This morning we started by playing with all the toys we got from PetSmart last night. I guess it's impossible to go to such places without buying toys. And, this morning, Lionel seemed impressed. That was this morning. Then we unpacked the cat carrier and fixed it up for travel to the vet at 10:30. That part went fine. Lionel was intrigued and I even took the lambswool cushion out so he could sit on it while watching the surfers. He thought he liked it pretty much. But then we put it back in the carrier, along with Lionel, strapped him in the car with his seatbelt and tootled on down to the vet. I think that noise may be the sound of tortured souls in purgatory. Next time I'll remember to wear earplugs. I was a wreck by the time we got there, just from the wailing and panting. His new cat carrier has itty bitty holes in the mesh from his clawing and chewing. The vet was nice. She thought Lionel was about 5 years old. He weighs 13 lbs and had a few fleas but was in overall good condition. I had her give him his immunizations, take blood for a blood chemistry, and give him a bath. She laughed as he alternately went from snuggly to petrified, one minute to the next. And we weren't doing anything but talking and petting him. Then as he was in my arms and seemingly content, he suddenly held his head high and made this loud "UURRPP" sound and stared fixedly at the wall. She decided he'd reached his maximum stress tolerance. Soooo, I came home for a couple of hours and did those things that might stress him if he were around, like vacuuming, and changing his cat box to a "real" one - he'd been pottying in an aluminum turkey roaster. And I had a blessed hour of being able to work on the deck with the door open, giving my plants some much-needed attention before the storm. When they called at 1:30 to say he was ready, so was I. I missed him. He was awfully quiet on the way home, only a couple of meager yowls. I think he'd worn himself out by this time. Minutes after we came in the storm hit, blasting the house with torrential rains and palm fronds flying through the air. So much for tidying the deck. Lionel seemed like he might be in shock from the trauma, he just sat next to the monitor, staring out at the storm for hours. Continued......
