measi's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Clumsiness and vet visits We had a meeting first thing in the morning today, so I had to make sure I was on the road before 8 a.m. Since I'm the admin, I'm responsible for getting the food for said early meetings, of course. I decided to pick up a couple dozen bagels at Panera and some pasteries. People are happy. So I'll probably be left alone today since I fed people. Heh. heh. I asked Panera to make a mixed batch of bagels, which they definitely did. What was amusing was that people grabbed the ones they knew first, even after asking me what each bagel was. The asagio cheese ones were fearfully shunned. So were some of the danishes that they couldn't tell what was in them right away. Heaven forbid these people take a risk and try something new. Goddess, you'd think asagio cheese would poison them or something. *rolls eyes* Anyway... the morning started in an *cough* interesting manner before I even got out of the parking lot. About fifteen minutes before I left the apartment, Erich kindly called and let me know that there was a lot of black ice on our steps and on the walkway to the parking lot, and to be careful. Fifteen minutes later, forgetting his call, I bang my kneecap on the pavement as I do a brilliantly clumsy "whoop-dish" down. Thankfully I ONLY hit my kneecap. No elbows, backs, etc. Just the knee. Put a round hole in my tights right over the knee where I hit. It's shaped in such a fashion that I won't have run issues unless I mess with it (and I'm wearing a long skirt, so eh...). I'll probably have a gloriously colored bruise tonight, though. It hurts like hell, but I can walk on it. Steps are a bit shaky right now, but definitely no breaks... just bruising. *sigh* I'm a klutz. What can I say? Anyway... got the bagels, got here, set things up, and then finally had coffee an hour into being here. I'm wiped out. But hey, I get to leave early since I came in early and we have flex time. Gotta love it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Last night we took both cats to the vet for the annual checkup. The vet was running behind, so both cats were holed up in the carrier for a lot longer than expected, but they were very good. Fizzy just curls up to Colley inside the thing and they huddle in a big mass of cat fur together. No meows or growls. They just stay there, and in relative calm. Even with two monstrous German Shepherds and a Husky nearby, nothing from inside their carrier for a half-hour of overtime wait. I'll say this right off-- I like this vet so much better than the one I had in Boston. The vets are more personable and friendly. They seem to check over the animals a lot better and don't just give the owner an evil eye about something that's wrong or concerning. And most refreshing, they don't act all wigged that an owner might actually know some things about the breed and possible side-effects of poor breeding. When it comes to Colley, who does have some deficiencies with his teeth, this is a good thing. Both cats were surprisingly well-behaved. They huddled, as was to be expected, but when it wasn't their turn, they just huddled inside the carrier quietly and didn't move or get in the way. The only argument we had was Colley protesting his ears getting cleaned out-- the liquid annoyed him into a few spits and hisses. But they didn't flinch during their shots and otherwise just stood quietly. Colley needs to have a professional teeth cleaning-- his gums are pretty red, and he has lost half of the milk-teeth in the front already (at age 3 1/2). So I'll have to take care of him with that. Since last year, he's gained a pound and a half-- he's now up to about 11.5 pounds... still very small for a Norwegian, but considering how young he was neutered (around 4 months), he's pretty good weight-wise. Fizzy, believe it or not, is up to a record 6.5 pounds. The vet kept making comments about how tiny and dainty she was, but that she's just fine size-wise... she's just petit. We let the vet know that plastic is the culprit of her puking, and the vet winced, but was glad we'd figured it out. Confirmed that rubber bands and the pull tabs from milk cartons (which we've found her coughing back up) are a couple of feline favorites. They made a note in the file that she was a plastic eater, in case we have to bring her back again. But they're glad we noticed. Told us stories of other cats who were chewing things no cat should be able to fit down. *shudder* They were amused at our Fric and Frac show-- how both cats just huddled together and gave each other comfort, and how completely, utterly different they are from one another. I told the story about how Fizzy nursed off of Colley. They were surprised to hear about how he let her do it, but at the same time, it's amazingly obvious how Fizzy regards Colley as a parental protector. She almost lies underneath him when she's scared at the vet. Just quietly getting strength off of the big guy next to her. It just fascinated me to watch them and how they interact. When we're at home, they're off doing their own thing most of the time-- but it's incredible to see how the little community of two binds itself together in moments of need. There's silent communication between the two of them. I watched it develop when Fizzy would go nuzzle Colley as a kitten to go nurse off of him when she needed comfort. They give each other little nuzzles and face grooming on a pretty regular basis. Little things that connect the two of them. I read so often that cats are solitary creatures that will, if absolutely necessary, create a community. These two have on their own out of affection and companionship. Fizzy was pretty non-plussed by the whole experience. Colley got freaked by getting his ears cleaned out with the fluid, and spent the rest of the night slinking a bit low to the ground and being irritated with us. But the babies are fine and healthy, and no worries. And this morning Fizzy's probably cleaning Colley's head to get his fur back to normal, since it was plastered by the ear stuff all night. Goofy cats... 10:26 a.m. - 06 March 2003 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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