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My cat of thirteen years has had an accident. His name is ´Boy´.
It seems he fell out of a tree yesterday morning and banged his head on something. Katie and Richard, luckily found him at about 4:00am. His temperature was ten degrees below normal. They took him to a cat hospital where they have run tests: nothing broken, no internal bleeding, but he can only use his front legs, as of last night. I´m waiting now to hear updates on his condition via email.
Almitra is in Boston and is going to stay extra days to see what to do. It´s obviously outrageously expensive to keep him in the cat hospital. Almitra is contacting her friend, who has been Boy´s vet for years, to get his opinion on what to do.
I feel terrible being away when the cat needs me.
I know some people would say, ´Hey, it´s only a cat´, but for me it´s not just a cat, he´s mine and Almitra´s cat, who we held in one hand thirteen, or so years ago, and he´s been with us ever since. Every night during the winter he curls up in my lap, or stretches out the entire length of my legs, and purrs all night. He has to be scraped off complaining when you want to get up!
I´ve always let him go outside: I couldn´t keep a cat prisoner in my home. He´s always come back when I whistled, but he´s always had the freedom to choose, and this is a vital part of our relationship, for me. Each day when I let him out I always think that this might be the last time I ever see him.
On this occasion, the last time I saw him was settling into his secret spot in Richard´s workshop two days before I left, after a terrible time getting him into his carrying case. He had settled in reasonably well to his summer vacation spot, until the other night, that is.
Richard thinks he might have been chased up a tree by one of the so called, ´fisher cats´. I doubt it myself, because he is still alive. A fisher cat would have finished the job off, in all probability, since they hunt cats for food.
He had been staying out all night in Concord, something he´s not used to - he usually goes out for a couple of hours in the early evening in Somerville. He is getting on in years. He may not be as agile as he thinks he is. I know how he feels.
Anyway, other than popping out to the airport for more money, maybe going for a quick dip, I´m going to secrete myself near the computer today waiting for updates. I know you´ll think, ´What´s the point?´, but it makes me feel better.
I feel dreadfully guilty about going away right now.
It´s weird though. For the last two evenings a little black cat I´ve christened ´Nameless´ has sat with me all night at the house here, curling up on my lap. He´s a little rescue project for Adrianna, a street cat with a fungal infection in his ears, abandoned and hungry. Adrianna has adopted and treated him. He has the most lovely personality. For some reason, he´s become my fast friend. As for me, I´m glad and sad at the same time that he is my friend.
Probably this entry will strike some of you as maudlin and self-obsessed. If that´s how you feel, that´s ok, there are plenty more blogs out there for you to enjoy.
For those of you who understand how something like this might make someone feel, I thank you for bearing with me!
See you on the flypaper,
mike
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suze and gia
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We're so sorry....
Michael...this comment comes after our prior mail and my speaking with Almitra yesterday. I've had overnight to think and it was with surprise that I read your own observation about making friends with a cat where you are now....that is what kept coming into my mind over the course of last evening. I'm so sad to hear what happened and wish I could offer some insightful words....somehow none I can think of seem articulate enough. We've always been happy to take care of the Boy in your absence and over the years have become his friend. I remember the first time he came right to my car door to greet us when we pulled up in front of your house - now *that* was when I knew the friendship had firmly taken hold! Today, Gia and I will send out good thoughts to the Boy - we hope things will take a positive turn and that he soon be on his way to recovery. We're glad we got to see him when we took him with you out to his summer 'vacation' spot. Michael....take care - I know how hard this is, being away when the Boy is ill. Stay positive and we will too... xo, Suze and Gia