Intermission: Brushing
AS a long-haired cat, Tigger had a lot of brushes.
Amy first took a basic, long-tooth comb and briefly combed the length of his body to remove any leaves or debris that had gotten caught in his fur.
Then, she changed to a fine-tooth comb and combed through his entire body again, focusing on working out the tangles in his long hair.
Lastly, Amy went in and brushed him with a cushioned pin brush, which smoothed out his fur while giving him a massage. Tigger really liked when she used that brush around the base of his tail, so she took some time to focus there.
Amy would lift his tail with one hand and brush it with the other. Tigger’s bushy tail was so long, she had to stretch as far as she could go to catch the end of his tail and use every one of her muscles to work the brush through it.
After his fur was brushed so carefully, Tigger was so poofy and fluffy he looked like an angora rabbit.
And then I finish by combing my hands through his fur for fun—I mean, to arrange his fur properly!
“So much fur comes out every day,” said Joshua, eyes widening at the sheer volume of hair that came off Tigger.
Isabelle laughed. “She could brush him in no time without any fur fallout if she used magic, but Amy wants to do it by hand as much as possible. She says the physical contact helps build their bond.”
“It almost looks like yarn, doesn’t it? Want to try and make thread out of it?” asked Amy.
“Just looking at it makes my nose sort of…”
“Oh, no! Amy, your father…”
“What? Again?”
Amy stopped petting Tigger and immediately started casting purification magic around the room.
“Dad…” Amy whined, “I did ask you not to come in until after I was done brushing Tigger.”
“I come home early only to be shunned by my dear daughter!” lamented Joshua, seeking comfort from his wife.
At work, the Earl of Northland was the head honcho—the person you’d least want to upset. At home, however, this scene was all too frequent as of late.