he managed to splay his hind legs
    across the width of the sink!  I was stuck!  I tried to nudge one of
    his legs into the sink with my hip, and he managed to grab one of the
    curtains!  Then the bottle of shampoo went flying (I had the foresight
    to open it before I started, figuring I'd need to just grab it and not
    fiddle with the top), and my little 2-year old boy was standing a
    respectable distance away saying "wow!".  I did manage to get him
    bathed, but was he ever angry at me, and took it out on my two
    innocent-bystander dogs.  Of couse, I believe I heard one of the dogs
    snicker at some point... Tons 'O fun!!!                      Sarah

well, thanks to good advice from Joann Brown, my cats all had baths this
weekend...and they actually seemed to like every part of the bath except the
shampoo.  I used really warm water (it felt "too warm" to my hand, but I
could still keep my hand in it)...and boy did it make a difference in the
cats' reactions to being put into the "get wet" tub prior to soaping them
up with cat shampoo!  They didn't even holler, in fact, The Flash got a
nice wide-eyed look on her face as if to say, "Oh, this isn't bad at all!"

Now, I have four sweet-smelling, soft as bunny-fur, fluffy as new dandalion
puffs cats....and Sam is just a little embarassed about the whole thing.
It is hard to be a curmudgeon when you are so beautiful and clean.

I used the double sinks in the kitchen.  I heated the house up to 75 (which
actually meant the heater was blowing steadily during the baths and for
an hour and 30 minutes after their baths).  I got plenty of towels ready.
and I mixed the low-sudsing, easy-rinse cat shampoo half/half with hot
water so it wasn't cold on their skin.  I then dipped each cat into a tub
of really warm water to get wet (no face and no ears)...moved the cat
to the other side of the sink for a good soap up with the diluted shampoo.
Then back to the dip tub for a warm sit while I warmed up the "shower" on
the other side of the sink...when it was warm enough, I moved the cat
back to the empty side and rinsed really well with the spray attachment
hooked on the faucet (the spray units sell for a small $, and are flexible
hoses with sprayers attached to the end).  I then wiped each cats face with
a wet wash cloth and wrapped him/her in a towel that my roommate had warmed
in the dryer....we used two towels/cat - one to get the water off, and one
to fluff a bit.  Then the cat was put in my bathroom so the heater could
dry him/her well.  All were dry within 1.5 hours.

Pretty nifty work if I do say so.

    Does anyone put creme rinse on their cat?  I notice I get a zap every
    time I pet Spike.  He doesn't seem to notice, but then, he doesn't
    notice much unless it's incredibly fun for cats : ) Anyway, I thought I
    might try using some cort of creme rinse on him after bathing him this
    weekend to cut down on the static.  Would this help?  If so, would I
    need one specifically designed for cats, or can I use the same one I
    use for my little boy (human, that is)?         ..........Sarah

    I have used Finesse extra body conditioner on my show cats.  I have
    also used Agree with great success.  But, now I use Bio-Groom silk
    conditioner.  It seems to be better at controlling static.  You can
    pick this stuff up at a cat show or at most pet supply stores.
    
    Jo

    Sarah - you might want to try getting a few humidifiers for your place. 
    That really helps to cut down on the "zapps".

    Cheryl,
    Funny you mentioned the humidifiers.  We do have one for our little
    boy's room.  It's an evaporator-type, called something like a hot-mist
    humidifier, as opposed to cool mist.  It's the same size as an
    ultrasonic.  Anyway, since the tank gets very warm as it boils the
    water, guess where Spike likes to nap?  I had to turn the jets so he
    didn't get damp from the mist.  I've seen a little dragon humidifier, a
    little duck-pond humidifier, but I've never seen a giant cat
    humidifier!  He's quite large, and hangs off the tank top all around,
    but he seems quite content : )  We still gets zapped, though, so I
    thought I might need something for his fur.  I'll look around for the
    products Jo mentioned.
    Sarah

    I use Finesse conditioner or Nexus Humectress on my kitties when I 
    bathe them for a show.  You know, sometimes you need a little Finesse...
    
    Anyway, Finesse works great on Onyx the Patent Leather kitty and 
    Bailey's fur feels like silk when I use Humectress.  I haven't noticed
    a static problem.  Of course, with the last two weeks of rain there's
    alot more moisture in the air these days.
    
