We're Coming to Take You Away!
Who knew? It’s International Cat Day, and we almost missed the celebration. To all our feline furpals, we hope you are having a purrfect day.
We admit we are a bit surprised that Mom did not take advantage of this occasion by adopting another kitty. Maybe she did not know this was a special day.
For the past several days, I have been wandering around the house feeling lost and lonely. I can’t find my best friend, Patch. Everything was fine a couple months back. We were happy together, as you can see.
Then Patch got sick. She had runny eyes and a runny nose. Then those symptoms went away. Soon she was wheezing when she breathed. You could hear the sound everywhere in the house. Patch felt so ill that she did not put up much resistance when Mom grabbed her, put her in the carrier, and took her away.
Patch was gone for a whole week. I was so lonely! Just when I started to worry that I would never see her again, Patch returned in the carrier. She wasn’t wheezing and seemed to be much better. Mom seemed hopeful that Patch would make a full recovery.
Unfortunately, Patch started wheezing and gasping again. I could tell she did not feel as ill as before, because she displayed a great deal of feistiness when Mom tried to grab her. She scratched Mom, wouldn’t let Mom shut the carrier door, and hid where Mom couldn’t reach her.
A couple days later Mom got tricky. She kept giving Patch the same food dish over and over again until Patch had almost completely finished her Friskies. Later Mom grabbed Patch and got her into the carrier. I have not seen my friend since.
I think something must have gone very wrong. Mom came home pretty late on Tuesday evening, and she seemed very sad. She has not been going to the vet twice a day like she had been. I keep waiting to see my buddy, Patch, but she is not here. I am so lonely!
I am completely ashamed to be the oldest (adopted) sister of a cat who is now notorious on Facebook. What is worse, her behavior humiliated Mom on Mother’s Day.
Mom discovered the cause of her humiliation via e-mail. One of the nice veterinary technicians at Gasow posted the following: “Almost made it out of work without urine on me. Thanks miss patch!” Of course, that is our Patch the Pirate, who is hospitalized for the second time for a very nasty upper respiratory infection. In response to the post, someone commented that Patch is the “urine ninja.”
Poor Mom! It looks like she did not bother to teach Patch any manners. The rest of us would never dream of behaving like that, especially not in public. Of all the days to behave badly, Patch had to choose Mother’s Day. I am deeply sorry that my loving and caring Mom was humiliated in this way.
What I can’t understand is why she and Dad were laughing about the “urine ninja.”
Mom later discovered that the post had been removed. I hope the nice technician realizes that Mom found the situation humorous, although she was sorry about the effects of Patch’s misbehavior.
Patch the Pirate is missing again. This morning Mom added something the vet gave her to Patch’s breakfast. It turns out that Patch was drugged and taken away in the big carrier. I am glad it wasn’t me!
I know Mom was at her wits’ end. Patch, after seeming well on the road to recovery, seems to have suffered a relapse. The heavy, congested-sounding breathing that echoed through our living space day in and day out had to be treated, and it couldn’t happen here. The vet proposed some special testing to determine what “bug” has infected our poor fursib so she could get the proper (and lasting) treatment she needs.
Mom tried to trap Patch earlier this week without success, and was clawed for her efforts. Patch rewarded Mom with hisses every time she approached after that. Capture seemed impossible.
Desperate circumstances call for drastic measures. In this case, it led to Patch the Pirate being drugged and taken back to the kitty hospital, where Dr. R. will attempt to discover what ails her.
I may not get much attention around here, but I do notice things. One thing I have observed over the last day or two may mean more trouble ahead for Patch the Pirate. She seems to be breathing rather noisily again, although not the squeaky wheeze she had just before she went into the hospital.
I am not the only one who has noticed this. I heard Dad tell Mom about it this evening. Mom admitted that she has heard the same thing. She claims not to be VERY worried because Patch has no runny eyes or nose, but I know Mom better than that. She is concerned and, if I had to guess, Patch would rather do anything but have more trouble with her health.
After a whole week in that metal cage (or should I say torture chamber?) in the IV Room at the kitty hospital, I had begun to give up hope. Finally, two nights ago, Mom brought me home. My best buddy, C. P. Pirate, and I are together again.
I showed those people at the vet who was boss. I growled and hissed. I did not cooperate with them. I sulked in my cage. As a final statement about my displeasure, I peed on the leg of the tech who was putting me in my carrier so I could go home.
I refused to talk to Mom all the way home. When we got here, I ran under the bed. Today Mom tried to remove the stupid white collar they put around my neck at the vet, but I would not allow her to do so. I want to remind her for a LONG time how mad I am for what she did to me.
I do think I am finally getting healthy again, in spite of the torture I endured. I am glad that my furpals and I are together again, and I have plenty of places to hide.
For the third time in less than one month, we have a disappearance from the Feline Funny Farm. The first vanishing cat was Revelly, who–sadly–never returned to us. The second was our orange brother, Pawscar Awesome. He suddenly reappeared after two days. The newest mysterious absence is my best buddy, Patch the Pirate.
Last night Mom came home from her teaching job at BBI (what is that?), and looked around at all of us. Patch and I were napping on the table under the warm lamp. Mom came over, petted Patch, and then grabbed her up and put her in the carrier.
I was quite surprised that Patch offered little resistance; she usually fights tooth and nail to avoid the dreaded carrier. Mom and the carrier went away, and now Patch is missing.
I surely do hope that this disappearance is not permanent.
That orange invader is back! Doesn’t he know that Mom’s bedroom is for girls only? What’s worse is that he is sitting on Mom’s lap, just purring away and shedding all over Mom’s keyboard. I think he must be one of the aliens Roy Thinnes was pursuing on that old 1960’s TV show Mom used to watch.
I am pretending not to notice him. Maybe I’ll just take a nap. Orange invader, go home!
Home at last! Home at last! Thanks, Mom, I’m home at last!
Mom came to visit me this morning and found out that I could leave. She did not have a carrier with her, so Dr. C. loaned her one. Two techs took the long plastic tube out of my arm while I growled at them. One of them bandaged my arm for the ride home.
As soon as I got home, Mom took some pictures of me. Here is one:
I take some pride in the fact that no one seemed to be able to figure out WHY I got dehydrated and constipated. Mom seems to think that’s NOT a good thing, because it might happen again. She plans to watch me carefully to make sure I eat and act like my usual self. Right now I am sitting on her lap while I dictate this post. That ought to convince her.
Thanks, Mom, I’m home at last!
Why’s everybody always picking on me? Haven’t I been a good kitty, putting up with the eye drops and the chicken slop and minding my own business? Apparently not good enough: I was sleeping too much and eating too little.
Two days ago, Mom stuffed me into a plastic box and hauled me out of the house. She took me to the same place that the Birmingham police did when they found me, skinny and flea-ridden, nearly two and one-half years ago. Once there Dr. C. poked and prodded me and pried open my mouth. I was taken away, x-rayed, stabbed (more than once), and put in a cage with this long plastic tube attached to my front leg. Then I realized: Mom is lost!
I waited a long time, wondering what had happened to Mom and why she left me here. Finally, I found her. There she was at the door of my cage, talking to me and petting me. Then I lost her again. She keeps coming back once in a while, but she does not stay “found” or take me home.
I promise to be a good kitty! Please rescue me!