9.3 KiB
4. Grooming and Bathing
Grooming Your catgirl will spend a large amount of time grooming herself. Catgirls find their appearance very important and find the relationship between their own look and those of other catgirls very important.
Again, breeders will generally instruct your catgirl in the basic rudiments of grooming their head hair and taking care of the appearance of their ears and tail. Typically in these cases you will only have to provide your catgirl a mirror and basic grooming items: brushes, catgirl hair oils and catgirl soaps and skin conditioners.
VERY IMPORTANT DO NOT use human soaps and shampoos on your catgirl, her skin and scalp are very delicate. Take care to ONLY use S.P.C.G.A. approved products. If the breeder has been using a particular brand it is a good idea to stick with what your catgirl knows already.
Ferals and strays often have some difficulty with grooming, as they have never been taught properly. If this is the case, wait until you see your catgirl attempting to groom. This will often involve an awkward attempt to either lick or run her fingers through her hair. She may become a bit distressed and depressed. Sit beside her and offer her a soft brush. Be sure to let her smell and mark it. This is important: Strays and ferals are very, very sensitive about items not marked as "theirs and master's". By establishing "her" property your stray/feral will begin to bond. The importance of her accepting you as her provider and caretaker is difficult to even exaggerate! Begin gently, carefully brushing her hair from crown to back of her head. Be cautious of snags and snarls especially around the ears. After a few strokes your catgirl should have her eyes half-closed and she should begin to purr, demonstrating her pleasure and contentment. Catgirls enjoy being touched and petted by a beloved caretaker as much as any -girl. This simulates the grooming her mother provided when she was still in her care. Continue until her hair is brushed out neatly and the tufts of hair on her ears are lying smooth and untangled.
Praise her during the brushing and after. Offer her the mirror to see herself and praise/pet her. It won't take her long to get the hang of it! She will quickly begin to groom herself if left the tools once shown how. This alone should perk her up and provide valuable bonding tie. Be careful not to spoil her much by doing all the grooming!She may come to expect you do it every day, and you might find it hard to say no!
Important! You need to be very careful about attempting to brush your catgirl's tail. Most are remarkably possessive of their tail. Indeed, their tail is the pride and dignity of your catgirl. Most catgirl spats and fights are started over insults and touching another catgirl's tail uninvited. They generally prefer to groom their own tails. Attempting to do so without her explicit permission often ends in hissing, spitting and even biting! Therefore, it's strongly recommended not to go there unless invited. If you are lucky enough to have your own catgirl offer you their tail to groom, you should be honoured to be held in such high esteem by her. Please be certain to treat it with your utmost respect.
Bathing As previously mentioned, your catgirl is a remarkably neat and clean creature, but even that being the case, she will require regular bathing. If she is a sedentary breed she may only require a weekly bath. More active breeds that energetically play and sweat may require almost daily bathing. Again, we cannot stress strongly enough that you use S.P.C.G.A. approved bathing products. Catgirls have no real body hair except for the head/ears and tail. Thus their skin is vulnerable to strong soaps which may cause itch and painful irritation.
A catgirl from a breeder is used to bathing. She generally will have been bathed with her siblings and mother. It is highly likely she will look forward to bathing. Indeed, many catgirls will investigate the tub while YOU are bathing. It may be difficult to dissuade her from joining you!
Again, ferals and strays may present their own challenges. Coaxing a stray/feral into the water is usually traumatizing, for both the owner and catgirl! Again, behavior shaping often works best. Your catgirl will begin to display signs of disgust, such as hissing at her reflection in the mirror and demonstrating agitation with grooming herself if she begins to feel unclean and dirty. But if an actual tub of water is too frightening to her and you attempt to force-bathe her, she may become further distressed about her appearance and depressed by disobeying you.
If this occurs you can ease her distress accordingly. Begin by placing some warm water in a medium-sized bowl with some soft natural fiber cloths. Have several soft towels for drying handy. Add some catgirl soap to the warm water, wait until the foam settles. It is usually a good idea to do this in a room without a carpet. Call your catgirl to you and gently undress her. Speak soothingly and sit her on a towel, wring out a washcloth in the warm soapy water and again, let her smell it.
Begin to gently wipe her neck and shoulders. She may tense up initially, but continue wiping and speak calmly and gently to her. Praise and pet her if needed. Make sure the cloth stays warm and is not too sopping wet. Continue to wipe her torso and arms taking care to get under her breasts and arms. Extra care should be taken with catgirl breeds with large breasts as they are very sensitive to the touch even when not in season. By this point she should be relaxed and/or almost comatose! If she is still tense, continue to wash her upper body until she relaxes while speeking soothingly. Mutual trust will get you through this!
The afromentioned catgirl soap can also be used on her hair in lieu of a catgirl shampoo until she can be bathed in a proper tub. Use a bit more water on the wash cloth and be sure to dampen all the hair thoroughly while avoiding getting water in her ears. You would only frustrate her and yourself. The soapy water can be left to dry in her hair without rinsing, as there are quick-drying hypoallergenic compounds in the soap. Make sure her eyes are bright, clear and not bloodshot. Take the opportunity to examine the insides of her ear folds for signs of irritation and wax build-up that may be causing her distress. Feel the muscles of her upper and lower back while washing. They should be firm and should not demonstrate sensitivity. Be alert for anything that seems amiss with her joints and extremities. An ounce of prevention will prevent a lot of pain later. Your catgirl may know something is wrong with her, but she might be unable or unwilling to describe or articulate it properly.
Continue by washing her legs and feet, checking them for splinters, blisters and other injuries. Her legs should bend smoothly and easily. Moving on, be sure to clean her genitals and anus thoroughly. She may become agitated or uncomfortable while doing so initially. Be gentle! This is a sensitive region! Continue to speak soothingly and calmly until done. It is important for her genitals and anus to be clean in or der to avoid irritation and infections of the delicate tissues. Be sure to check for any unusual rashes or signs of irritation. Most catgirls will enjoy this inadvertent genital stimulation during bath time by their masters even when not in season and encourage you to continue, so be careful to not overdo it as it may teach her bad habits! Continue this "dry bathing" for a week or more, until she is comfortable with it. Then move the bathing spot to the bathroom by the tub. Then over the next few times try "dry bathing" with her in the empty tub until she willingly climbs into the tub. Next, have about an inch of warm water in the tub. Then a few more inches, then one time with the tap running very softly. Eventually she will happily jump into a full tub with or without you! Be sure to offer her the washcloth and indicate her tail. She should generally be left alone to wash her own tail, unless she indicates it is alright for you to do so. Remember, you are handling your catgirl's pride and joy! Treat it with dignity and respect, and she'll thank you for it.
Showers should generally be avoided as catgirls' ears can be filled with water easily if the water pressure is too high, causing ear-aches and possible ear infections. If your catgirl insists on showering with you, coax her into wearing a waterproof shower cap. Then wash her hair in the sink or tub normally. Your catgirl will quickly learn how to run a bath for herself when she needs one, or you can get her on a schedule to bathe with you.
Your catgirl will learn her grooming and bathing habits from YOU so be sure to do a good job!
Help dry her if desired and leave her to finish her own grooming with a brush unless she indicates otherwise. Some catgirls will dry themselves once they know what to do and others will be insistent about their master doing it. Remember, the same rules about her tail apply as in grooming or bathing as to drying. Bath times should be an enjoyable experiance for you both together or a source of pride for her to be able to do it by herself.
Next section: Safety in Home