We must stop meeting like this

I have been in my vet's office more in the past week than I've been in the past year. My last 5 checks have been written to Fairfield Animal Hospital, and I told the good folks today that we just have to stop meeting like this. And there are 2 more visits coming in the next week, plus whatever Katie needs. We have our pets scheduled for shots annually, usually in April-May but we're a bit late this year. Last week I took Katie first because I knew she wasn't well and you all know what came of that.

Monday I took Chanel. She's so easy - she won't walk on her leash, but she wears it anyway so that if she ever gets spooked and bolts I have something to grab, or step on. She sits on my lap or on the passenger seat and looks out the window, sometimes with her paws on the dashboard which gets lots of people watching us. She got her shots and we were done. Easy.

Today the appointment was for Simon (flame point Siamese, on left) and Bailey (brown tabby, on right). Holy cow - you would have thought they were being tortured. All the way in the car they howled, Simon more than Bailey but Bailey occasionally did this mournful cry that one would swear was indicative of some serious anguish. What a couple of sissy boys! Then Ray recorded them and played it back so it sounded like there were 4 of them - freaked them both out! Then we get there and Simon tries to bolt out of the carrier when all we want is to put him on the scale - like, where do you think you're going to go if you run out of the carrier? Then just try to get him back in...ha!! He spread all of his fingers and toes like he was grabbing on anything to keep from going back in there. He's almost 5 years old and I think he has finally adjusted to not being "top cat". Bailey wouldn't give up that title.

Then it's Bailey's turn on the scale. Mr. Omega Male, top cat of the household, slinks underneath the pad in the carrier like that's going to make him invisible. We get him out of the carrier to the scale and he's got his ears all down flat...couldn't help calling him wussy pussy. Put him back in the carrier to go for the shots. Old man Bailey just turned 7 last week and today he acted like a total scaredy cat kitten.

The shots part is a piece of cake since Ashlea, the vet tech, is awesome and she let them know who was boss. Not a peep from either one of them. And they don't have to go back for a year.

But they did have to go back into the car. And the howling begins again. Earplugs anyone??

We'll be back on Friday and then again on Monday, and then other than Katie's supportive care we shouldn't have to take any more of these guys back for a year. She's feeling a bit dehydrated so I may take her in for another infusion of sub-cu fluids when I go on Friday. They said it should last 2-3 weeks but I don't think so.

Speaking of Miss Katie, she wants to stay out with everyone and it's interesting to watch because she perches herself on the windowsill, and I was curious as to whether or not she'd come for food so I popped a can of wet food and in she ran. She hasn't eaten all day, but she had her share at wet food time. We watched to make sure the bullies (Bailey and Chanel) didn't casually take her bowl away (kind of cute to watch - they try to stick their heads in where someone else's head already is and then just casually pull the bowl away from whoever is eating so they can have more than their intended share). They not only didn't try to eat her food, they kept a distance. I guess they know that she's not feeling well and needs some TLC. She also smells not so good, and unfortunately that's part of Chronic Renal Failure. Anyway, she ate about a teaspoon of wet food and hasn't eaten anything else all day - maybe this evening she'll get an appetite and eat more. I can hope. She did chase a light around like she felt perfectly well, then she crawled under the covers on the bed for a nice long nap.