Lovely cat, don't you think? He has been hanging around the property for several months now, and, much to my dismay, I think we have an "outside" cat. Joey is a nice cat, as cats go, and I don't have anything against cats, but we can't have an "indoor" cat since my sister is terribly, horribly allergic, and...well...the dogs would eat him. Not a pretty thought. Even though I am 100% against having outside pets, what were we going to do, not feed him? He was such a straggly, pathetic looking thing when he first started coming around. Now look at him!
Well, as a responsible (albeit reluctant) cat owner, a few weeks ago we made an appointment for Joey to lose his manhood. That's right...no "little Joeys" running around. We made an appointment with our vet to give Joey the full treatment. Being dog people, we had a vague idea that it would be shots and tests and then, you know, "SNIP SNIP." Honestly, I don't really want to know all of the details. It needs to be done, so just do it, right?
Well, it was Joey's lucky day - he had already been neutred. Lucky for him... really, really embarrassing for us. Mom said "Didn't you girls looooook before taking him to the vet?" Of course we didn't do that. Pulling up his tail and oogling at his private parts - that would be rude. Anyway, he got his shots (rabies and something else, I forget what it was) and was tested for leukemia and HIV (negative, hooray!) and came home no worse for the wear.
Now, I'm not really a cat person. I don't have anything against them, really, but they just can't compete with dogs. Some would say that it is a flaw in my nature that I have the need to be loved and adored by my pets. Do cats love you? Maybe, maybe not, who can tell with those aloof creatures? Do dogs love you? Hell, they just about turn themselves inside out when I come home from work. Dogs are the only beings I have found that offer unfailing, unconditional love. Who wouldn't want that?
But I digress...we're talking cats here. Last week Joey wasn't coming around for his meals, and believe me, that cat does not normally miss a meal. One night S saw a couple of drops of blood by his food dishes, and we knew something was wrong. Anyway, even though I have different feelings toward cats, that doesn't mean that I want them to be SHOT WITH A BB GUN. Yes, little Joey was shot. Don't get me started on guns and the fact that there are irresponsible people out there who have them and buy them for their children to take pot shots at innocent animals. Sheesh.
This is a picture of poor little Joey the day we caught him and took him to the vet for the second time in as many weeks. You can't tell from this picture, but there is a BB shaped hole in the middle of his chest. He licked all of the hair away from it. Poor little guy.
Fortunately he had just had a clean bill of health, and they felt around and didn't find a BB, so they gave him a shot of antibiotic, three shots of fluid to hydrate him, and sent us home with 10 days worth of antibiotics to give him. He is doing much better now. He should be - he's getting "people food" shrimp and crab and tuna and herring in addition to his regular cat food. I'm beginning to wonder if he shot himself just to improve the menu options. Cats are sneaky little beasts and I wouldn't put it past him...
P.S. Why do my paragraphs switch line spacing like that? It's reallllly annoying. I'm helpless at html. Sorry if it annoys you as much as it annoys me.
1 comment:
As an equal opportunity dog and cat lover, I can say that (some) cats do give unconditional love (and will even drool all over you, like my little cat). It's just that their way of showing it is different than the way dogs show it. Obviously Joey has sensed something special about you and has decided to love and adopt you! And this was before you started plying him with seafood goodies! He's such a cutie. And his color matches the doggies!
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