Sammy Davis Jr. Goes to the Vet

Taking my new role as a "pet-rent" very seriously, I made an appointment to take Sammy to the vet. He has been coughing and more recently has been sneezing too. I received a coupon in the mail for a Vet Clinic close by and if you send me a coupon I'll patron your establishment - it's that easy.

I don't have a pet carrier, so I dug out an old gym bag from the back of my closet, eyeballed the size of the main compartment and decided that Sammy would fit. Now before you guys judge me, I did TRY to get a hold of a pet carrier from someone I work with but another pseudo-blizzard came blowing through town at the end of the week last week and we all worked from home.

So Saturday morning arrived. I grabbed Sammy and tried putting him in the gym bag. I think my "lightning" approach was the wrong one to take. I had thought that if I grab him and put him in the bag quickly then - just like ripping off a band aid - the worst of it would be over.

Just like his namesake, SD Jr. is mellow, cool and laid back - until you try to fold him into a gym bag. I had "successfully" gotten him half way in the bag when he freaked out and escaped my clutches. One of his claws caught onto the bag and when he ran away from me he drug the bag with him.

The second attempt was a success and I got him in the bag, though I didn't have the heart to zip it all the way closed. Once in the car, he was out of the bag in about 6 seconds. That's about when I abandoned the bag idea and just carried him to and from the car.

Everyone at the clinic loved him. He didn't cry when he got his anti-biotic shot for his cough, though he got pretty irritated at the doctor when cleaning out his ears. Seriously - the vet dug out so much wax that he could have made a crayon.

Besides his cough and a desperate need for a dental cleaning, Old Smokey has a clean bill of health for a 17 year old cat. The vet told me that Siamese can live well into their 20's which means me getting out of being a pet owner any time soon just went out the window.

I should probably invest in a pet carrier.

ps. Today is MHIBTY 3rd Birthday!