Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Just Hold the Cat (Updated)

The key to keeping a new job is to not make the same mistake twice.

Lesson One: don't let go of a really pissed-off cat.

Trust me on this.

Charlie wasn't available to do his usual brilliant photo styling for this post, so I apologize for the blurry above. I wanted you to get an idea of what can happen if you lose your grip.

Kitty survived our veterinary ministrations with a clean bill of health, no small thing for a feral cat. As you know, feral is Latin for a cat with anger issues. He prefers to bring down boar and wildebeest for dinner rather than submit to vaccines, a blood draw and a mani/pedi. He is liquid cunning and able to leap off vet techs at Mach 5.

I hadn't realized I had been wounded until my sleeve turned crimson. I don't think I cried excessively.

Lesson Two: don't leave home without Neosporin. And tuck in some latex-free bandages while you're at it. Shin guards from your field hockey days, yanked up your forearms, would be helpful. Followed by a cat-proof coat.

Also, it's a good idea to pay attention to the cat, not the needles, the diagnosis or the artwork in the hall. Because you have one job and one job only, which is to just hold the cat. 

(No cats were harmed in the making of this blog post, although I thought about it.)


With profound thanks to graphic genius Mike Haidley,
who created a PERFECT replica of the 4 pounds of
supercharged protoplasm that tried to kill me last week.
 Claws are a little small, but you get the idea.
Thanks, Mikey. You rock.

23 comments:

BFL said...

Hope you got a shot to protect you from Mad Cat Disease, or whatever it's called that those furry little creatures like to share.

Anonymous said...

Ohhh, painful. Sorry. Was scratched by a mad cat once. Not fun. Hope you heal quickly. (And have learned lesson #1 and #2!)
DJC

Beth said...

It's amazing how quickly cats can wriggle around and catch you with their claws. Glad you survived with your sense of humor intact!

Linda @ A La Carte said...

I feel your pain! I had a rather strong minded cat and she did not like going to the vets. I tried holding her but ended up bloodied also...they just can't help it but they are sorry!!!

Esther Joy said...

Cats can do a lot of damage. One of my grandsons had a bout with "cat scratch fever" which took a long time in the diagnosing, but was quickly handled with the right antibiotics. Hope you heal quickly without any complications!

Unknown said...

Wow! Your arm looks terrible! If I ever have a cat and have to take them to the vet, I will totally follow your advice!

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

Your cat story is well told, I enjoyed it. Too bad you got beat up a bit but it's admirable to be treating a feral cat. We have them in our neighbourhood, possibly coming in from the farms and I feel sorry for them. With spending winter outside, I don't imagine ferals have a long life span.

Judie said...

Our grandcats are so mellow! You are a brave and kind woman to take on a feral cat!

anitamombanita said...

ouchie! By the way, I've had more than one MD tell me that polysporin is much better, since it's water based not petroleum based and it actually kills the germs rather than breeding them.

I have a friend whose cat scratched him and it turned into blood poisoning...he almost died.

On that happy thought, love the kitty but cautiously! ;)

Naperville Now said...

If you need me, I'll be at the drugstore buying polysporin! Thank you.

My name is Riet said...

OUch that must hurt. Go see a doctor asap

Megan said...

And that's why I'm scared of cats.

KM said...

Our cat got it's claw hung in my lip this past week - arrgghh!
~Visiting from Mrs. Jenny's! :)

Gattina said...

so far I am still alive and owned by 4 cats, lol !

Lola said...

Great *J* post – I used to be owned by several cats too. (Now dogs!)

Look forward to *seeing* you again!

Have a great Alphabe-Thursday

Susan Anderson said...

Been there, done that. And got scratched!

;)

Carol said...

Ouch! That sure looked like it hurt. And this is why my two hulking, macho stepsons are afraid of cats.

Maureen Wyatt said...

I'm sorry but I can't stop laughing at your pain and suffering. You should see the feral kitten I took from my daughter's rescue farm 2 yrs. ago. She still looks like a kitten and vets never believe me when I tell them she bites if you hold her down. I shrug and let them learn! ~ Maureen
ps - following you now if it makes you feel any better.

Betty said...

Thank you for giving that feral cat a home! In time many can become very good pets.

I've had some feral cats and you have to be careful. I have three now that I thought were pretty well tamed. I can pick them up and pet them, but when I took them to the Veterinarian they weren't as tame as I thought. The one ended up jumping on top of a tall cabinet in the exam room. The Veterinarian had to climb up on the counter to bring him down.

Some you can tame, but I had one for nine years that never trusted us completely. After many years we could finally pet her while she ate, but only for a short period of time or she'd move. We had some work done in the yard and she got scared and ran off. I searched for her for five months, but never found her. It's sad. There are many ferals out there. If only everyone would spay and neuter their pets we might be able to get a handle on the situation.

Anonymous said...

Yikes!

I found your blog through Mommy Loves Vodka. I noticed your name because of the "Naperville"...hey that's where I live! :-)

Kathy and Freddy said...

I have a 50+ year old scar from getting in the middle of my cat Foggy's cat fight..this was before cats were regularly neutered, and you can imagine. It was a total knock-down, drag-out fight!

Cheryl D. said...

Ouch! I hope your arm is doing better by now! Yikes!

Jenny said...

Oh my goodness...

Sounds like quite an adventure...

I'm glad you came out alive...

Thanks for linking to the letter "J"!

Fantastic job,

A+