Today has been very very long. I left the house early this morning and didn't come back until 12 hours later. I picked up Mikale as planned and gave him his piano lesson. Tom was home early though so he stayed home when I went to g-ma's. I gave Gracie a bath. She did not like it. While I was outside with her on a towel on the hood of my car drying and combing fleas out of her fur, I saw KittyKitty. Yesterday my grandma said his tail was bothering him again. He was growling and running away from it. It looked the same as it has all along though so I figured I ought to take him sometime this week and get it shaved and get a better look at it. But it didn't seem urgent. Until today when I saw it looked like the tip had blood and maybe dirt crusted on it and when I called him over and took a closer look at it I saw a bunch of maggots in it. Bleah. I hate maggots.

I took Gracie in the house and lured KittyKitty to me and then took him in the house. Actually he ran out from under my car, I assume trying to get away from his tail. Then he went and hid under my grandma's bed. So I thought about trying to deal with the beasties on my own but decided that I ought to call the vet. I wouldn't have had enough hands to do it on my own. They managed to fit me in and I told them I could make it in a half hour. But then KittyKitty wouldn't come out from under the bed. I coaxed and launched projectiles at him. Finally I had to poke him out with the broom. I felt guilty but he needed to go and he wouldn't come out!

We got there and the doctor, an assistant and I held him while it all got done. The assistant had his front half, I had his back legs, and the Dr. had his tail. He shaved it, poured on peroxide and blotted and then started tweezing them out. And tweezing them out. I got some myself when the Dr. went to get something. They seemed to be gone and then I saw a few more squirming out. Bleah. So awful. And of course KittyKitty hated all this.

Now he has a pill to take tomorrow, had Frontline put on tonight, has liquid antibiotic to take, some antibiotic spray to have on several times a day and he has to stay in. To keep the flies off of him.


Poor KittyKitty.

Tags: critter tales
Current Location: saginaw, 48603
Currently feeling: tired
Currently hearing: the neighbors' air conditioner I think