It's Not Easy Being Fuzzy

Poor Duchess.



She is, of course, gorgeous, but one does have to suffer, sometimes, to be beautiful.

For starters, bathing is a lengthy process. Watching Duchess clean herself is hysterically funny--she has such long hair that she has to stretch to get it all. We joke that by the time she finishes cleaning, it's time to start over.

More embarassing is her tendency to develop dingleberries. Duchess gives "Baby Got Back" new meaning, with all the fuzz she's got clinging to her buns. It's inevitable that every so often, a little bit of poo will cling to her fur, and so, our beautiful girl starts to smell a bit off.

When this happens, it's time for Mom to fill up the sink with warm water and give Duchess a rear-end bath (never a full bath--just the hindquarters). This, of course, is not fun for poor Duckie, but it is a necessary part of having long fur.

So this morning, armed with a big towel, a rag, and a sinkful of warm water, Mom, Dad and I bathed our little royal furbaby. Mom got the fun part of washing out the dingleberries while Dad hovered with scissors to clip out a couple of big knots in her fur (she recently developed knots and we hope to get them under control soon). I stayed at the "good" end, rubbing her ears and crooning softly in her ear that everything would be okay. Bella hovered in the doorway, meowing inquisitively and keeping an eye on her beloved sister.

After the indignity of her "bum bath," Duchess retreated under the bed. She finally came out a few minutes ago, her tail still damp, to sit in the Sweet Spot--which is her favorite rocking chair under a hot lamp. She seems mostly recovered from her ordeal, but still has a slightly embarassed expression on her face. I'm sure, once she's dry, she'll realize that she smells and looks fabulous again, and will regain her normal pride in her fabulous looks.

Like I said, it's not easy being fuzzy.