25 February, 2007
Simon Sunday: The V-E-T Visit
Day Forty-Five: At the V-E-T
Originally uploaded by Planet Vicster.
Thursday night was Simon's annual check-up. Preparation for a visit to the V-E-T begins early in our home. I made the appointment last Sunday. Monday, under the pretense of rearranging the front closet, I removed the kitty carrier and set it "out of my way" in a corner of the room. When I put things back in the closet, I "forgot" to shove the carrier back in. This gives both cats time to freak out at its appearance, then get used to it being out. Wednesday evening, while the furkids were eating, I casually undid the latches for the top door of the carrier. Thursday, when I gave them part of their supper about an hour before we were set to leave, I quietly opened the top door. About five minutes before it was time to go, I closed the door to the bedroom, since the one place they can hide where I cannot reach them is under the bed. This came in handy because Simon put up a good fight while I tried to stuff him into the carrier, which took several minutes and only a bit of bloodshed on my part.
He passed his exam with flying colours, weighing in at a perfect 11 lbs., 6 oz (down 6 oz. from last fall when he got his S-H-O-T-S). The vet and I agree that this is a really good weight for him. We can feel his ribs without having to grope too much and he's plenty active.
All that said, however, Simon was clearly not a happy boy. He clung to me, alternately trying to slither up inside my shirt or crawl into my chest cavity. He's generally a pretty snuggly boy, but when we're at the V-E-T, he's All Snugglebunny, All The Time. I was very proud of him, though. He was very well behaved and didn't bite or struggle...not even when the tech took his temperature (they always used to take it in his ear, but, uh, not so much in the ear this time).
We met the new vet, Dr. Grant, this time (I like the fact that Simon and Billie are rotated through the vets at the office so all of them are familiar with them). Well, she was new to me, anyway. She said that she was reading Simon's chart before she came into the exam room and saw that she had given him his FIP titer a few years ago, when she was a tech. So, evidently, they have a past.
And oh yikes. The FIP titer...It reminded me of how we lost our sweet Chloe to that insidious disease. And that it is a time bomb, lurking and ticking away in Simon's system. For the most part, I have been able to put it out of my mind after his second birthday and I hope that I don't stress about it as he gets older. Mostly, I hope that they make some strides in treating FIP so that it isn't the automatic death sentence that it was for Chloe.
For now I find joy in every healthy day I have with Simon and Billie, who are constantly reminding me to just stay IN THE MOMENT with them. The past is what it is. The future is what it is. But right now, this moment is the only moment we have control over. And I have two wonderful models for making the most of Now.
Labels: cats, furkids, Simon, Simon Sunday
~~ victoria on 8:16 AM ~~ 0 comments
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