Merde. We have just experienced MatGate 2.0. And, once again, the TWO mats in question were at the undesirable end of la personne royale:
I don’t know whether these were new mats, or leftovers from the previous ones which I thought I’d removed but hadn’t. Either way, I have had to deploy the Dematting Rake again. This time the mats were stubborn beyond belief and our mutual friend was not happy with my efforts to remove them. And I don’t think I will ever recover from the fact that the larger mat was coated in some sort of transparent, dried crud which TOUCHED MY HAND. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he had sat on a snail, the only animal too slow to move out of the way of his arse.
I know that mats are not unusual for cats, but these two recent incidents are Catorze’s ONLY incidents. What could possibly make a once-unmatty cat suddenly develop them after twelve years? Does it mean that, in his old age, he is becoming less and less able to groom his arse end, despite being lithe and kittenish in every other way? That said, if it’s taken twelve years for us to see any signs of his advancing years, the little sod has had a pretty good run.
Cat Daddy: “It’s just his runtiness. It’s all part of being the runt of the litter.”
Me: “Awww. You think he was the runt of the litter?”
Cat Daddy: “Oh my God. You DON’T think he was the runt of the litter?”
[Silence, tumbleweed, crickets]
Anyway, I don’t suppose it matters as long as Catorze has his entourage at hand to fix the problem (which we have, in time for his birthday so, hopefully, he will be presentable for his party). And that is exactly as it should be for a Sun King.
UPDATE: since writing this post I have found yet another mat, again at the arse end. And this one was STICKY. Ugh.
jesuisleroisoleil 
I hate unknown substances in their fur. Icky!
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I know! Wondering what they could be sends my mind to some dark places.
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He’s getting into something outside…ick for you having to guess what it is and remove said noxious substance.
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The not knowing just kills me!
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Claude is being regularly dematted with his rake. I think I now have enough additional fur for another one of him but that is an idea too terrifying to contemplate. Izzy (mummy-cat) and Boo (brother-cat) are smooth haired but I’ve given them a go too, so they don’t feel left out. Phantom isn’t having any of it.
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Haha, so Phantom just point-blank refuses? 🤣🤣🤣
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He has enormous claws on his murder mittens. The lodger is too scared to try. 😂
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He sounds terrifying!
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He’s a fairly big cat with long fur but my lodger is a 6’6″ ex Royal Marine. I know who rules who in that relationship.
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Haha, I know very well that the size and number of the humans make no difference. Catorze weighs 3kg and yet four adults failed to hold him down to administer his blood test.
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Yep, definite sign of arthritis 😦 Or dementia. Or both. Shall we start calling him Lord Stickybutt?
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Ewww, stickybutt. 🤢 Yes, someone else suggested that maybe he isn’t quite bendy enough to groom his rear end.
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Cat Daddy can be odd. Does he really think a runt of the litter can manage to become the king of Le Château?
🐈⬛
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Royalty are a sickly lot, though, aren’t they? They receive the best medical care … but only because they really need it!
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I didn’t picture royalty so, but indeed, you are right.
🐈⬛
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Are there any evergreen trees in his domain ? As the weather arms inthe Spring they tend to exude resin.
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There are a few, yes. I like to think it’s of vegetable rather than animal origin. 🤢
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Good thing he had retainers. 🙂
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Retainers?
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Royal assistants
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Ahhh! Retainers mean something entirely different in the U.K.. We know them as dental devices!
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