Side Effects

From For Ellipsis

"If toast always lands butter side down, and cats always land on their feet, what happens if you strap toast on the back of a cat and drop it."

-Steven Wright

From For Ellipsis

Earlier this week, Hendrix and Dylan had their 1 year visit to get the once over and receive their kitty vaccinations. It was the first time for their shots, in that we have only had them a little over a year. Everything went well, they are in pretty good shape. Healthy... Happy... boys. :) Everything seemed fine after we got home, but as the day went on things began to change. Hendrix stopped playing, and Dylan got a bit grumpy. By the time the evening came around neither boy would eat their food or drink water. I couldn't get Hendrix to nibble on his favorite crunchy snacks "Friskies Natural Sensations" or his favorite baby food, Gerber #2 Turkey in Gravy. Dylan was hissing at everything, including his brand new "Monster in a Bag" toy. I couldn't have picked a worse day to give it to him. It scared his so bad, that he went and hid for most of the day, refusing to get on the bed even for his nightly belly petting. THINGS GOT STRESSSSSSFUL when I tried to pet Hendrix, and he cried out in pain from my simply stroking his fur. I was convinced my cats were both at death's door at this point.

But thank goodness I had the Internet at my fingertips and I did some research. I found out that some kitties have this type of reaction to the shots they received earlier in the day. It's normal for some cats to have some discomfort. My cat Elvis, who I am still convinced to this day was NOT a cat, but a human in a cat suit, never had experienced any side effects of his yearly shots. At least not so as anyone would notice. So, it never occurred to me that what was happening to Dylan and Hendrix could be perfectly normal. I kept reading the information at the website, but I was still convinced that they were dying in front of me. Dylan settled down on his favorite carpet went to sleep, Hendrix got on a chair next to my bed. He and I fell asleep, holding each other's paw.

When I called Dr. B's the next morning, his nurse "D" told me that yes, it was normal, and that her cats also experience a similar discomfort, but by the end of the day, they are usually back to normal. I guess it's just a matter of riding things out. Sigh. You see, I did it again, I said after Elvis I was going to rethink the "Mommy" approach to having pets. I would treat these boys as pets, and not as my babies... yeah... right. I am soooo a mommy to these guys. They are my babies, and I couldn't be happier about it. I LOVE THEM, and lucky me, THEY LOVE ME BACK. So, as you might imagine, when they hurt, I hurt.

:)

As the day went on, they did get better and now things are pretty much back to normal. From now on I will know that there will probably be some side effects to their yearly shots. I wish they didn't have to go through that, but I want them to have long, happy, healthy lives. I love them. 11 1/2 years wasn't long enough to have with Elvis. He was... special. He was a cat in a million. I miss him every single day. I think about him all the time. I suppose I will never get over him, but I know he is happy where he is right now. I always picture him at the Rainbow Bridge helping new friends crossover. "Hi, I'm Elvis... I am here to help you and be your friend." That's the way he was in life. He had a million or so friends, and I know some day, in about 50 years if I have anything to say about it, he will have 2 more... but like I said, it won't be anytime too soon.

:)

From For Ellipsis

A Joke...

Q. Why did the cats sell their homes?

A. Because the neighborhood had gone to the dogs.

:) Thanks again, Mary, Donna and Dr. B! :)

Cornell University School of Veterinary Medicine; Feline Vaccines: Benefits and Risks.

-Carly