DD怪貓 DD the Strange Cat

DD是我台灣家裡第一隻貓。其實我們本來都是養狗的，不過在幾年前狗狗死掉了以後，老爸老媽就打消了養寵物的念頭，畢竟每次出遠門，家裡頭有隻動物也是挺麻煩的事。那麼，DD又怎麼來的？其實是老哥和嫂子的傑作，至於到後來為什麼會在家裡，那可就說來話長了，今天姑且就略過吧。
DD is our first cat in Taiwan. We used to keep dog at home. When our last dog died a few years ago, my parents decided not to keep pets anymore. After all, it’s quite a troublesome thing to take care of, especially when you have to travel far away from home. So, how come there’s a DD now? Well, it’s actually the work of my brother and sister-in-law. It’s a long story as to how it finally arrived here. Let’s skip it today.

DD來到家裡的時候，我人在義大利。透過電話，我知道家裡多了一個新成員，據說還是隻漂亮的金吉拉。後來看到照片的時候，總覺得有點怪，也許是混到其他種的雜種…不過不管怎麼說，還是不減其丰采，毛茸茸的讓人好想摸一把，尤其是那長長的尾巴，走起路來翹在那裡晃啊晃的，那時的DD，像是個高貴的王子。
DD arrived when I was in Italy. I was told there’s a new addition at home, and it is said to be a beautiful Chinchilla cat. When I saw the photo, it seemed to be a bit weird. I think it might be a mix… Anyway it’s still a beautiful cat. So furry that makes you want to touch it. He likes to raise his long tail while walking, looking just like a noble prince.

可惜的是，因為氣候的關係，DD來到家裡不到一年，耳朵後方就開始長奇怪的東西。有獸醫說是黴菌感染，又有人說是耳疥蟲，不論如何，除了藥物治療以外，還得盡量維持清潔。DD是隻愛乾淨的貓，雖然不愛洗澡，不過沒法忍受人嫌牠髒，在你講兩三次「你好臭」以後，就會自動跑到浴室門前，甚至跳進浴缸要洗澡。
It’s a pity that after a while, something strange started to grow behind his ears. One vet said it’s fungus infection, the other said it’s ear mite. In any case, apart from medical care the best way is to keep it clean as much as possible. DD likes to be clean(ed). Though he doesn’t like being washed, he can’t stand to be dirty. After you say two or three times “you’re smelly” he will run to the door of the bathroom, sometimes even jumps into the bathtub waiting to be washed.

那時正值盛夏，牠每天熱到無精打采，還會搶著吹冷氣，小弟看牠這個的樣子，於是把牠帶去寵物美容，把毛剔個精光，留下頭部、尾巴尖端和四隻腳的毛，看起來像極了一隻穿著靴子的小獅子。貓兒剪毛以後害羞躲起來的事，我們是聽多了，為了不讓DD感到自卑，牠一回家，大家夥兒極盡能事地猛力稱讚，牠儘管因為剛剔毛的關係很不習慣，卻也覺得自己很漂亮。
It was during hot summer. DD was suffering heat, and even fighting for the air conditioner. My younger brother decided to take him for some “beauty care”… that is, shave him! Only hair around his head, on tip of the tail and on the feet was kept. It looked just like a little lion with boots. We heard that many cats hide away after shaving because they feel ashamed. To avoid this situation, we made him feel as much as possible that he’s beautiful. Though he’s not used to his new appearance, he felt pretty out of our surprise.

沒有了毛皮大衣，DD的夏天好過了很多，很快地，小弟也發現，耳後的傷口不僅癒合地快，也很好處理。自此以後，小弟三不五時就帶DD去剔個毛，皆大歡喜。
Without its fur, DD became happier in summer. In a short while, my younger brother also discovered that the wounds behind his ears heal much faster with short hair, and they’re much easier to be taken care of. Since then, DD is taken to be shaved periodically. Everyone is happy.

我剛回到台灣沒幾天，小弟又把DD帶去理毛了。也許是不小心剪了太短，就看牠回家以後抖個不停。這兩天看牠這樣不是辦法，小弟竟然起了幫DD買衣服的念頭，也真的趁著今天去逛街，買了一件小衣服回來給牠。
DD was taken for beauty care some days after I arrived Taiwan. Perhaps it was shaved too much this time and he keeps trembling when he comes back home. My younger brother was thinking what to do, and it came to his mind that he could dress him. And he did buy a piece of cat dress when we went out shopping today.

回到家迫不及待地幫DD穿上，就看牠定在那裡不動了，一臉不知所措的樣子…看樣子，牠還需要好一段時間才能夠適應這東西吧！
After we came back home, he just can’t wait to dress DD. Then we just saw DD “frozen”. He doesn’t seem to know how to deal with the situation. I think it’ll take a while for him to get used to this new stuff.