My cat Hedwig is generally kind of a sensitive animal. She takes a while to get to know new people and is pretty much a princess in regards to people she does know. I wasn't really that surprised when she started behaving differently when Jeremy and I broke up. She acted out a bit when Nick and I broke up also. She hates when things move around and things have definitely moved around a lot and there has been a lot of emotional upheaval in the house also. I figured she would bounce back after Jeremy moved out and things settled down.

This weekend, however, I was home a lot and thus was in a position to realize that Hedwig never ever left the middle of the couch. She sits around looking a lot like this:



She doesn't eat anything and doesn't groom herself. I realized that Jake had probably been eating her food as well as his when she stopped and so who knows how long I had just been filling two bowls thinking she was getting her share. I tried to get her to eat some treats and things on Monday and she at a little if I fed them to her directly from my fingers, but in a very apathetic way. I can feel her spine all the way down her back when I pet her. So today I decided to take her to the vet.

I couldn't get a hold of anyone with a car and Hedwig hates the bus. I debated for a while, checking out the maps, and decided that since one of the carriers has backpack straps, I would throw her on my back and rollerblade to the vet. I could take back roads it would be a lot smoother, I could take bike paths and go through the park and I could stop and check on her whenever I wanted and not have to worry about how long I was going to wait for the bus with her in the sun. It would probably save me about twenty minutes also and the less lengthy a trip to the vet, the better. I brought my bus pass with me in case I decided along the way that this was the stupidest idea I had ever had.

It actually went fairly smoothly. She didn't fight at all getting into the carrier, in fact she was practically limp. She started crying when I got into the park and I stopped on the other side and she had caught her claw on the inside of the carrier. I fixed that and we were on our way. Changed into flip flops outside the vet and brought her in.

He asked what was going on, I told him. He was like, "Is she vomiting? Loose bowls?" I said, "She's not doing ANYthing. She just sits there on the couch with her eyes open. She's not even sleeping." He poked around at her, took her temperature, all the normal stuff and said that he couldn't find anything wrong with her except that she seemed a little too pale and he didn't know why. He suggested either leaving her overnight or leaving a blood sample. I opted for the blood sample because I didn't know when I would be able to get her back if I left her.

Ever seen a kitty tourniquet before? They're pretty weird. Hedwig did not like her arm constricted. At least I know she's not into intravenous drugs. He asked me to tilt her head a certain way as I was holding her and put the needle in.

And that's when my sweet little Hedwig bit the ever lovin' bloody fuck out of my hand.



She didn't just bite once either, she was chomping. I was all "Ow. Ow. OW!" until the vet did something and got her head detached. He seemed very unconcerned. And it took a long time for us to fill up the syringe. I guess her blood was a little watery.

So now there's blood everywhere. Blood on my wife-beater, blood all over my hand, blood on Hedwig's white flank and most probably blood in her mouth as well. The vet kind of glanced at me and said, "Did she get ya? Here, you can clean it up." and handed me the tiniest cotton ball with some of what I assume was disinfectant on it. I dabbed at my hand but it was really just bleeding too much and I couldn't stop it with the cotton ball so I gave it up. I wondered why he didn't offer me a band-aid, but I thought maybe it's just all about the animals here.

So I go up to pay, he gives me some antibiotics just to be safe and some vitamins that may help her appetite and tells me to call in the morning to find out about the blood. The woman in line after me asks if I was bitten because there's blood everywhere and now I'm getting it on the desk too. The vet goes, "Oh, I thought it was just a little nip. Didn't realize she got you that bad. Ever bit ya before? No? Oh, well, some people get bothered by it. So if it swells up like a balloon, get help." Yes. Thank you. "That'll be $192 with the blood work." Blood all over my checking account. "We'll go ahead and check her for leukemia too."

I get home and clean my hand off with some more disinfectant and there are no regular band-aids here. I have class tonight, so I can't just leave it open. I found one gauze pad and some athletic tape. So I now look like a burn victim, I have a severely depressed cat, a depleted checking account and a stained shirt.

That's the end. I just wanted to tell that story.