Present Perfect

Over the last month I put Lunya through two gruelling vet visits. The first was for some standard vaccination, as well as getting her chipped. The chipping is a necessary requirement for her to be able to go back to Belgium and make Kristien feel less lonely.

It was rather painful - so much so that we couldn't hold her still long enough to shoot the chip, or a tranquilizer shot after that to get her calm enough to shoot the chip. After half an hour, the vet gave up, and got this cage from the back room that has this cagey plane inside it which you can move inside the cage to press the cat against the other edge and keep her immobilized. I swear, Lunya was only an inch thick when squished inside this entrapment.

That allowed us to give her the shot, get her sedated, and shoot the chip.

This week was slightly less painful, only a shot against rabies.

The vet recommended I use a certain spray to sedate the cat before taking her on a plane, and that I test it some day before doing so, and note down how long it takes her to go calm and how long the effect lasts.

Today I spent some ten minutes trying to coerce her to open her mouth. Then when she finally did, I sprayed her tongue, and she managed to pull away and spit out half of it on the recently washed sofa blanket. I don't really know how much she actually held in, and I'm not planning to give her another dose because too much gunk will kill her, just as sure as none at all.

In the past hour, she has clawed her way through our tv cabinet two times, hiding herself behind the stereo (don't ask), jumping back and forth through the living room, chasing imaginary butterflies, and chasing her tail while lying on her scratching pole.

I'm not convinced this tranquilizer product is working out for her.

Over the last month I put Lunya through two gruelling vet visits. The first was for some standard vaccination, as well as getting her chipped. The chipping is a necessary...