By Jeanette M. Pintar - with inspiration from Misty

Some cats love water. They'll watch it shimmer, splash in it, and dive in head first if there's a tasty fish to be found. Misty was NOT one of those cats! Misty despised water almost as much as car rides and barking dogs. Misty's lack of enthusiasm for water usually wasn't an issue. But living in the South requires aggressive preventative maintenance to protect our furry friends against fleas, and almost all forms of flea protection involve water.

Because of Misty's heart murmur the least invasive option using medicated drops was not possible. That left a choice of flea spray, mousse, shampoo, or a "dip." The flea spray was too similar to the water spray used to discipline Misty and she thought she was being punished. We tried the "medicated" mousse but discontinued it for two reasons… First, Misty totally freaked out about all that foam messing up her freshly licked-clean fur and second, we didn't want her to get sick from licking off the chemicals (insecticides) in the mousse. The same concern over insecticides ruled out the dreaded flea dip. That left a flea shampoo, which required the horror of horrors… a bath!

We made Misty's bath as pleasurable as possible. The water was warm (without being hot), Enya's music created soothing ambiance, and either Mark or I would put on our bathing suit and get into the tub with Misty, holding her on our lap, and gently stroking her to keep her calm. How did Misty react? With absolute fear! As soon as the tips of her little paws hit the water she trembled and shook. She tried to crawl up on our shoulders to escape. She wined, cried and whimpered, sounding more like a frightened child than a cat getting shampooed. But Misty survived and while the neighbors were taking their pets to the vet to treat bad cases of flea bites, Misty was sleeping peacefully in the sun, free from any irritations - except the occasional scream of our cockatiel.

There are times when we know what's best for us and know we must do it even though we're terrified of it in the moment. Sometimes we get through by conquering our fears, and sometimes we get through by caving in to our fears. The important part is not how much fear we have, but that we keep focused on doing what's best for us. For Misty that was getting a bath and flea shampoo, what is it for you? What one thing do you know you must do even though you are afraid?

Remember: Sometimes We Fear That Which Is Best For Us.

--- © Jeanette M. Pintar, inspired by Misty