This is Meya.  My LOVING cat...... 

                                                   

I am a cat person.  I never knew that I even liked cats, because we were never allowed to have a cat as a pet when growing up.  I just adore cats!!  They have a personality of their own.  One day our vet in the town where we used to live, advertised on Facebook about a cat needing a home.  The cat was about 5 months old and was about to be euthanized (if they could not find a suitable owner). 

I felt compelled to save her.  Meya became a part of our family, and has been for the last 4 years.

Ever since we moved down to the coast, Meya has turned into a real explorer.  She climbs trees, hunts little animals...mostly to play with them, and then just do general catlike things. Things that cats should do.   

For the last few days, Meya has been acting kinda weird......  She has been extremely clingy these past few days, and is usually quite an adventurous kitty.  Ever since Monday she has stayed in my room for most of the day.  Just sleeping, like most cats do during the day, but when she woke up, she would rub against me and run over my keyboard while I worked, and it was like she wanted to tell me something and didn't know how to.  

                                                            

Did you know? 

Cats can sleep up to 16 hours per day.  Senior cats and kittens can sleep even longer.  Cats sleep almost twice as much as humans.  

Meya has also been very spiteful....she has knocked things off my bedside table on purpose, and I know for a fact that she did this on purpose, because she looked me straight in the eyes, and then just whacked my coffee mug right off the table with her tail. Grinning at me afterwards. 

She is overall a very lovable cat, but NOT to this extent. I then decided that we needed to go to the vet for a general checkup.  She didn't look sick but you know, rather be safe than sorry....  So off to the vet we went.  This very expensive trip cost me an arm and a leg, and he found nothing wrong.... except for a very small piece of meat stuck between her teeth.  He removed it and she seemed somewhat relieved.  So he sent us home with some cat toothpaste and a little thingy that I had to use to brush her teeth.  He also gave some oral instructions on how to brush her teeth. Very easy he said....very easy....

Hmm not so easy to brush a cat's teeth!!!!!

After Meya came back to the room after my first very unsuccessful attempt, I  decided to follow a guide I found on google.  

Let me take you through my experience step by step.  I followed the instructions VERY carefully and tried to be as calm as possible.  

 Where to begin
Number one, this should be fun for you and your cat. Be upbeat and take things slowly. Do not overly restrain your cat. Keep sessions short and positive. Be sure to praise your cat throughout the process. Give  yourself a pat on the back, too! You are doing a great thing for your  cat!  First, have your cat get used to you putting things in her mouth.  Dip your finger in tuna water, chicken broth, or other liquid your cat may like. Call your cat with a voice that means "treat" and let your cat lick the liquid off your finger. Then rub your soaked finger gently  over your cat's gums and teeth. After a few sessions, your cat should  actually look forward to this and you can move on.

Step one.  

I really tried to make it a fun session....I opened a tin of tuna. Dipped my finger in the water, and let her lick my finger. No issues, she even seemed to like it.  I further relaxed her by rubbing her tummy. I spoke to her like a little baby...and then tried to open her mouth without forcing it. Today I have also learned that IF A CAT DOES NOT WANT TO OPEN HER MOUTH THERE IS NOTHING THAT CAN FORCE IT OPEN.  

I still tried to follow the written instructions to keep CALM.  I was totally calm but Meya was not.  She ran away, jumped over the wall and climbed into a tree.  (I re-read the article again to make sure I did not miss anything.) 

Step 2

Now, place a gauze around your finger. (You can again dip it in the tuna water or other liquid.) Gently rub the  teeth in a circular motion with your gauzed finger. Repeat this for the  number of sessions it takes your cat to feel comfortable with this procedure. Remember to praise her and keep an upbeat attitude.    

After what felt like hours, Meya came back.  I was ready for her.  I placed the gauze around my finger, dipped it in the tuna water and grabbed her quickly before she could run away again.  I held her close to my body, clutched under my left arm and tried to force her mouth open with my right hand.  Not such an easy task when you have a f*&%ng wild cat under your left arm!!!!! She scratched me, and eventually I just had to give up.  

After cleaning all the scratch wounds on my arms, I was now ready for the next step.  

Step 3

Pet toothpastes either have a poultry, malt, or other flavor so your cat will like the taste. Get your cat used to  the flavor and consistency of the toothpaste. Let your cat lick some off  your finger and then apply some to your cat's gumline with your finger.  Praise your pet. 

I called my partner to come and help. I applied some of the toothpaste to my finger and told my partner to control the cat, but I am sure that this cat from hell, knew exactly what we were contemplating.  She came in through the window, and bypassed us both and then jumped on top of the fridge.  My next post will probably be some instructions on HOW TO GET A CAT OF A FRIDGE.....

I didn't bother to read the instructions again.  I threw the toothpaste in the rubbish bin, and decided that I WILL NOT BRUSH THAT DAMN CAT'S TEETH EVER AGAIN! 

Meya is still recovering from the whole process, and so am I.  She has been sidestepping me for a few hours now, and hopefully in time we can put this whole ordeal behind us. 

Thank you for reading.  If you enjoyed reading this, please