OK, gigi, refresh my memory on the grammar. What I did there was a dangling participle, correct? In any event, as I’m sure you managed to deduce, what I meant to say that my then-adult mother made such modifications while I was yet a child.
I’m not going to go to all the trouble of dismantling the bear and rebuilding it, but I will try and sponge it off a little so it’s less crunchy. My only worry is that I still want my cat to suck on the bear (instead of on me), so I hesitate to remove too much of his scent. I don’t mind the sucking at all, it’s just that I’m pretty grossed out when I pick up the bear to move it, and its fur is all stiff. For hygienic reasons, I would like to de-crunch the bear from time to time.
It’s too big a bear to stuff in a pillowcase, so I guess a surface wash is the best I’ll be able to do. what to use? Dish soap? Baby shampoo? Something unscented?
I’m glad to see others have strange pets too. Makes me feel a little better about my sucky kitty.
Maybe you could attach an easily-sponged-off plastic handle instead.
My recommendation is to buy a pair of bear-moving tongs, and do nothing else with the bear.
You should be able to solve this problem for about two bucks.
Seriously, thank you for humoring my compulsion.
Just wipe it with a wet rag and make sure to fluff it afterward.
Things To Do:
Buy buck-moving tongs.
Go deer-hunting.
Trade two bucks for bear-moving tongs.
Do nothing else.
It sounds like a busy day. 
That had me laughing loudly - I have to admit that I had similar initial thoughts upon glancing at the title, only my cat was more an army sergeant with an american accent.
Oh yes. Jack Nicholson as the cat. Tom Cruise as the Bear.
