Time For A Kitty Update...

Half term holidays are when teachers get to deal with personal stuff, like housework and laundry. In amongst all the other things that I've been dealing with this week, I had to take Monsignor Miaowrini to the vet for a check-up appointment. Cardinal Furretti had been taken in the last holiday slot...

On the morning of the appointment, I knew I needed to use desperate measures: out came Miaowrini's favourite fresh catfood, and, while she was scoffing the lot, I sneaked over to the cat flap to lock it. Further subterfuge was needed while I assembled the cat carrier, and then I proceeded to entice the cat into the bathroom - she's way too good at scooting out of my reach in a bigger room. Once the bathroom door was firmly closed, I was able to try to get her into the carrier.

I swear cats have the ability to grow six extra pairs of legs when confronted with a cat basket.

Fortunately, I escaped serious injury this time round, and only sustained a few scratches. Once at the vet's, Miaowrini seemed as reluctant to leave the carrier as she had been to go in. I actually had to up-end the carrier while the vet reached up inside it to grab the cat.

After the examination, Miaowrini positively shot back into the box... though it didn't stop her from yowling at the top of her voice for the entire journey home.

She now appears to have forgiven me... despite His Hermeneuticalness pointing out that cats cannot forgive anything, I know (and every other cat owner can bear witness) that cats have an amazing ability to bear a grudge...

Anyway, I discovered that my experience of taking cats to the vet is not an unusual one: Simon (of Simon's Cat fame) appears to have had an identical encounter...