Poor kitty is sick.
I woke up this morning and opened the front door, as usual, expecting to see her happily trotting halfway down the hall by the time I got the door shut. She was there all right, curled up on the doorstep, but she didn't get up right away. She got to her feet slowly, poked her head through two of the bars on the outer door (just a metal grille), then another two. It was as if she had decided she couldn't fit through, which she normally does with no problem at all.
So I opened the outer door and picked her up. She give a sad little meouw. The fur round her throat was all bloody and matted, which gave me a scare, and she had a cut above her left eye. I carried her to the lounge room and she just sat huddled up, not making any move to her food and water. I brought the heater into the room and switched it on.
The Man is away for a few days (Hurrah! The house is mine!!) so I had a panic for a few minutes in the shower. We don't have a cat carrier, I can't yet drive, I didn't know when the vet opened, was Kitty going to quietly expire while I got ready in the bathroom, etc.
In the end I called my neighbour, her 'real' owner, who lent me the cat carrier and drove me to the vet at 8:00. Luckily we were seen right away. Kitty had a shot of antibiotics and another for the pain, and her bloodied fur was shaved off. Wewent home on the bus because I couldn't find a taxi. She let out a little sob every now and then but was very good, though it must have been a traumatic 12 hours for her.
I was so late into work! I am also not going to ballet this evening, in order to take care of the convalescent. That is a very big sacrifice for me, so you must know I love this cat.
Meanwhile, the Man is plotting Revenge against the cats who did it to her. We know who it was because these two cats are contstantly round our house bullying her. They don't even live on our side of the street; they just come to torment her. They were especially bad last night. I had to chase them off the roof with the hosepipe early in the evening as they were ganging up on her. Then soon before I went to bed I caught one of them sitting on the ledge at our front window. I half expected to be woken up in the night to hear yowling on the roof, but I never expected to find poor little beaten up Kitty sitting quietly on the doorstep the next morning. Apparently this Revenge involves fire crackers, air rifles and cat traps, or so I was told over the phone line from Queensland.
$148!
(I thought that merited its own paragraph.)
I can't wait to get home and check on her. I really don't want to be here at work today.
4 comments:
sorry to hear about your cat.
we found out the hard way that cats have to stay indoors overnight in australia. our cat got attacked repeatedly over the years and it cost us a fortune in vets bills. and oh god, the pus!!!!
the other thing is that apparently cats kill native wildlife for fun when out at night... not for hunger. so apparently it's really, really, really bad form to led them out over night.
i didn't know this when i had a cat, but i know now and wouldn't do it again. i'm a bit embarrassed that i did it. i thought everyone did... but apparently australia's wildlife, even in cities, is pretty special and vulnerable.
anyhoo... didn't mean to nag. hope you're both ok. take care possum,
taff
Hi taffy!
I know we should keep her in. In fact the Man was a very outspoken critic of cats, especially cats being let out at night. I had no idea until he educated me about it. Then Kitty finally won his heart and it seems he lost his principles!
Once he gave in and accepted that she had adopted us, and that she was now our cat (vet bills make it official!), I suggested that we should bite the bullet, get her a litter box and keep her in at night. But strangely, he resisted, saying he didn't want a litter box, and it seemed mean to keep her in, etc etc.
Pretty weird for an outspoken Greens supporter and a someone who professes to hate cats and their killing ways!
I should have been firmer. But it felt weird that I would have to enforce what were really first and foremost his principles! I think though that he will be persuaded to re-think now.
Oh no! Poor kitty!!
I agree with Taffy--let the baby in at night! Litterboxes really aren't that bad, especially if you clean them every day or every other day. I am too much of a wuss to leave my cat out EVER because I can't bear the thought of anything happening to her. I don't think it's mean, she has a nice life indoors! I mean, I pamper her like crazy!
I hope Kitty starts feeling better~
Mindy, she is much better. I mean, she's more herself and not this trembling thing. We had a nice night in together last night, and she didn't even want to go out. I made her a makeshift litterbox but she hasn't used it yet. The cat has amazing powers of self-control.
Maybe you could blog about your cat! I'd love to read about her.
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