One day I bought Spenny a new brush, he initially ignored it, but I suspect that’s because he wanted me to feed him as soon as I came through the door.
So he jumps up on my desk, as is his usual habit when he wants me to give him attention instead of my monitors, and interposes himself with a flurry of the reasons for me buying the new brush. Now was my chance, out comes the brush.
Some time later, there are several things apparent;
- Spenny is now much thinner.
- He’s shiny! So shiny and soft, it’s like he’s been washed in fabric softener.
- I have a hairball of epic proportions.
- Spenny still doesn’t think anything apart from his tail exists.
- The only exception to the above is the two inches in front of his tail.
- Spenny is starting to smell … funky.
I’ve been saving the fluffballs for some time, since he won’t let me put my head on him I’m going to make my own Spenny pillow 
As for his head? Well. I’ve been spending a lot of time working through the fur behind his cheeks and on his neck, he can never groom it and though I try it with my fingernails I can never really work out the slight background level of matted-ness. The new brush is working them out easily though. This is his head, this exists. This is good.
There is a drawback to this though … it’s not just his head that needs brushing, it’s the rest of him. He’s been shedding fur like it’s going out of fashion for the last few weeks, and it’s making my boyfriend a little wheezy. It’s even getting to the point where it’s starting to make even my nose bunged up. Not to mention the hairballs. Oh god the hairballs.
So you brush his side, he sits there or wonders around a bit, tolerates it. You can tell though, he’s not happy, that’s not what he wants brushed. After a while he turns around and almost yells at the brush in a very demanding way until you start brushing his head again!
– “Will you sit still?”
– “Quit messing around, and brush me!”
– “Look, I’m trying to brush you.”
– “No you’re not, you’re just faffing around back there.”
– “Come on, look at all this, it’s all manky.”
– “Dammnit, I’m up here, get brushing up here you damn stupid human.”
– *sigh*
As for the smell, I think he’s been trying to “clean” himself immediately after eating, thereby spreading wonderful fishy essence into the triangular patches just behind his shoulders. Whilst this is clearly the feline equivalent of a sophisticated fragrance, it doesn’t smell all that good. He may need the B-word soon.
