Herding Cats

For August 31 2022

It’s like herding cats. That’s a phrase I’m familiar with, and I’ve joked about situations being similar. Today I actually did just that. I am wore plumb out from all the corralin’ AND all the thinkin’ trying to make it easy for all.

The thinking I did was for nought. My cats didn’t fill me in on their strategies for the morning’s trip to the vet.

First of all, cats don’t have a trip to the vet on their agenda - ever - but they learn to cope. Cats in my charge will have appointments for spaying/neutering and routine vaccinations. They live under my roof so they live by my rules.

They accept that, but they don’t like it and they have made it known loud and clear.

Marmalade had a spaying appointment the day before and a free night with continental breakfast the day of the scheduled pickup. He was not impressed.

He’s still a bit aloof though we scheduled the troop’s annual checkups to coincide with his trip home, for moral support. Apparently the welcoming trio was traumataized from the drive and didn’t meet Marmalade’s expectations.

I tried to ward off the trauma by personalizing the crate experience with a favorite blankie lining the extra roomy ride, providing a driver’s view and an air conditioned ride with classical tunes for their enhanced enjoyment.

No melody calmed tabby Scooter, who sat front and center with nose at the wire door drowning out the radio with his pitiful meow. Except during one Elvis Presley tune - Love Me Tender - he shared his distress the entire trip and left smelly evidence, too.

The recent rescue Hiccup, a bright white kitty with his special appointment now scheduled for next month, stayed plastered to the back wall away from the caterwauling, unaware we were headed to pick up his buddy Marmalade.

Calico Juliette provided a buffer between Scooter and Hiccup. Marmalade’s wise momma seemed to sense we were on our way to retrieve her offspring. I can thank her for keeping Scooter’s smelly mess from spreading around to all three.

They fought with fierce force being put into the crate. At the vet’s office they used the same force to interfere with removal. With the crate door open, they all crept back into it without coaxing to sit patiently for departure.

I requested drugs for Scooter and put him in the single carrier for the return. Marmalade joined momma Juliette and Hiccup for the tranquil ride home. Scooter exhibited some hissy side effects from the calming med but all is back to normal now. Until next time.

PS. I researched the origin of the phrase. The expectation was that it originated with Shakespeare of Dickens, maybe even Dr. Seuss. Wrong. It was penned in 1979 for a Monty Python production. It's a paraphrase of this: "Can you imagine a herd of cats waiting to be sheared?"