Her's Not Fat

Remember back last June when Dixie came to live with us? Poor little, half-starved baby.

Before

Yesterday all three of the heathen cats spent the day at the vet's, getting their annual checkups and vaccinations and generally racking up a humongous bill for me to settle before they came home.

About 3 o'clock in the afternoon, my favorite of the lady doctors called me to report on the health of the kids and she started with Dixie. The little girl who had such a rough start got a glowing report with one small issue to work on. She's a little too heavy, weighing in at 9 pounds and still 2 months to go before she has her first birthday.

After

No more the tragic waif is she. There is still a minor balance issue (she tends to fall over if she tries to multi-task - like looking up at me while she is walking - kerplop!), but overall she got a clean bill of health and doctor's orders to cut down the food supply. Hmmm. The doctor has never had to deal with a hungry Dixie while trying to get dressed for work in the morning. I am more inclined to adhere to the old adage "her's not fat, her's fluffy". But...

It turns out that all three of the little heathens are a tad overweight. Not obese, just slightly plump for their frames. Scout was 8 pounds and Boo was 13 pounds. The doctor recommends that they also reduce their calorie intake. Pray for me. It is going to be a rough ride.

Surprisingly, Dixie was a little lamb for the doctor, but the other two - Lord, have mercy. My first call from the doctor was for permission to sedate them for their exams. They were having royal hissy fits right and left whenever the techs or doctor tried to work with them. Ka-ching, ka-ching, Mommy gets to pay for happy gas. During that conversation, I mentioned a slight concern I had about Boo and his *ahem* bathroom activities. Ka-ching, ka-ching, M0mmy gets to pay for a urinalysis. It turns out Boo has a urinary infection. Ka-ching, ka-ching, Mommy gets to pay for antibiotics. The girls got a glowing dental report, but Boo needs a good teeth cleaning. That one I postponed temporarily, at least until my income tax return gets back. Maybe it will be enough to cover the next round.

With my history of the horrible, finger-crippling cat bite of a few years ago, when the doctor mentioned giving Boo antibiotics, I pleaded for a liquid version. No way am I going to poke a pill down an irritable cat's throat. She proceeded to tell me to be sure and hold him by the scruff of the neck to render him passive while I give him the drops. {Here, insert maniacal laughter.} Boo's 13 pounds are difficult to render passive, even with that technique. I was ultimately successful giving him last night's dose and the next round is coming up shortly. I hope that he and I can come to a detente on this issue, because the alternative is to take him in for a long-lasting shot at the cost of another $40.

And, if this UTI issue continues, I may have to put him on a special diet which I'm sure means more ka-ching, ka-ching, and it also basically means that all three of them will be on the special diet since feeding them separately doesn't work too well.

Ok, I don't have to put them through college or bail them out of jail when they go joy-riding across someone's lawn, but don't let anybody tell you that being a good and conscientious cat mommy is the economical way to go. Vet bills aside, the first aisle I hit at the grocery store is the pet aisle and by the time I load the cart with cat litter, cat food dry and wet, dog food dry and wet, dog treats and maybe a bag of sunflower seeds for the birds/squirrels, I've already racked up about $50 worth of supplies and so far I have nothing to feed myself.

I am really going to have to start reading the fine print in the mommy contract before I take on another orphan.

LSW