Vet bills for the love of it

It’s been a busy week with Charli finishing Kindi, celebrating her 5th Birthday and starting school. Combined with these major milestones in our oldest daughter’s life our dear cat Simba, rescued from near-death in the Botanical Gardens over eight year’s ago, was very close to losing another one of his lives on Friday.

He’s a spirited cat and very much loved (and slightly feared) by all that know him – including our neighbours (who are besotted with him and often have him for sleep-overs!). He’s more of a dog trapped in a cat’s body. He taps on the window, knocking to come in, beats his tail in time to the music and shakes ‘hands’ – paws. He’s very different to our other adopted cat, Blacky (Charli named her – but she’s more of a Smokey Joe), who has little personality, follows me underfoot everywhere (tripping me up frequently or getting her tail stepped on), allows anyone to pick her up (Charli picks her up like a fork-lift truck) and is more of a fluffy rug than a cat (a purring one, at that).

Anyway, back to old man Simba – who is around 9 year’s old – but we can’t be sure. The poor chap couldn’t go pee pees and on Friday morning and was in a very bad way. He looked like he’d swallowed a balloon and was making terrible noises every few seconds and his whole body was convulsing. Running through my mind the dialog was something like this, ‘He needs to go to the vets now or he’s going to die by lunch time… but Charli’s got her Kindi ‘graduation’ and she’s expecting the whole family to be there. I could ask Dan to take Simba, but he was working till 1am this morning and has deadlines this morning. If I go I won’t be back in time for the graduation and I’ve got pressies to buy for Kindi and the teachers – how am I going to fit that in.’ Anyway, Dan took a big sigh and one long look into Simba’s pained eyes and knew that he had to get him to the vets. I knew Dan had a pile of work on his plate, but Simba is family after all and we love him so much.

Thankfully, Dan got Simba to the vets before the balloon exploded (so to speak) and got back to Kindi in plenty of time for the graduation ceremony!

Poor Simba had a tough weekend at the vets (and run up a huge bill). Whilst Dan was preparing for the party on Saturday I took the girls to see Simba (after Petite Ballet). He was high on Valium and very amorous. I had tears in my eyes as we said goodbye.

On Monday, we brought him back home. But he was still not ‘going’ well and not drinking much.

On Wednesday I had to take him back in for a check-up and I knew it wasn’t going to be good news. After I dropped Charli off at school I returned home to try and get Simba into his transport box – ha, ha, yer right! Simba has personality, as I’ve said before, and short of getting my arms mauled there was no way he was going to let me box him up. So… I had to put him the car and shut the doors quickly!

Sophie thought this was highly amusing. Simba looked more of a meerkat than a domestic feline. After scrambling around for a few minutes he settled on the passenger seat and was remarkably calm. I actually quite liked having him next to me and as we drove along the coast road to the vets I had a day-dream of living in a gypsy house-van touring New Zealand with Simba by my side.

As I approached the vets Simba climbed over to the comfort of my lap and made himself prepared for the inevitable. The vet noticed he had a very full bladder and mentioned that they might need to do a ‘sex change’ on him (what!). I texted my friend Lucy (who has been staying with us) and she thought I was joking. She’d spent an hour with Simba on Sunday and has known him as long as us. Thankfully, a night of observation at the vets brought forth a spoiled litter tray and a halt to the knife. Simba is now staying at the vets till Monday in the hope that his pee pee will be continually more forthcoming and thereby save his crown jewels and a few dimes from our pot too!

The girls and I are making daily visits to the vets in Brooklyn (amazing people and Simba’s in good hands) and we can only hope he returns home on Monday a happier chap!