    Jan

    Not really a bath question, but related to cleanliness:
    Spike had to have ear surgery for an infection and ruptured hematoma.
    He's the "Amazing Colossal Cone Head" again, and I need some ideas on
    how to restrain him and still clean out the drain.  He's big, about
    20-25 pounds, and in a lot of pain from this latest episode, so I have
    to be rather gentle with him.  But I can't seem to keep him still,
    since I need both hands to inject the peroxide into the drain and catch
    the out-flow!  The peroxide bubbles, so the sound probably echoes in
    the cone and tickles (maybe stings).  I have to do this twice a day...
    Any quick ideas?  My ability to clean out the drain has a direct affect
    on the timely removal of the drain, so any help is appreciated.
    Sarah              

    Sarah, Kyra had a drain in her neck when she was hurt with the kitty
    teaser.  She had a abscess that had a drain in it.
    
    Even though Kyra is much smaller than Spike (she's lucky if she's 8 lbs!) 
    She's STILL quite the worm!!  Very gangle so to speak.
    
    What I found works best is if you wrap the cat in a towel very tightly. 
    This way they really can't get you with their claws.  Then have someone
    else hold the cat while you do the work on the drain.
    
    Good luck!
    
    Holly
    

    Thanks, Holly.  I managed to survive with the towel routine,
    unfortunately I didn't have anyone to help hold him.  After struggling
    to kneel on the end of the towel, I finally hit a brainstorm. I folded
    him up in the towel, and plunked him into a laundry basket.  Since he
    is so big, and I used a big, fluffy towel, there was no room for him to
    move around.  Worked like a charm!  
    Sarah

    Well, wish me luck.  Tonight is bath night for 1 cat with claws (Mr.
    Baggins), 1 cat without claws (Calvin), one 6 month 60 pound puppy
    (Arthur), and probably for me also.  Arthur and Calvin are not huge
    problems, Bilbo Baggins is.  I picked him up off of the floor yesterday
    and he gave me 2 scratches on my wrist that are 6 inches long each. 
    Bummer.  If I am not in shreads and am able to come to work to tell you
    the story, I will report here tomorrow.
    
    Can you tell I am afraid of giving this cat a bath?  I can not afford
    to have it done professionally.  I am thinking about getting gloves
    made of space-age-impenitrable-multi-use-cat-claw-proof-plastic.  Oh
    well, I can hope can't I?
    
    See you tomorrow!
    
    Catherine

    Clip those claw before bathing.  And, good luck.
    
    A friend of mine who doesn't know much about cats was feeding a stray
    for a while.  Kitty was dirty and my friend decided Mr. Kitty needed
    a bath.  He didn't ask anyone for the best way to proceed first.  He 
    just took kitty, complete with claws, into the shower with him.  Big
    mistake.  Kitty went balistic.  My friend was recovering from scratches
    for weeks.  Kitty decided to get his meals in some other location after
    that experience.  I'm sure this wasn't funny for either one of them at
    the time but when I think of him and this cat in the shower together, I 
    have to laugh.
    
    Jan

    I just bathed both Herbie and Kelsey yesterday.  Neither enjoy being
    bathed much, but here is a trick I use and will pass along:
    
    I hold onto the scruff of the neck (gently) with one hand while wetting
    down/rinsing the cat.  It keeps him limp and relaxed.  When shampooing,
    I use both hands to work in the lather and even if they try to get
    away, I can pull them back into the sink.  I find holding them by the
    scruff as much as possible when running the water helps make bathing
    time easier.
    
    Oh, and be sure to use a rubber mat in the bottom of the sink to make
    kitty feel more secure.  If they feel they are losing their footing it
    upsets them, and they fight even harder.
    
    Herbie always purrs after I am through blow drying him and strutts
    around the house like he *knows* he looks good!!  He was doing that all
    day yesterday and this morning.
    
    -Roberta
    

    Good morning!  Well last night was an adventure.
    
    Thank you for reminding me to clip his claws!  I would not have done
    it.  (Duh!)  Poor Mr. Baggins thought his life was going to come to an
    end when I first put him into the water.  He is a strong cat.  I
    underestimated him!  However, after I got him wet, I held him close to
    me to do the actual washing.  He sort of went limp and looked at me as
    if to say "why are you doing this to me?  Was I really such a bad
    kitty?"  I felt so bad.  So once I rinsed him (and me of course) I
    wrapped him in a big bath towel and rubbed him down.  He was purring by
    this time.  Who knew?  So I figured it was safe to spray some
    additional flea gunk on him.  Wrong.  It was cold and my poor baby did
    not like it.  Oops.  So I let him go.
    
