Caturday Saturday

TBT:  Weird Stuff...

Skeeter used to drink from the toilet bowl.

As a kitten, LC sniffed the bathtub drain then turned around and peed into it.  I thought that was utterly cute.

Ayla's breeder used to train the kittens to perch on the edge of the toilet and pee there.  The training doesn't stick when there are litter boxes, and I had to have litter boxes for Skeeter and LC.  But I did see her do that a few times before she lost the training. 

And nothing like that happened again until recently when I got 3 surprises in the past week...

So I was surprised to see Taz drinking from the toilet.  There is a waterbowl now that I had a flavor enhancer to, and there is a water fountain.  So he suddenly drinks from the toilet!

And then I was in the bathroom and Lori hopped up on the rim and peed into the bowl!  What?  Why did she decide to do that?  The litterboxes were all clean.

And then, I found a black whisker on the old platform tree.  I thought all cat whiskers were white.  It had to be from Binq.  But Binq is not a lapcat.  She generally stay around, but not "real close".  So I never noticed her whiskers were black!

And the last surprise of the week.  Binq seems to feel the bedroom is not her space.  She jumps on the bed in the morning and seeks attention (which I of course give thoroughly).  But she has never slept on the bed.  It is routine to wake up at night and see Marley, Lori, and Taz sleeping on the bed in corners or up against me.

So imagine my surprise when I got up briefly and saw Binq sleeping in a corner of the bed!  And she has done that 3 nights in a row.  Not that she is quite ready to sleep in contact with me, but it is a good start.  Just that much (after nearly a year) is a positive adjustment.

I'm sure there will come a day when I discover Binq sleeping next to me.  

Mancat Monday

LOKI:   I love the new movable chair TBT bought!  It has wheels and is almost in a new place evry few hours.

It moves sometimes when I hop up.

That was weird at first, but but I'm getting used to it.  

Seeing the room move when I'm not is kinna fun!

And it is firm but padded enough.

Mancat Monday, Part 2

 TBT:  First of all, Marley is fine!  I just wanted to get that out of the way.  No dental issue.  Apparently he got a claw-wound from some brave defense of our yard or a mouse bit him in a last act of defiance.  The vet couldn't be sure.

But this became an UTTERLY STUPID DAY!  I think I may just drink wine for the rest of it.  And "yes" I've already started.

I called our vet as soon as they opened, explaining that I had an injured cat and was a regular client.  They said they were down to 1 vet (they usually have 3) and could not manage an appointment until the end of November.  I repeated "injured".  No luck.  They referred me to a 24-hour animal hospital.  

I may be referring them to a new vet to whom to transfer The Mews records to soon!  But for now, I will wait to see why they are lacking vets.  I don't want to be unfair if they are having temporary problems they can fix.

I said I called my vet.  Yeah, but not because my regular cordless phone was working.  When I picked it up at 8 am to call the vet, it said "telco line not working".  OK, I have 2 cordless phones (same number) and the other didn't work either.  Both were fully-charged.  

I own a smartphone (my first one), but I'm too old and/or stupid to navigate to the apps.  I only bought it for GPS directions and emergency calls.  And if an injured cat isn't "an emergency" I don't know what is.  But while I can't figure out how to get at the apps on demand or answer calls, I can originate one.   Seriously, most of my smartphone use is just deleting spam calls once a week anyway.  

So I could call my regular vet even though they couldn't/wouldn't help Marley...

So, I prepared to get Marley to the Emergency Hospital.  And I wasn't happy about it.  I had to bring Ayla there after her 3rd spay operation (wow, was that really 14 years ago?) and it was awful.  The vet was weird and a walking dead guy.  I will admit that the place is improved some, but not by a lot.

I arrived and all the parking spaces had signs demanding "text us at xxxxxx".  I don't now how, so I knocked on the door.  They didn't want to open it.  I yelled that I had an injured cat and no smartphone.  

They let us in 😹

There was no other client in the place.  So, we waited for 15 minutes to get attention.  Really...  Injured cat, no customers, 15 minutes?  They acted like they were doing me a favor just to let us in.  15 more minutes before a vet technician took Marley to the examination room.

Ooh, I don't want to forget to mention the 4 page entry form I had to fill out...

And get this...  She said I "could stay in the waiting room" while the vet examined Marley.  How kind of them!  But it makes sense; every door I could see said "Staff Only" in 6" letters.  And the staff even needed cards to get in any door.  I may have to have Marley checked for CIA implants, LOL!

I mentioned "no other customers".  So of course Marley was gone for 30 minutes.  And after he was brought back, 

He was not a "happy camper".  Though he was happy enough to not "sing the song of his people".  Well, Marley talks to me often enough, but not to strangers

it took another 15 minutes for the actual vet to arrive and explain what she found.  I may be complaining a lot (and I'm not done with that), but she was great!  She discussed the likely causes of the wound, explained that the swelling had drained well (oh don't you love to hear "lots of pus squeezed out" - LOL - actually, I do), and that his teeth seemed fine.  She was friendly, smiling, and communicative.  

So, I had Marley back (a bit grumbly, but to be expected).  And we waited another 15 minutes for the bill to be prepared!  I'm still trying to understand that (the wine may be kicking in here) but there were 2 clerks sitting around doing nothing and I wanted to Give Them Money.

I have the general sense that a businessperson could profit at this place by improving procedures and attracting more customers.  But I'm retired and don't want to spend time in or risk anything in a business these days.  

The place looks better than it did when I had to bring Ayla there for seepage around her spay sutures.  It was originally all cinderblock.  But the vet there could sure use some business help...

I forgot to mention earlier that I was sure the Emergency vet would want proof of Marley's rabies shot.  My regular vets do and they gave him the shot - it's in their records).  Now, I don't know about you, but my  paid bills, car maintenance stuff, and cat records end up stacked on the top of the filing cabinet.  

Usually, they are only a few months old and I never need them anyway.  But I needed Marley's Rabies shot document, so OF COURSE things had stacked up for nearly a year this time.  If it didn't matter, it would have been only 3 months.  When it mattered, it was a year's worth.

I found it and brought it along.  So, of course, they didn't even ask for it...  They should have.

I still don't know why the cordless phones aren't working.  Not that I expect any meaningful incoming calls.  I do want them working of course.  But that's tomorrow's problem.

Marley had been eating well before the Emergency Vet visit, but he sure ate a lot more than usual when we got home.  He LOVES Fancy Feast Turkey&Giblets.  He ate the whole can!

He is not exactly hiding after his scary vet visit, but I can tell he wants to be left alone for a day.  He just hates to be handled by "strangers".  I just walk by and stop to talk to him every hour.  The good thing is that he probably won't even remember all this tomorrow.  Marley seems to forget bad experiences well.  😁