Outsmarting Felines - Almost Impossible

Whew! “Hectic” describes the morning I thought I’d have. It turns out the hurrying and scurrying was only in my head, in anticipation of a visit to the vet with the last of my four furry felines. I even pulled on a heavy misshapen sweatshirt as scratch prevention for the hullabaloo that was sure to ensue.

Mr. Hiccup was the most cooperative of the bunch, it turns out. Why? I wasn’t any more or less prepared than on the other three shot/flea treatment days. The carrier doesn’t coordinate with my eclectic - more like disheveled - decor, but it having a presence a few days a year means there’s less howling when I manage to get them in on their appointed days. He plays in it and sleeps atop it. Maybe that helped.

Ah. The good ol’ days when I could get all four in that carrier on the same day. Time has not diminished memories of the smelly troubles that long drive created, though. My oldest is prone to car sickness and the road between me and the Poplar Bluff clinic being what it is, I was sure to have multiple messes even with postponed meals.

Now when checkups roll around, this cat lady definitely has an attitude of gratitude for the local option. As my kitties became full-grown cats, each with their own particular slant of condescending perspectives, devoting time and energy for four separate long road trips negatively impacted my attempts at peaceful living.

Using the satellite clinic five minutes away is a gift to myself as well as to my four-legged housemates. If I can help Scooter, Juliette, Marmalade and Hiccup live healthy, active lives, they will party with me as I prance into my ninth decade. What a marvelous goal!

Now to find a place to store that gargantuan carrier for three months. Hmm. Maybe I can camouflage it as an end table and forget the fuss.

PS. All of my cat pals are rescues of sorts. One was a tiny fur ball peeking out from the edge of a big scary woods. Another scooted right along with my dear departed DaVinci as if to say, “You need responsibility. Here I am,” and DaVinci showed him the ropes. The third was a young mama-to-be pawing at the door during a horrid freeze. The fourth is the baby I kept.

The Animal Welfare Alliance (AWA) in Poplar Bluff is a no-kill shelter serving Butler, Ripley, Carter and Wayne counties that receives no government subsidies. Visit for pet adoptions. All dogs and cats are spayed/neutered and up-to-date on shots. Consider donating: time, money, food. Its annual “Howl at the Moon” benefit is November 1. Check www.awasemo.org for all the details if interested.

“There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats.” (Albert Schweitzer)