Bath Night, or The Buttons That Hold It All Together

The sea is stormy today. But whatever weather rages outside the windows, it never overrides the Home’s usual routines — the very rules Mum once put in place. All mums, after all, are like little buttons that hold the whole order together. Including, of course, the mandatory hygiene of the tailed residents.

Once a week, by schedule, a great event takes place: the parents bathe the tailed young ladies. Today is exactly that day.

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Alyonka bathes with great, regal pleasure. She can luxuriate for hours in the warm water, wrapped in fluffy foam, offering absolutely no assistance whatsoever to the procedure. Why would she? She simply receives pure delight, as if at the most expensive spa. A true lady.

The routine has been perfected down to the smallest detail: Mum gently bathes Alyonka and carefully hands her over into Dad’s reliable hands — for drying and a final, relaxing massage. After that, the clean young lady flies like a bullet to inspect the bed and, of course, collect her rightfully earned evening biscuits.

Alyonka in the foam, mid-bath

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With Bibisechka, the procedure is considerably more complicated. As a rule, sphynx cats don’t take much pleasure in bathing, they get fitted with special little caps, and the process itself stretches into eternity. Our case is no exception — except without the cap.

The hairless daughter howls desperately across the entire Home during water procedures: “Muuum!” and “Heeelp meee!” But credit where it’s due — at least she doesn’t scratch anyone or try to escape. Or maybe it’s simply that Mum’s gentle hands aren’t actually all that gentle, but rather quite firm and confident.

This hairless daughter is bathed with a special shampoo. Mum adores it, because its scent is an astonishing blend of fresh rose, sharp winter frost, and something elusively violet, like a wild forest violet.

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While passions boil over in the bathroom, Bagira invariably appears in the doorway. She comes on a strict inspection visit — to see whether they’re finally drowning this hairless spawn. Bagira genuinely dislikes her younger sister and firmly considers her a completely unnecessary, mistaken element in our family.

But the rescue operation always concludes successfully. The wet daughter is carefully lifted out, snugly swaddled in a cozy white towel, after which Mum patiently cleans her ears and gently coaxes her to finally become a good girl.