Driving and a Vet visit

We had to take the boys to the vet for their annual visit: shots and check-up. Wrangling cats is usually not a difficult task. Today was a different story. Chip really didn’t want to go. Normally, you just show him his carrier, and he walks right in. This morning, however, he did not want to. He ran through the house and made it more difficult than it should have been. We finally cornered him in the front room, and he was put in his carrier.

This would be my first visit to the vet office since my diagnosis. I ordered a wheelchair so I can be more mobile outside of the house. We stowed it in the bed of the Jeep. I made my way outside, and we were on our way. The boys screamed in unison the whole trip to the vet. High and low cries. Screams even. We arrived, and I wheeled in with Chip in his kennel on my lap. The tech saw us and helped with the door and collected Chippy off my lap. We were then escorted to their cat room. Today’s visit will consist of a rabies shot for each boy, and Chip gets a shot for his back knee. He has a luxating patella. His knee pops out of socket. It looks worse than it is. It really doesn’t seem to bother him all that much. He still runs on his wheel and throughout the house. Fast as can be, this boy is the Usain Bolt of cats. Pancake was a bit nervous on the way, and he peed a little in the carrier. I hope it didn’t seep through onto my seats in the Gladiator. It won’t be the first time. When Chip was little, he went in my other truck. It wasn’t bad, but it lingered in the heat and had a minimal stink to it. Eww.

Normally, Chip is a good boy at the vet. He gets his shot for his knee each month. They jab him, and he goes and waits in his carrier. Today was different. He was feisty and didn’t want to be there. Growling commenced; he doesn’t usually do this. The shot for his knee squirted out. He got his rabies shot no problem. Pancake, on the other hand, is not a good boy at the vet. When he was a kitten, he had to spend a few nights at the vet because he ate carpet and cherry stems. This ruined his opinion of the vet for life. Now, each time he goes, he turns into the devil himself. Lots of growling and hissing. We let Chip go first as not to let him see Pancake get so upset. That made no difference. Chip was like Pancake Jr., growling, hissing, and fighting the whole way through. They tell us to come back tomorrow as not to ruin his perception of the vet visit. This boy has the memory of an elephant. I think he’ll be just as mad tomorrow. Let’s hope it goes smoothly.

We finish up and pay, and I’m feeling froggy. I want to try my hand at driving. I haven’t driven since my diagnosis. That’s 4 months. I climb in the Jeep, and my wife loads up the boys and the wheelchair. We’re on our way now. I felt at home again behind the wheel. I got a bit dizzy when I turned my head. That goes away pretty quickly. It felt amazing driving again. I know my wife was nervous to let me, but I needed this. I missed driving so much. I missed my Jeep. The control of machinery. I’m not sure how soon I will be driving fully, but this was a great first step.

Thank you for stopping by!
~Bruce