Monday

Isis is getting fluffier and fluffier. Over the past two weeks several people have asked me how often I shampoo her. The answer is never. Grooming seems to keep her clean. Which is just as well as I imagine she’d not take kindly to being washed. Not yet, anyway.

Grooming is a tricky business as she can so easily become irritated and descend into a self-harming spin. Because it’s  not easy for her, we do it for a maximum of ten minutes each day. She will usually tolerate her back being groomed with a very soft brush. Once I’ve dealt with any tangles, I can generally get away with using a firmer brush and then a comb. We then progress to her sides and legs.

Unsurprisingly, the biggest challenge is grooming her face, her ears and under her chin. Although she has not bitten me yet, there are lots of growly threats. And frequently with a loud “ARRRRRG CHOMP!”, she clamps her teeth on the brush and snatches it from my hand.

The big hairbrush was a stroke of genius. It wasn’t being used, is large and soft bristled and has a very strong plastic handle. Pretending to brush her under the chin with it, I allow  her to snatch it from me. Now she ‘steals’ it from me at the beginning of each grooming and gnaws on it triumphantly throughout the ordeal. I think she fantasises that she’s gnawing my fingers.

Isis came from the Aeza cat and dog rescue and adoption centre in Aljezur, Portugal. For information about adopting an animal from the centre, contact kerry@aeza.org or  www.dogwatchuk.com