In about an hour, Terry and I will perform the life threatening "herd-the-cats-to-go-to-the-vets" maneuver. Yesterday when I pulled the three carriers out from storage, Julie headed to the loft just like she does when the vacuum comes out, Shadow sniffed around the three cages as Terry wiped the dust off and Chester feigned indifference.
Once it's time for them to actually go inside those cases all hell will break loose. There will be howling and hissing, clawing and scratching, running and hiding and, perhaps, even a little upchucking. The cats might complain too.
Chester and Shadow had their shots a little over a year ago when they also had some--ahem--surgical improvements to insure there would be no incestual relationships and a true herd of kitties running about. Julie had her last shots two years ago (but she has a better memory of those several times she has gone a riding).
This is not like a dog. A dog you put on a leash (or not), open the car door and he jumps right in with tail wagging and slobber dripping off his tongue as he anticipates sticking his nose out the window at 50 mph. A dog is more of a what's going on right now, kind of critter.
The cat seems able to reason more. Hear a sound and the cat will anticipate the next action. (Open the draw to get a spoon sometime around 11:30 AM and three cats come running because they know the next action is to put food in their bowls. Have the man on AOL say "Good-bye" and Chester runs from the other room to sit in the middle of the floor because he knows I'm now free to play with him.) Open the closet and get out the vacuum and Julie will be in the next county in a second. (She hates the vacuum with a passion. The other two? Not so much. Chester lets you vacuum his fur. Shadow waits until the head is almost touching her and then runs for the basement.) Somehow they know there is a future and what that future holds. Perhaps that's why they can land on their feet.
To get all three into the three carry cases could turn into a battle of wits. Much like the puzzle of getting the fox, the chicken and the bag of grain across the river in a small boat, it will all depend upon getting the rght one in the case first. I figure once Julie is safely stowed away in her case, the others will be just too curious for their own good.
Could get to be an interesting morning as they have all gotten car sick at one time or another.
UPDATE: 10 AM and we are all safely back form the vet's. Luckily we are only a short drive from the office for it was a constant trio of "Meow" and "Meoar" (kind of a mix between "meow" and "roar") as we made the 15 minute drive both too and from. Julie and Shadow shared the alto and meso-alto while Chester did the full tenor and bass. Yeah, he sang a duet with himself.
They were well behaved while the doc checked them over and administered shots for rabies and distemper. Shadow and Chester even purred. The latter is no surprise because she (the vet) was petting him at the time. They weighed in at a healthy 10, 12 and 16+ pounds. (That's Julie, Shadow and Chester, in case there was any doubt. He's a tub of loving lard, he is.) Chester and Shadow may have weighed a tiny bit less when we got home due to a biological activity they engaged in while we were on the road. Unlike kids, you can't push them into the bathroom before a road trip. Oh well, Got to go clean two carry cages.
5 comments:
What if you could fool them by putting them in the carrier and taking them to a place that's nice, or at least a place where they know they won't be jabbed with sharp object in sterilized environments.
Then the next time they have to go to the vet, maybe they'd be a little more acquiescing since they'd be utterly confused since the time before you took them to Pussycat Playland, or maybe a friends house who has other cats.
Take them to Pussycat Playland? What's the point--they're all "fixed."
Bringing cats to a friends house--even one who has cats--may be a way to end a friendship. Cats can be quite territorial. The fights that ensue may well be worse than--or result in--a trip to the vet.
The cats might complain too.
BAWAHAHAHAHAHA
My dawgs always seemed to sense when the trip is to the vet or groomer..and I have to carry them in because they plant all four feet and refuse to budge..
I enjoyed your description of the preparation for the trip, immensely. Our two cats are exactly the same way you describe your Julie. They both love to go in and out of the carrier, until a human touches the handle.
I laughed at your cat story. My cat will go in the carrier - but I have to leave the cage door open while in the car and listen to his weak "meows" (he's not a talkative one.)
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