Cat Drama

My homecoming yesterday wound up being a bit more complicated than I’d planned. Dave watched my cat, Armenia, while I was gone, and he did a good job feeding her and trying to keep her amused, considering how cantankerous she can be. But when I got home I realized she was even more cantankerous than usual. She complained loudly as she walked around the apartment, and during the short time I spent unpacking my bag she visited the litter box several times.

Uh-oh. The dreaded Urinary Tract Infection.

Indeed, once she skipped the litter box entirely and went on the floor nearby, which is a sure sign that she’s in pain. I also detected small spots of blood in a few places on my floor, which Dave wouldn’t have noticed but I could see because I know the grain of the wood so well.

So, despite the fact that I had to get to work, I called my boss and begged off, packaged up the cat and went to the vet. (I’m sure she was thinking, “Why did you bother to come home if you’re going to treat me this way?”) Armenia is renowned at the vet for being a fighter, and she did not disappoint, screaming like a banshee as the vet took her temperature and collected samples. He gave her an antibiotic, Clavamox, which I fold into her Fancy Feast every morning and evening.

To top it all off, we had a huge thunderstorm last night, which freaked her out completely. She’d run across the apartment when the lightning flashed, then run back to me at the sound of the thunder. The poor thing was running relays for about an hour.

This morning she seems fine, though, lying next to me and giving herself a bath. I think she’s glad I’m home, but you can never really tell.

(Photo: Sea grapes in Anna Maria, Florida, May 2009)