Spots or Not

I love Siberians. They're big, sturdy cats with big paws. They're triple coated. They're beautiful, have tons of personality and are lots of fun! JD is a gorgeous Siberian that I had groomed quite awhile ago, somewhere else. I missed him, and hoped he would find me at my new job.

And he did!

And boy, is it a good thing!

one big, greasy, oily cat

JD's owners take good care of him, including trying to have him professionally groomed to keep him in tip top shape. In fact, the first time I met JD was several years ago at a different job. We both get around! It stuck in my mind because I didn't get to groom him - but I was confused by the breed Siberian on the schedule and the lack of Husky dogs in the shop. I didn't even know there were Siberian cats!

curiosity doesn't kill the cat - just the clarity of the picture!

JD actually stopped being professionally groomed for a time. Why? Because his owners didn't see the point in paying for professional grooming when their cat didn't look any better afterwards. I totally agree with them. But this is a topic for another day. And believe me, I have a lot to say on the subject! 

Because JD's owner and I have a mutual friend who knew I was into cat grooming, and then completed the NCGIA's school for cat grooming and became both a CFMG and a CFCG, they ended up bringing JD to me. For not being professionally groomed in awhile, or maybe I should say properly groomed in ever, JD was in ok condition. Oily as anything, but without mats or tangles. Same as when he came to see me recently. 

that separation is a clear sign of a greasy cat

he actually looks slick to the touch (and he was!)

As you might expect I was just as able to transform JD this time as I was last year. He went from a oily, lank haired, chunky coated, slightly discolored greaseball into a beautiful cat you couldn't wait to touch and snuggle with. And in the process, something very interesting happened.

what a difference a bath and blow dry make!

Can you guess what it is? Is it that he's relaxed enough to stay in (soft) focus? Is it the the silky smooth flow to his coat? Is it that his whites are white instead of a dingy off white/off yellow?

Spots!!!!

That's right! I was able to change his indistinct, smudged coat non pattern into clear spots and bars. How cool is that?

mackeral stripes on the side, spots up top

Neat, huh? I had completely forgotten about his spots. I was thrilled to see such a clear pattern show up. It's one of the things that makes grooming cats so dang interesting. I was ecstatic to see JD again and beyond thrilled to be able to change his appearance so drastically. Also, let me point out that the banner for The Finical Feline features a Siberian, Sunny, who I believe is JD's brother or half brother!

It should be noted that it is correct for Siberians to be more coarse coated and oily. They should have a "weather resistant" coat and their standard penalizes a coat too soft, fluffy or silky. American Sibs, I think, tend to not be as concerned about preserving proper texture as we should. The FIFe breed standard addresses this more than I saw in the TICA or CFA standards. Which makes sense, since this is a Russian cat. I would also like to note that JD's hair is appropriately textured. Good bathing simply removes the 'weatherproofing'. He's a house cat. A pet. He should be clean, so that he can be enjoyable to his people and honestly, more suitable to his environment.

which would you rather live with

oily or clean?

chunky or flowing?

spots...or not?