How to Forget You Have a Cold

Sunday afternoon I headed outside. After being cooped up in the house with a cold, I figured the fresh air would do me some good. I brought some library books out to the back yard and invited the cats to join me. (They practically tripped each other up in their excitement to get out the door.)

The boys love going outside, but they have to be watched closely. Specifically, Calvin has to be watched closely. He's a runner who will be over the fence in a second if he sees that we're distracted.

And I definitely got distracted. Steven came out to paint the corners that had been redone this week.



I got busy talking to him and forgot to watch the cat. In the meantime Doogie had covered himself in dirt and debris. I think he wants some better camouflage or something for when he's in the bushes. His bright, white fur is definitely like a beacon that screams, "There's a cat in the bushes!" So, he rolls around in any patches of dirt he can find.

I went out to the alley to look for Calvin. When I found him, he smelled funky. Like something had licked him. He was mildly damp and smelled like spit. I grabbed him and took him straight inside. I ran the bath and then did something I've never done before: I bathed the cats.

The cats have had plenty of baths, mind you, but Steven is always the one who bathes them. I'm just the lady with the soothing voice who waits by the tub with a big fluffy towel to wrap sopping wet kitties in. But since Steven was busy painting the house, I had to attempt kitty baths all by myself.

It actually went pretty well, but there was a lot of screaming and howling. Afterwards, I caught pictures of my angry boys working hard to put their damp, spiky fur back into place.




I have to say that being busy chasing down runaway cats, then having to give baths to funky-smelling felines is a great way to forget you have a cold. I always wondered how mothers can take care of their children when they themselves are sick. I guess this was an example of how. You just do because if you don't, they can get lost, hit by a car, or just smell really, really bad.