Back To The Vet

Scout went back to the vet yesterday. He’s fine. I evidently was paranoid and impatient and spend too much time obsessing over his potty habits.

Who knew I would ever have to write that line?

The vet was terrific though, working us in on a two hour notice. She did a thorough exam and was patient as I explained all the reasons why he’s had a stressful week and listed all the symptoms I have observed in the last few days.

When she announced that he’s perfectly healthy and doing great, he looked at me like he wondered what was wrong with me.

You dragged me here for this?

His eyes were absolute daggers. But the vet and I agreed that it was worth everyone’s time to confirm that he’s ok.

The worst part of this story is that after a week of me force feeding him medicine, putting very cold drops in his ears and dragging him to the vet twice, he still comes to me for comfort. In his misery, he either senses that it’s all because I care or simply has no one else to turn to and keeps coming back.

Either way, this little house panther is worth the stress and trouble. I just hope he still thinks I’m worth the trouble too!

A Trip To The Vet

Scout went to the vet this week. Neither of us were especially thrilled but it was necessary.

He’s mostly fine but we came home with drops for his ears, pills to crush up in his food and a probiotic to squirt in his mouth. To put it mildly, it’s going to be a long twelve days for us both.

Sigh.

It’s hard when our pets are sick because they can’t tell us what’s wrong. In fact, we don’t always know there’s a problem until their symptoms worsen. He did find ways to communicate his dissatisfaction at being stuffed in a carrier, forced to ride in a car and then carted into a strange place to be prodded by strangers.

Guys, he sang the song of his people the entire way and lost a whisker through this ordeal.

On the way home, I stopped by a neighborhood drive-thru for a milkshake. He had calmed down by then but you should have seen the look he gave me when I ordered that shake. People think animals don’t understand what’s going on but he gave me a look of disgust as though to say “you stopped for ice cream? Take me home!”

So we went home to the tuna I promised him. It was laced with medicine and I managed to get the other stuff in him too.

It wasn’t good but I guess it could have been worse. We are currently in an uncomfortable place where he sniffs his food carefully in case I tried to poison him with that nasty medicine. He also keeps a wide berth when we are near each other.

Oh, and in case you ever need to know, cats can indeed close their ears. Wish me luck with those ear drops.

Watched

I was in the car, reviewing my shopping list, when it suddenly felt like I was being watched. That’s when I spotted this guy.

I don’t know what was going on but it appears he wasn’t having it. I’m hoping they stopped for ice cream on the way home to brighten his day!

Judgment

Look at that judgmental little face. His name is Cinder and he’s one of the little strays my parents took in a couple of years ago. He and his two brothers are spoiled little boys who have trained my parents well.

Oh, if only cats could talk. It would be nice to know what he was thinking!

Under The Weather

Scout has been under the weather for the last couple of days. He’s much better now but still a little quiet.

Pets are like small toddlers. They are expressive but can’t talk so you know they’re sick, stressed or generally upset but they can’t articulate the problems.

When he’s sick, Scout is short tempered and disagreeable. He wants held but he doesn’t want held. All he really wants is for me to sit in our comfy chair so he can sleep next to me.

I’m grateful that he’s improved but will continue to sit in the comfy chair as much as I can. If that’s where he rests best, what better medicine can there be?

Back To Reality

If anyone enjoys my Christmas vacation more than me, it’s this guy right here. Scout loves the days that I stay home and am available to him. Even if he ignores me, it seems to soothe him simply having me around.

It’s back to reality for us both today as I return to work and we resume our routine. Wish us both luck! He’s going to be an angry boy.