Vet Visit

I took the boys to the vet yesterday.  Huck needed a rabies booster, and both boys got a flea prevention shot.  Last year my grandpuppy Boston came home from the lake with a severe case of fleas, which he immediately shared with the cats he lives with.  My son and daughter in law went through several months of flea infestation, and everybody suffered all summer.  They tried collars, and potions to be applied to the animals' necks, and sprayed the entire house.  Not to mention vacuuming daily!!!  Fortunately, our house escaped the problem, but I decided to be sure that we were protected this year.


The first issue was getting both boys into the kitty carrier.  It's large enough for two at a time, but my reflexes weren't good enough.  First I corralled Huck and locked him in.  Then I cornered Tuggy, opened the door, and Huck escaped.  Tuggy wriggled out of my arms before I could insert him into the carrier.  Finally I caught both characters at the same time, and stuffed them into the carrier before they figured out which legs belonged to which cat.  They were not overly pleased with me, and complained all the way out to the car.  Actually, they hopped around the carrier like maniacs so they kept overbalancing and ending up in a kitty pileup in the corner, which seemed to be the main point in their complaint.  Once they got into the car and onto a level space they calmed down.

We made it into the vet's office safely, and settled in to check out all the other animals.  We were the only cats on the premises but several dogs were coming to board for a while, and there were four adorable malti-poo puppies that were getting their first shots.  I seriously contemplated stuffing one of the 3 lb babies into the cat carrier and running, but decided I couldn't move fast enough to succeed in the heist.  When we got into the examining room, I let the boys wander while we waited for the vet.  Huck had a blast checking stuff out, but Tuggy is more timid and tried to blend into the sink.  We've learned that Tuggy is around 10.5 lbs, and that Huck is around 7.5 lbs.  Huck won't get as large as his buddy, because he is much smaller boned, unless we overfeed him.  I thought that Tuggy must weigh much more than 10 lbs because he is a very solid cat, but now we know for sure.

Our return trip was a piece of cake because the boys weren't speaking to me after getting their shots.  They managed to express their opinion as they left the kitty carrier, but weren't as rude as I might have been under the same circumstances.  My biggest lesson of the day was that black cats stress shed as much as any other colour of cat.  And although I wore a black tshirt and sweater, the fur does not blend in with the fabric.  I've used a lint roller and a fabric brush, and I still look like a walking fur coat.