No More Mat

Well, Darwin no longer has mattted fur on his back.

Yesterday while he was eatting I started scratching his back.  I noted that he was too busy chowing down to take a swipe at me with his claws or bite.

So, on a whim I grabbed a scissor and gently cut the mat off. Now Darwin has a bald sport on his back where the mat used to be. But it will grow back.

If Darwin had let me groom him, he wouldn't have the problem in the first place.

I might use feeding time to give him a couple of soft strokes with the brush so he'll get used to being touched and groomed. That's Darwin's real problem. He's been ferral so long he's not used to and doesn't like to be touched. That can be overcome....

=^^=
Dawn Skyy

Mister Matted Fur

I have a wee bit of a problem.  Like Spiral, Darwin tends to get matted fur on his back.

When Spiral had them I either brushed or combed them out, which he really enjoyed. If they were really bad I would take a scissor and cut the matted fur off.

However, Darwin due to his formerly ferral living conditions, doesn't allow me to touch him that much. Ever once in a while I'm able to sneak in a pat or a scratch. But any prolonged touching and Darwin will either respond with a bite or scratch.

So you can imagine what happened when I tried brushing the mat out. Yes, he bit and scratched at the brush and me multiple times. I did manage to use the scissor and cut a tiny portion off. But Darwin bit that too. I'm currently waiting for my chance to do another sneak attack on him to get the rest of it.

Which makes me wonder if Darwin will ever learn to trust me enough to touch him with out trying to bite or scratch me. I guess three months is not long enough to tell yet. Perhaps this time next year, eh?

Now, if he'd only bite and scratch Shadow like that when it comes to his food......

=^^=
Dawn Skyy