    He must have figured his dignity was under the bed, I did not see him
    for hours.  Later, I saw him dignity intact.  He is still mad at me.
    
    
    So I figured the worst was over.  NOT!  Calvin, who had submitted to
    bathings with minimum resistance decided that he would not be bathed
    today.  He spread each of his legs out so that I could not put him into
    the kitchen sink.  I grabbed 2 paws and he pushed off with the other 2. 
    I got him into the water and he howled!  He climbed up my front, hoping
    to escape.  I pulled him off of my shoulder, put him back into the
    water and reached for the shampoo.  And off he went!  Once I got him
    back, I held him close and washed him in my arms.  Then into the rince
    side of the sink.  Slosh, meow, hiss, drip, drip, slosh, splash, hiss,
    meow.  Calvin was *angry*.  So we did make it, I dried him off in
    another big fluffy towel (mostly so I could confine him while I dried
    him).  When I let him go, he did not run.  He took 10 steps or so and
    sat and looked at me. "Hmph.  And I thought you were my friend."  He
    turned to go and with each step he took, he shook one paw.  Step shake. 
    Step, shake.  He did this so that he shook each paw 4 times.  Only then
    was he ready to start the real cleaning he'd have to do after I had
    insulted him like that.  Poor guy.
    
    However the cleaning is done.  The dog was not a problem.
    
    Oh, one handy consumer tip.  If you wash your cats in the kitchen sink,
    do not fill the sink to the top.  Slosh, splash, drip, drip, drip,
    drip.
    
    Have a good day!
    
    Catherine

    Catherine,
    
    When I bathe my cats in the kitchen sink, I do not fill it with water.
    They really get upset when they have to stand in water.  I have a hose
    attachment I put on the kitchen faucet (since I don't have one of
    those built in sprayers) that I use to put the water anywhere on the
    cat that I want.  I put the plug in the sink only partially so 
    kitty feet don't slip into the drain but the water can still escape.
    They're not totally happy with the fact that they're getting wet at
    all but they much prefer the sprayer to standing in a sink full of
    water.  I bought the hose attachment at Longs Drugs.
    
    Jan

    One way NOT to wash a cat is to bring the cat into the kitchen and turn
    the water on and then put the cat in the sink.  :^)  This is what my
    husband did with Lea the other night when she was accidentally sprayed
    with stuff he was putting on the fruit trees out back.  Lea totally
    freaked so I told him to leave her and I'd wash her off.  Yeah, sure,
    on my own?  Who was I kidding!  After calming her down a bit, I took
    the spray hose and gave her a good soaking including her face.  It's no
    wonder she hates me but we did want to rinse her off as quickly as
    possible.  We were nearly done and Lea suddenly escaped part way across
    the kitchen counter.  She ran right into a bowl of fruit and attacked a
    banana!  Her claw got stuck in the banana and she flung it across the
    kitchen. It was such a sight to see!  Lately we call her Banana Brains!

    I can picture the cat attached to a banana!!!  I am here at my terminal
    laughing and as people walk by they are giving me the strangest looks!
    
    Oh, I forgot to mention, Calvin was so mad at me, he went poo in the
    living room, as a little "present".  As if I didn't already know that
    he was upset.
    
    I will try the hose next time, it is very difficult to push a cat into
    a sink of water.
    
    Catherine

    Gee it looks like we've all been into cat-washing lately. ;^>
    
    As I mentioned in another note, I had to bathe Brandy after he spent
    the night wedged between the wall and the oil tank and laying IN a
    dried puddle of oil! -yucko-
    
    I've had the best luck partially filling the sink with warm soapy water
    and having warm rinse water handy so I don't have to turn on any
    water. Well Brandy was glad to be rescued and looked as if he didn't
    know where to begin cleaning himself. When I put him in the water it
    was like putting him in super jello....he bounced right back out in my
    arms!
    
