Archie sends a message...

The gloves I use for quilting didn't start out that way:  they're actually pet grooming gloves that I'd bought long before I started this obsession hobby. My first cat Gershwin loved to be brushed, though -- all I had to do was open the drawer where I kept his brush and he'd come running -- so these didn't get used until I realized they were great for keeping fabric from slipping.

Archie, on the other hand, can't stand to be brushed...or even touched, really.

Can I still call him a pet if he won't let me pet him?

I figured if I could sneak in a few strokes here and there with these gloves without getting swatted, it would help keep the fur bunnies around my house to a minimum. I swear I could make another cat every other month with what he sheds!

Well, it turns out he doesn't like these, either. One look and he's running -- in the opposite direction. When I do finally get a hold of him, he's all squirmy (it's like trying to hold twelve pounds of Jello) and he manages to get an indignant nip or two in before taking off again.

If that message isn't clear enough, I encountered this in the kitchen this morning:

Tell me how you really feel, Arch. And don't hold back.