[JJBudgell]

Hello everyone,

I have a wonderful 16-year-old cat named Jethro. Last fall, I had to put my older cat, Penelope down. She was 21 years old. She had been having difficulty walking and was showing signs of dementia. We were very fortunate in that we were able to have a mobile vet come to our home to put her to sleep, which was so much nicer than taking her in the car (which she hated) to the vet's office.

My "younger" cat, Jethro was wonderful throughout the procedure. He gave Penelope a last sniff on the head and then sat right beside me through the whole thing. Jethro was diagnosed with diabetes two years ago; however, after a few short months of "human" insulin shots and a change in diet, his sugar levels returned to normal and he was able to come off the needle. Unfortunately, he has pretty much stopped grooming himself since then, which is causing me some concern. I do brush him but he won't let me brush all of him, just his back.

I know he suffers somewhat from arthritis due to his age and I also know that he misses his old friend. I'm wondering if there is some way I can "encourage" him to start grooming again? I was thinking about giving him a bath in the hopes he might then be forced to groom himself but then I recently read an article that indicated cats stop grooming because it's painful if they suffer from arthritis and I definitely don't want to cause him any pain. If anyone has any suggestions, I would be grateful.

Thank you.