Random Friday

But first, the obligatory cat update.

Rory had his week+ check-up last night (surgery was 10 days ago). I spent all day yesterday panicking, because that morning, he peed on the floor. He’s been been very good about using the litter box since he began recovering from the surgery. It was a relatively small amount of urine, and dark, too, so I was worried about him having another infection. In retrospect, that was silly, as he’s on antibiotics, so an infection was very unlikely. That’s the nature of panic, though–t’ain’t rational.

He also has managed to irritate the surgery site. It was inflamed and a little swollen. The vet thinks he may have used the cone to scratch it. I imagine it’s been itching like mad, so I can’t blame him for trying to find some relief. I was sent home with a few extra antibiotic pills and some topical antibiotic salve to put on his incisions, and instructions to take his e-collar off on Saturday. She warned me that he’ll lick himself like crazy when the collar comes off, but that I shouldn’t worry if his bottom gets sore and even bloody. Now, how I’m supposed to keep from worrying is beyond me, but I’ll try.

She also sent us home with a 4lb bag of Hill’s W/D. I’m not happy about having to support the Hill’s company. For one thing, I think the behavior of some of their employees sucks ass[1]. And, though I’m thankful that there are prescription foods available that will–hopefully–allow my cat to live a relatively long and healthy life, my cat isn’t much impressed by the palatability of either of the other Hill’s prescription diets he’s been fed. We’ll see what he thinks of W/D.

I’m also trying to figure out how to feed two different diets to my two cats, while allowing them both the run of the house. I was hopeful that Rory would eat canned food, but he’s not interested in it. I suspect that he associated wet food with being sick. Cats can be weird, that way. I could still do set feeding times, instead of a kibble buffet, but with cats, I find that they’re a pain in the arse. What I’ll probably do is let both cats have the run of the house during the day–sans food–then confine Rory to the bathroom at night. That way, I’ll be able to feed the cats at night and know that they aren’t getting into each other’s food. Water is going to be another headache, as Rory is supposed to have distilled water. At US$1/gallon, it’s too pricey to give to the dog and the cats.

On a tangential note, the Cat Care Clinic is way out in the country (the vet and her husband also run a horse rescue farm). As I was leaving, the sun was setting. Their farm is up on a hill, and the ridge to the west was like something out of Arizona Highways magazine. I’ve never seen such a perfectly beautiful sunset in my life. And, wouldn’t you know it, I didn’t have my camera with me. That’s okay, though. I think I enjoyed it even more, as I got to just stop and take it in.

Since I didn’t get a picture of the lovely sunset, I’ll post this photo that I took Tuesday. The sunset that day wasn’t much to speak of, because the clouds thickened back up when the next line of storms moved in. We got a brief break, though, which was quite nice.

Here’s a photo taken the same day, by someone in the Evansville area. If I’d seen that, I think I would’ve peed my pants. It was plenty scary enough here, but, thankfully, it was raining so hard that I was unable to see anything until after the worst had passed.

Did Someone Say Random?

• It is notnotnot okay to drive around in the pitch black without your headlights on. It’s doubly notnotnot okay to do so, then turn them on suddenly when you see someone coming. It’s likely to scare the Jeebus right out of them.
• I want one of these
• Still no window scraper, despite the fact that it’s been around 20F the past two mornings, and there has been a thick coating of frost on my car. Perhaps, this weekend, I’ll get around to it.
• I love that my remote “key” does not make my car beep its horn or flash its headlights or call attention to itself in some other way. I know which car I’m heading to; there’s no need to announce to the entire world which one it is, though. Stealthy is better.
• I’m not amused that random bits of my mail have been mysteriously returned to sender (including one credit card statement and my car loan statement), nor that three Netflix I returned on Monday ended up back in my mailbox yesterday. Perhaps I should burn hecatombs to the Mail Gods? If so, what would constitute an appropriate sacrifice?
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire comes out today. I am beyond excited. I probably won’t get to see it for a few days, which might kill me.
• Something smells like fried bread.
• I have a scar in the middle of my forehead[2], just above the hair line. No matter what I do, I cannot get the hair there to lay properly. It wants to go in the opposite direction. I only mention it, because it’s being particularly annoying today.
• I hate it when people use my name when talking to me. Yes, I know who I am, you needn’t remind me. I’m distrustful of anyone who does so, because I feel like I’m dealing with a pushy used car salesman.
• Speaking of dead things. See, that’s what’s wrong with frat boys. And, at my alma mater, no less.
• I’m craving Babbs’ no bake cookies. Not any old chocolate can substitute, either. It has to be Babbs’ no bake cookies, or nothing at all.
• Skipping breakfast is a Very Bad Idea.
• I’d say they’ve got this one the wrong way ’round. If there’s an insult there, it’s to Pit Bulls, in likening them to lawyers.
• I’ve been watching All Creatures Great and Small. I loved it when it was on PBS in the ’80s, and it’s held up well over time. One thing I didn’t realize, and that surprised the hell out of me, is that in the first three series, many of the medical procedures were done in real time in front of the camera. There were vets on-set who supervised the less complicated parts (e.g. the classic “arm up the cow’s jacksie”). Things like actual surgery were done by the supervising vets. They would hunt around locally for animals suffering from the appropriate conditions, then they’d operate on them. The owners received free medical care for their pets in exchange for letting the procedure be filmed. The BBC picked up the tab for everything. That would never happen nowadays, or even in the ’80s, when series 4-7 were filmed. All of those later episodes contained faked surgeries.
• I’m searching for the perfect CD wrangling solution for my car. I suspect that piling them on the passenger seat really is not a very good long-term plan.
• I love grilled tomatoes on top of pizza. I love them, I do, to a degree that is nearly unnatural. I also love fried green tomatoes. And tomato sandwiches. And tomatoes with cottage cheese. Basically, I love tomatoes.
• Also, I love dill pickles. Not sweet pickles, though. Those are ptoui.

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[1] In particular, two Hill’s employees have made a practice of participating in various pet-oriented Usenet groups, where they have repeatedly shilled for the company without disclosing their employer’s identity. Further, both the people in question have been unspeakably rude while doing so, going so far as to liken those who questioned their motivation or the information they provided to suicide bombers and members of the Taliban. I’m sorry, but that sort of behavior is not what I want to support with my money.

[2] When I was four or five years old, I was scratched by what I insisted was a fox. Looking back, I’m sure it was just a neighborhood cat, and that it had good cause to scratch me. Kids can be, um, inventive, especially when they know they aren’t supposed to be playing dress-up with the neighbor’s cat. I think that probably cured me of trying to put baby clothes on animals, though, so at least I learned something from the experience.

[3] If you haven’t seen Cannibal the Musical, hie thee to your nearest video store.