    I manage to hold him down with one hand and scrub with the other. He
    tried to climb up me, up the walls, out the window (thank goodness for
    screens) but then he settled down. Man getting that oil out was a pain
    in the patooty! By the time Brandy had all the fun he could stand he
    stepped out of the sink and into the rinse water (double sink ;^). He's
    such an accomdating boy. The look was priceless!
    
    I wrapped him in a couple of fluffy towels and took him downstairs (our
    room & bathroom). I figured the bathroom was small and he had no place
    to hide so it'd be okay to dry him there. Now for introductions to Mr.
    Blow Dryer! It's worked on my other cats so I figured Brandy'd get use
    to it. I have one of those diffusers so he didn't get blasted by a
    stream of air and the dryer has a couple of speeds. Brandy looked at
    that contraption like it was his worse fears come to life. But once I
    started brushing him, he settled in.
    
    We finished off the beauty treatment with a manicure and some kitty
    treats. By the time he immerged from the bathroom he looked mah-velous!
    Me on the othe hand looked like I'd been dragged through a knot-hole
    backwards. I was soaking wet, my hair going in all directions, Brandy
    hair stuck all over me and flying all over the bathroom...Calgon take
    me away (kinda hard to do with only a shower!).
    
    Roslyn  

    Hi,
    
    I'm the proud owner of a 9 week old kitty named Meesha.  When I got
    her, she had earmites so I gave her eardrops for the 10 days.
    
    I gave her a bath last night because she had sticky fur near her ears
    from the eardrops.  My question is how often should kittens/cats be 
    bathed?  She's an indoor kitten.
                                    
    Thanks,
    
    Joanne
    

    My cats are indoor only, also.  I bathe Lizette before a show.  The
    other cats get a bath if special company is coming and I want them to
    feel and smell wonderful.  Since they stay pretty clean they don't need
    a bath on a regular basis.  I find that if they are shedding a lot, a
    bath helps (somewhat).
    
    Steffi

    I agree with Steffi that indoor cats don't really need baths that often
    since they don't get dirty inside.  I would like to add though, that
    bathing helps if you have allergies.  You should rinse them with
    distilled water once a month.  
    
    Michelle

    My allergist recommends bathing weekly if you have allergies.  My 
    vet says that is too much.  When I'm showing my cats they get bathed
    a couple of times per month.  When I'm not showing them it is more
    like once every 2 months unless allergies are bothering me.  If I'm
    having lots of allergy problems I go back to bathing a couple of times 
    per month.
    
    Jan

    My cat is indoor/outdoor and has only had one bath (before a flea dip)
    the entire year. He keeps himself very clean.  I do comb him every so
    often.  He is a short hair though.  That probably has lots to do with
    it.  
    
    sandy

    Jeesh, I feel like a bad mother......  I have 8 cats in the house
    now and none of them have EVER had a bath, and they seem to smell
    just delightful to me... :-)  Of course, this does not count the
    times when they were kittens and stepped in a poop and got a 
    spot-bath with a wet facecloth....  :-)  (Their facecloth, let
    me clarify that.)
    
    N

    Ya, me, too.  Of course, Blue just had a bath, but that was different! 
    Unless one of them needs a spot-cleaning, they tend to their own
    "toilette".

    I don't bathe my cats much either.  Herbie the Himmie will get a bath
    maybe every two months or so.  Kelsey and Taja almost never do.  They
    all look and smell wonderful after bathing, but I really don't think it
    is necessary to go overboard with it.
    
    What I hate is when they groom each other and have that yucky kitty
    breath smell on their coats.  For that, I will usually take out the
    grooming powder and give them a dry bath and brushing.
    
    -Roberta
    

    We'll definitely be bathing our cats this weekend, assuming we can find
    them amongst all the rubble.  :^)

    Re: zelda and chubs
    
    I think I remember seeing a note that you were remodeling?  This is
    perhaps the place to warn that stuff like drywall dust and other remodeling
    goodies can be harmful to cats.
    

    I have two indoor-outdoor cats.  One is an absolute slob!  He never
    grooms himself, so I bathe him probably once per quarter.  The other is
    as meticulous as they come, and so far I've given him one flea bath.
    Wish I had named them Oscar and Felix  : ) 
    Sarah

    Sarah,
    
    My parents have a cat, Fluffy, who does not live up to that name!! 
    Fluffy is a longhaired completely white cat who insists upon living
    outdoors at all times.  He only comes inside to eat.  He has an open
    door policy but has never been a real social cat.  The neighbors left
    him behind when they moved so my mom simply took over where they left
    off.
    
