Carry On Catting - the Excellent Cats do what they do best

[TheBroonOneAndTheWhiteOne]

......... and try to break into the film industry.

It'll be an unlikely success as they'll have to stay awake for long periods while filming goes on.

Well. Unless they decide to make Carry On Sleeping.

That’s great, @coastergirl!

Benny is looking fantastically well, considering what he has been through! I'm so glad he is on the mend.

Happy Birthday Basil and Sybil! They definitely look young for their age, but they obviously have excellent genes and are excellently cared for, so it is not surprising.

FC2 has been approved as adoptable (as he's not done any biting since arrival and didn't shame himself by biting the charity lady when she visited, either!). My friend has also been approved as adopter - so he will be moving to her once she and her partner have got their flat cat-ready.

He's very difficult to photo because he immediately rolls onto his back and wriggles and pushes his head into your hand! But here's one of my slightly more successful attempts.

And FC1 on Monday - still very possessive of my lap.

@coastergirl well done Benny

@coastergirl so pleased to see Benny looking well and resting at home.

@coastergirl I want to add to the chorus of joy for Benny's very welcome return home 😻😻😻, I bet none of us are as glad as he and you are though!
Is he going to have follow-up for his fractures?

So great to see Benny home & looking not too bad 😻. I can remember him coming home as a tiny abandoned scrap, what a lovely boy he's turned out to be.

So glad Benny is home and looking better than expected.

@Grumpyoldpersonwithcats Question on fur! I have never had a long hair cat before. Micia currently lets me stroke her head only (gets snitty if I stroke her back), but I have noticed a couple of matts in her ruff. I do not know how much she is grooming herself as she probably does it while hiding. I also do not know if the matts were there in the rescue as she was given to us in our carrier.
We have never picked her up or held her.
Do not feel like I should try to grab her and go at her with a brush or scissors
What do you advise please

@Breadcat24 Linney gets mats in his fur, so I brush him with a Furminator.
You can get them on Amazon.

Long-haired cats are prone to this.
A couple of years ago, Linney's got so bad (I didn't realise it for a while) that he had to be sedated and the vet clipped him.

@TheBroonOneAndTheWhiteOne Thank you. With it being such dark weather recently we are only just seeing her in daylight!
I just rang the rescue and they say they did not handle her as she did not like it so do not know if she was matted then. They said to shave her which seems extreme.
Rather cross as they said she came in with another cat "bobbin" and were sufficiently bonded that she sat on his carrier. This is the first I have heard of it. We asked at the rescue if she was with another cat at the beginning and were told they did not know. We would have taken them both
So worried she is not grooming as a stress reaction.
If we get another cat she will either like it or get bullied I really do not know what to do

@Breadcat24.
Sybil did get quite badly matted at one point so she had to have a few areas shaved at the vet. Fortunately a dose of gabapentin was enough to calm her down so at least we didn't have the expense of an anaesthetic.
I now use a cat comb with rotating tines - I get a few protests but the comb seems to work well and pull less tgan anormal comb. I've also sometimes cut mats out - I find if you cut half of the mat (to avoid any risk of cutting the cat 😲) the mat often then breaks down easily.

It is tricky with a nervous cat though. Broon's suggestion of a furminator may be the best bet.

Basil doesn't really get mats.

Anyone else just googled Furminator and watched a video? (I couldn't work out if it was a battery operated device so wanted to see it in action).

Good luck @Breadcat24 , I hope Micia decides she likes to be groomed.
How frustrating about her feline friend! Any chance it's still available? Or put in a request if it happens to be returned, you and Micia get first dibs?

I bought a furminator for my first rescue as she was too small for the other cat brushes (she was tiny) and absolutely hated it and would run away. In the end I bought a small rabbit brush and she loved it so much she would turn over as if she was on a roasting spit 😂 The Stray seems to like it as well. £2 well spent.

Glad Benny is ok!
I've had a stressful day. DS is very unwell with tonsillitis and possibly glandular fever. Usual rigmarole to get a face to face appointment and have now found that his prescription has been sent to the wrong pharmacy (further away and shuts at 5.30 unlike the closer one I requested which shuts at 6).
On leaving the surgery he collapsed on the ground very dramatically after going white in the face
Then we had the doctor, nurse, receptionist and God knows who else appearing on the scene. Also, everyone in the waiting room gawping and secondary school kids passing by from the school next door. (Fortunately not DS's school!)
He's now back in bed. Herbie has stayed with him quite alot!

Glad Benny is back home and hope he makes a speedy recovery.

I too would be a bit cautious about going straight in with a furminator brush to start with. Boris didn't mind it, but Matilda absolutely hated it. I got one of those gloves with the plastic bristles on it for grooming them, which they both seem to enjoy. Not sure if it would be suitable for a long haired cat though.

Blimey @Pianoaholic! Hope DS is soon on the mend and the glandular fever/tonsillitis doesn't take forever to clear. Herbie sounds like the perfect nursing assistant. Ice cream for dinner?

@Pianoaholic My goodness
Watch out on glandular fever, can cause a reaction afterwards to penicillin (did with me anyway!)

He's existing on soup and ice cream (not together!).
Maybe Herbie is sticking around because DS has been having his food on a tray in bed!

Best wishes to your DS for a speedy recovery @Pianoaholic.

Or perhaps he's trying out his nursing skills.

I hope DS gets better soon @Pianoaholic

@Breadcat24 The Calm Cat Whisperer on FB and YouTube recommends the bailey brush. https://baileybrush.com I have looked and they do free shipping to the UK. I have previously used a similar brush on Raven who loved it. She also loves the furminator. She's not long haired but she is very fluffy. My previous cat Ali used to get tangled fur on his chest but he would only accept a flea comb or the furminator. Good luck with whatever you try!

@Pianoaholici hope your boy gets better soon. Well done to Herbie.

Oh my goodness @Pianoaholic , everything crossed for a speedy recovery for your DS. 💐💐💐
Top nursemaiding from Herbie though!

Gizmo likes being furminated.

He sheds a great deal of fur, much more than Linney does, but Linney is the one who has a tendency to get mats.