Chapter 22 - Too Much Love
Hobo loved Mocha and the feeling was mutual. The pair had been together for seven years now. Thrown together by mistake, the two hit it off immediately and had been inseparable ever since. If one went to the litter box, the other went, too. When Dad served two identical trays of food, they would both eat off the same tray.
Hobo liked to groom Mocha. A lot. Sometimes, Mocha would return the favor. Sometimes at the same time! “I’m so glad we found each other,” Hobo would say as he groomed Mocha. “Me, too!” replied Mocha.
One day, Dad was brushing Mocha and noticed a bald spot on his back. It was almost raw. Mocha had had a skin condition years ago, before he came to live at the House of Buns. He lost the fur on his nose, ears, and feet. The vets were perplexed. It even stumped the experts at UC Davis. Perhaps living a stress-free life at the House of Buns or having a healthy diet may have helped. Over the years, the fur had grown back like peach fuzz. Dad was worried and asked, “Mocha, is your skin condition coming back?”
Dad kept an eye on Mocha. One day, while checking the rabbit cam videos, he watched Hobo grooming Mocha. It was the very spot that was bald! Mocha didn’t seem to mind that he was being groomed raw. He just sat there and let Hobo lick him.
That night, when Dad came to give them their nightly treats, Hobo was grooming Mocha. “Hobo, I know you love Mocha, but you’ve gotta stop doing that! You’re going to make him bleed!” said Dad, as he pushed Hobo away. But Hobo just came back and kept licking Mocha in the same spot.
The next day, Dad went to the store and bought some large tube socks. He cut the feet off the socks, leaving just the ankle part. Kind of like a tube top. He slipped it over Mocha’s head and arms and stretched it out between his front legs and his back legs. “There,” he said, “Maybe this will keep Hobo from licking you in that spot so it can heal.”
Mocha ran off, not sure what to make of his new “sweater.” At first, it kind of bothered him, but after a few hours, he got used to it. As the day wore on, his tube top began to bunch up in the middle. That night, when Dad came to give them their treats, he saw that the tube top covered the raw spot, but Hobo had started grooming him further down his back. Dad just shook his head and said, “Hobo, you just love Mocha too much, don’t you?”
After a few days, Dad realized that the tube top just changed the location where Hobo groomed Mocha. A new bald spot was developing, so he took off the tube top. Mocha was happy to be free again.
Eventually, Hobo started spreading his love around instead of grooming the same spot. The bald spot never got any worse, so Dad just left them alone. Dad said to Mocha, “I’m sorry. I tried.” Mocha just looked at him and thought, “It’s OK, Dad. I don’t mind. I love Hobo, too.”
Dad makes a sweater for Mocha to protect him from Hobo's love.
Would you like to read more of Abigail's blogs? See them all HERE.
