Da Boyz

[Jen, Lachlan, and Declan]

Whew doggie, that wasn't quite the weekend any of us had in mind! Just sitting here winding down a bit, reflecting and smiling while Pixel The Cat suns himself on the window-shelf beside me and Lachlan naps on the carpet behind me. I think they're both worn out and ready for dear old mum to go back to work!

This weekend really started on Friday morning while I was in the shower, minding my own business and contemplating the coming morning while I rinsed off. Suddenly a huge crash from somewhere in the house! I scrambled out of the shower and grabbed a towel on my way out of the bathroom (so's to protect the delicate sensibilities of my neighbors) to see Pixel stomping around the living room sofa, glaring at it like it had just told him a "yo momma" joke. Asked him if he was okay, got the same glare. Ooookay. Lachlan's looking at me from his crate like "I didn't do it, ma, I swear! It was the cat! Honest!"  Yeah, that's what you ALWAYS say.

Pixel's food dish was on the floor so I assumed he knocked it off his perch and didn't think any more about it. Got dressed and went to work. The fun started when I got home. Pixel wasn't at the door to greet me like he always always always does, even if I've only gone out to check the mail. I thought at first he was asleep and didn't hear me come home, so I called a few times. No answer, no cat. Now I go looking for him, getting worried, and find him on my office chair looking at me like "Nuh-uh, not moving." Huh. How odd. I pet him and give him a quick look-over but don't see anything but a grumpy cat, so go back to the kitchen to dump my jacket and empty my pockets ... turn around and he's at the office door looking into the living room like there's a monster in there. Huh?

I check his litter box, which I'd cleaned before I left for work, and see that he hasn't been in it all day. Not a happy sign. He hears me and slooooooowly slinks through the living room to DIVE into the box, where he makes it clear he really really needs to use it  ... but has obviously been afraid to go through the living room to get to it. Now I'm getting a bit worried. This is the cat a friend calls "the Feline Equivalent of Jack@ss II: The Movie." He's not afraid of anything! Hmmm. Watch him leave his litter box at a dead run to scramble for the office again, obviously terrified of something, and grab the phone to call my vet. Cats suck at saying "I hurt" so a sudden behavior change is a good clue it's time to head for the emergency room.

$350 later, the vet can't find anything wrong with him. Blood-work and urinalysis came back completely normal. The only thing we could find wrong is a little ding on the side of his head, just in front of his ear. Our working hypothesis is that he must've fallen from the top of his cat tree and hit his head hard enough to ring his little bell. He probably had the mother of all headaches. Darned if I know, but he's nearly back to normal today so I'm smiling with relief and joy!

I'd planned to start Lachlan's first major haircut on Friday afternoon so I could do him in shifts, as it were: Rough out the cut in the first session, bath and blow-dry the second, and finish work the third. Because of the cat I didn't actually get to start Lach's rough-out until today. Poor little dood, he's too young still to take all of that in a single session so he'll have to stay roughed out until I can give him a proper bath and dry on Friday. Not that he cares, of course. He'd be delighted if I just hacked chunks out with the garden shears and painted him purple so long as I told him how handsome he is. He's been prancing around the house and yard vogue-ing at me since I finished today's session! (I'm trying not to see how very rough it is ... but no way I'm getting Mr. Cowlicks smooth until he's clean and fluffed!)

Overall I think this has been a great weekend! Got both my boyz happy and healthy and that's ALL that matters!

Here's a snapshot of the rough-out. I'm going for a Setter look, leaving some feathering so he doesn't look like a hippo on stilts, but won't blend the feathers (and his tail!) until he's clean. I probably won't clip the tops of his ears like a Setter again because he carries them too far up and back to pull it off, but he had some matting at the backs so I decided we'd both be happier if I did that instead of brushing them out. I'll post another picture when I finish him, but I think I'm going to like the look on him. I love his full coat, but if I leave it he'll be wet all winter and I'll never be able to keep up with the "look ma, puppy coat" matting.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Lachlan looks great (what a tail) and very glad Pixel is Ok after the bump on the head.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Glad to hear poor little Pixel is doing okay! Lachlan looks amazing! Great job at achieving the "setter" look!  Maybe he can be a GR for Howloween this year!

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

What a little rascal Pixel is. Glad she is ok. Lachlan is a handsome boy!

[Dori & Rua]

Great blog Jen!  Lachlan has a BEAUTIFUL tail!  Can't wait to see the final results.

[Nina, Phil, Harlow & Lacey]

When I saw the Lachlan's picture my first thought was how much he looks like my first English Setter without the spots.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Lachlan is looking great...I especially love that tail!  Glad kitty is okay.

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

How odd poor kitty, glad he's ok. Good luck with the rest of the cut!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Glad  da boyz are OK now and Lachlan looks fine.