Detarring the cat

[v65]

Q. How can I remove tar and paint from my pet's hair?
A. Small deposits of tar can be removed by letting them harden and then carefully cutting them off. For larger deposits, soak the areas with vegetable oil for 24 hours. This will soften the tar, which then can be removed by shampooing. You may need to bandage the oil-soaked area or put a T-shirt on your pet to prevent your pet from licking or chewing off the tar. Never use gasoline, kerosene, turpentine, or organic solvents on your pet. These products can severely burn your pet's skin and cause toxicities.

For those of us who live among many pine trees, note that vegetable oil or butter can also be used to remove pine pitch.

This reminds me of when our cat hurt his leg, the vet said he is fine just don't let him jump on anything for two months. Good advice, but how the hell do you do that? IME bandages and cats don't mix.

 

[Waaane]

I had a similar situation years ago with my old cat Rambo. He walked through pitch or something and came home howling and trying to keep all his feet in the air at the same time. He was a ******* when he was upset so I gave him a sedative my vet had prescribed for him when he had to go on a long car trip. That made him nice and groggy. I took a pair of very small curved scissors I stole from my wife and rounded the tips off with a dremel tool. Then spent an hour or so snipping away and working the stuff loose with baby oil. Twas a PITA but I love my animals. This is our latest...A Brussels Griffon pup.