No Rest for Mama

Today was supposed to be the day we took it easy and tried to recover a bit. Ian and I were both dragging our tails behind us yesterday. We were so tired it was hard to get anything done. We did get stuff done but it took real dedication. Don't ever question if that boy loves his ma and pa. There's no way we could have done this without his help.

But, his VW van desperately needs several hours of maintenance, and he hasn't had any time off for bike-riding or other fun in weeks, so we agreed that today he'd do the needed car stuff and I would do nothing at all.

That changed at 8:00 this morning when our big red rascal baby jumped up on me, woke me up and said, "Mama, kitty be sick."

I got up with him, which was what he wanted, and he ran to the kitchen crying and panting as he ran. He threw up a big hairball, threw up twice more and then ran for the cat box where he cried and tried to do a poop. Within a short time it was obvious he was in great distress, and he was vomiting steadily.

Since he's too big for me to carry and the emergency vet is on the other side of town I called Ian and woke him up. He drug himself out of bed and drove over here. We loaded the cat in his carrier and off we went to the emergency animal hospital.

We waited two hours before we saw the vet. The last 30 minutes of that was in an exam room, where kitty puked (and did worse) on the floor several times. He was distraught over not having a cat box, so he climbed into the garbage can, pulled it over, stuck his head in and pooped on the floor. He won't fit in a garbage can, not one that size anyway.

The vet and assistant informed me that he is a perfect example of the Maine Coon Cat - and yes, he loves to splash in water - which apparently Maine Coon cats are known for.

We had to leave him for tests and observation. As the assistant carried him from the room he stuck his front paws and legs out and reached for me, just as a baby would. "Maaaammmmaaaaaa....." he cried, "Where are they taking me?"

It doesn't bear thinking about. I can't even repeat what she said it might be and it's not because I don't know and understand medical terminiology. He's going to have needles, x-rays, and exams he won't enjoy a bit. There's a crater in my pocketbook but an even bigger hole in my heart! I just want my baby back!

So much for my "restful" day.