Fur Real

By Gordon Hopkins Being what psychologists and other mental health experts generally refer to as a “nervous nelly,” I tend to think the worse right off the bat. It may be the journalist in me but I seem to jump to the worst possible conclusion immediately. The upside is, I am pleasantly surprised on the rare occasion when I realize things aren't as bad as I originally thought.For example, I was sitting on the sofa, stroking Archie, my fat, orange cat, when I noticed a squishy, oval-shaped bump right in the middle of his back.Yes, my first thought was: tumor. Quickly, I reminded myself of the words of that great American philosopher, Arnold Schwarzenegger, “Eeets Nawt A Too-Moore!”In fact, it was just a small wad of matted hair. My extensive experience with fat cats has told be that sometimes tubbier felines have trouble reaching that spot while grooming.Eager to help out and not wanting the mat to get worse, I grabbed a par of scissors and gently clipped off the hair clump. It left a peculiar hole in Archie's fur, revealing a pale, peach-colored undercoat that stood out against his darker orange fur.Archie has been shedding a lot this year. It is summer, or course, and cats shed. Even indoor cats shed. When I pet him, my hand comes away with what looks like orange cotton candy that then wafts in the air until it inevitably wafts up my nose.So, I went and got a cat grooming brush, which seems to be the most recommended way to deal with a shedding cat.A quick internet search will uncover many other solutions to problem shedding, that range from psychotherapy to feeding your cat brewer's yeast.Frankly, it seems easier just to vacuum.Fortunately, Archie doesn't object to the brush. On the contrary, it very quickly became routine and he becomes quite demanding if I am late. So I now brush Archie every day and now have enough cat hair collected for another cat.(I apologize for the headline. I’m on deadline and I really just couldn’t think of anything else. I need to stop waiting until the last minute to write these columns.)

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