This past Monday Luke made the trip to the vets for his rabies shot. He was totally quiet riding over, and totally quiet riding back. No upset howls from the Luke man. Luke is also the easiest cat to get into the carrier because he uses that carrier as one of his sleeping spots around the house. I prop the door open and he just waltzes right on in whenever he feels like it. Luke is the first and only cat I've ever had that willingly sleeps in the pet carrier.
Luke's the third cat so far this year to get his rabies shot, the other two being Nicholas and Beau. What's nice about these current rabies shots is that they're certified for three years between when they're administered. Like all the other cats, Luke took to hiding in this unfamiliar place. Luke decided to hide under the blue towel while cuddled next to my right hip. The two of us sat together on a bench in the waiting room the entire time we were there. The staff infused the blue towel with pheromones and lavender scent to help calm little ones like Luke, so since he sat calmly while under the blue towel, I have to suppose it worked.
Before Luke got his shot, he got weighed. Luke weighed in at 14 lbs. According to the vet's records he hadn't gained any weight since the last time he was there, which I suppose is a good thing. But 14 lbs is still a chunk, which I feel every morning as Luke walks across me while I'm still sound asleep. That's Luke's way of telling me to get up and feed him.
The next day, Tuesday, I held a telemedicine consultation with the orthopedic surgery group that's going to operate on my left knee come 18 July. According to them the data collected during the recent medical visits were fine, and I was cleared for surgery. I suppose that there was a corner of my mind that was listening and said quietly to itself, "finally!" Because the next day on Wednesday it was like my left knee went to hell in a hand basket, with me limping around the house like an old gimp, wobbling around and feeling sharp pain in every step that alighted on my left foot. It was so bad that I spent the evening out in the main part of the house in my recliner, with my leg propped up and knee iced up. That's when all the cats came by to check out what was happening and to give me their version of comfort.
Nicholas Joseph was probably the biggest comforting soul that night. The others came by and stayed a few moments to collect some gentle rubs, but Nick curled up in my lap and went to sleep. I should note he did not pick the left leg to lie upon, and in fact stuck to the right side of my lap. They all did, which makes me wonder what signals I gave off that my left knee/leg was in such a sorry state Wednesday night.
Nick stuck around until after I dozed off to sleep. Nick's behavior is notable for how long he was with me. Nick is a sweet little character, just like the other five, but he's so busy checking things out that he doesn't hang around the humans as long as he did with me that night.
No comments:
Post a Comment