    Fluffy NEVER grooms himself.  I don't think he ever learned how.  He is
    brought to the groomers every month but is filthy again within 24
    hours.  If you ever saw this cat you would think my parents neglect him
    (if you knew they owned him), or you would think he is homeless.  The
    only reason they keep him is because my father will not let my mom find
    him another place to live.  To open the subject up for discussion only
    results in a huge argument between them.
    
    I don't know why they ever called this cat Fluffy to begin with!  He is
    the farthest thing from fluffy that I ever saw!  :^)
    
    -Roberta
    

    Thanks, Roberta.  I thought there was something wrong with my cat
    because he doesn't groom himself.  He's a very large (20 lbs) fluffy
    cat!  Maybe it has something to do with being long-haired?  Too much
    trouble to "style" it correctly?  One of my friends said I was lucky,
    because he would be harking up furballs big time if he bothered to
    groom himself : )  I do brush him frequently.  I just sent him to the
    groomers for a flea bath, because, well, he'll sit OK for a regular
    bath, but that "wait ten minutes then rinse" is a little too much for
    my big guy.  They put an orange bow behind his right ear...looked
    ridiculous considering the poor hygiene habits of this fella.  But 
    those who don't know he's a slob thought he looked adorable!  The bow 
    was gone and he was dusty within 24 hours...  
    Sarah

    We have a 'barn cat' who lives in the house more than the barn.
    The problem is she has some sort of hip problem... sits like
    a person - with both legs hanging over the deck - stuff like that.
    
    Anyway, she dosen't seem to be able to get to those little spots
    on either side of her tail.  The hair is all matted and dirty.
    
    I got lots of suggestions as well as many laughs (that banana story 
    killed me!) so I'm now brave enough and crazy enough to try it!
    
    She is a real LOVE_BUG of a cat!  Even comes when called.  But she
    isn't small  (15-18 pounds) and strong.  So hubby was volunteered
    to help.  If you could have only seen his face!  But he won't let
    me attempt it alone so he's involved - period.  :-)
    
    The only question I still have is what to use?  She has terrible
    allergies, even gets face pimples from a flea coller.  Even breaks out
    from the natural kind I buy special at the natural grocer.  Yet she
    doesn't seem to have a flea problem... I am always checking her after
    her rolls in the sand.  Must be giving all the homelss sand fleas a
    place to live...  ;-}
    
    Is there something someone could recommend that is all natural?
    Maybe baking soda?  Just a guess.  I really need help from the 'gurus'
    here...  You folks have really impressed me with your genuine
    comapssion for our furry friends.  And your friendship as well.
    (see note 417 - you have no idea how much you helped there!)
    
    Surely other cats have the 'pimple-puss' problem... our vet says it
    isn't really that uncommon.  I would like to keep a flea collar on her
    but so far everything breaks her out - eventually.  Just don't want
    to go away this fall with her all matted and dirty.  She is so friendly
    we are afraid that soomeone will mistake rher for homeless and steal
    her!  That would just break our hearts.
    
    She is due next month for her yearly check up and I was going to
    ask then for suggestions.  But thought I would get a head start here.
    
    thanks very much in advance, 
    Cheryl and Tixel (*.TXL for those techies among us!)  :-)

        I think that I've heard of using (warmed) bran as a shampoo but
    I've not done any searches here to see if I can locate any references.

    I've seen warmed bran baths suggested as an alternative for a cat that
    cannot be bathed in water. I think it was in one of my cat books at
    home. 

    Hmm, we have that around since we have horses...
    But it sounds pretty gross.  Wet,warm bran is just
    *mush*  :-)
    
    One noter contacted me off kline and suggested Neotrogena
    shampoo.  I think that sound purrrfect.  Nice smell and
    rinses clean.
    
    Would bran be to fight fleas?  I mean there must be some reason
    folks would resort to it...
    
    thanks.

    Opps, sorry, I just assumed that "bath" and "bran"
    meant +water ...  ;-)
    
    Hmmm, a dry bath would certainly be easier!  Maybe I could
    even get her to rol in it like she does sand...
    
    thanks for the clarification!
    
    Cheryl & Tixel