Cat Toes Studio: Tuck Tail and Run

It's been a rough week here at the House Of Vermin. The veterinarian appointment on Tuesday went well, all things considered. Tuck was given a clean bill of health and his first round of shots. Tesah, on the other hand, had a nasty case of ear mites, a head cold, and was deemed still too young for her shots. Gotta' be eight weeks of age. She's barely pushing six, seven at best. And even if she was old enough, she was just too sick to get them because they may have made her worse. Poor kid.

She did at least get a treatment for the ear mites. As small as the wee vermin is the vet's assistant still had to take her to the back and get another assistant to help her hold Tesah while she did her ears. My God, that kitten screamed like she was being skinned alive. I sat in the exam room with Tuck and cried like a baby. When the vet and the assistant came back in they were quite surprised to see me sitting in the chair, boo-hooing up a storm. All I could say was, "'scuse me y'all, I'm a bit emotional right now." I briefly told them about Creepy's passing. They both just nodded their heads in sympathy and understanding. Tesah looked about as soggy from the ear mite treatment as I'm sure I did from crying. They also give her medicine, liquid stuff with an eye dropper, for me to force down her throat twice a day. Not fun. Tesah is little, yeah, but she's a squirmer with needle sharp claws.

Since Tesah was sick and obviously felt like a deflated party balloon (spent the first three days here sleeping) and because head colds & ear mites are contagious, I decided to keep her secluded in the master bathroom/bedroom for the rest of the week. Just like when I first brought Tuck home. Bathroom at night, bedroom & bath during the day. I figured the peace and quiet would be good for her. Tuck had been driving her nuts, attacking her, making her holler at the top of her lungs, giving her no rest. He thought she was the best toy in the world. Tuck, naturally didn't like the new arrangement at all. Whenever I went into the bedroom to check on Tesah he would fret, meowing and poking his paws under the door until I came back out.

Of course, every time I opened the bedroom door ... ZING! WIGGLE! DASH! ZOOM! ... Tuck made a greased-lightening fast break past me into the room. I'd have to snatch him and take him back out with me. It got to be a real pain in the ass because I'd go check on her every 30 minutes to an hour. I knew, even if she was just sleeping, I needed to give her attention, let her get used to me, and take her to her food and water bowls or the little box. Until her felt well enough to ramble around on her own she needed extra care. Doing nothing but sleeping for three days had kept her from exploring and discovering the lay-of-the-land.

After a couple more days of rest, lots of food and water, and her medicine twice a day, Tesah started perking up. She began wandering around and playing with some of the toys. I started spending a little more time with her each time I went in the room, trying to judge her health, strength and agility. I knew it wouldn't be long before she would have to be re-introduced to Tuck. He's a lot bigger, stronger, and operating at full tilt kitty boogie. I wanted Tesah as healthy and strong as possible.

While Tesah needed extra care, I still had to pay attention to Tuck. He's a love muffin and very snuggly. He doesn't like being alone. He's okay as long as I'm at least in the same room, even if I'm working on the computer, and he can come over during his breaks between killing all the cat toys and generally flinging himself around the house in a spastic kitten frenzy. I look forward to his naps, believe me. So, between the two, it's like have a couple of toddlers.

There has also been the emotional roller-coaster of dealing with Creepy's passing. For a couple of days during this past week it was all I could do to take care of myself, like taking a shower, much less two needy kittens. Creepy's absence is really starting to sink in. She doesn't greet me when I come home. She's not there, snuggling close to me at night. The little routines we had have been abruptly terminated. My life feels like it's been turned upside down. Everything has changed. I can't tell you how many times I caught myself staring off into space, tears in my eyes, missing my girl. It's probably not something a lot of people understand, but I feel about my "pets" like some people feel about their kids. They get the full dose of any maternal instincts I have because I don't have human children. Losing Creepy, for me, is very much like losing a real child. It hurts like Hell and there is an emptiness, a loneliness and deep sense of loss I feel every minute of the day. It will be this way for a long time to come. But, I have to keep going and doing. I can't sit and nurse my grief no matter how much I want to. I have two new kittens who need me. I have the store. I have artwork to do. I have my husband. I have a life I have to live. That's the way it goes, and it goes on, one day at a time.

So the day finally came that I decided Tesah and Tuck needed to start their time together. The day before yesterday I let them play for awhile, watching closely, making sure it was really play and not Tuck beating the snort out of Tesah. She's so small and delicate compared to him. When they wrestle, he hardly makes a sound. She, on the other hand, wails, growls, and screeches like she's being skinned alive. Honestly, it made me a nervous wreck, afraid she was going to get seriously hurt. After a couple of hours I had all I could stand and put Tesah back in the bedroom. They proceeded to harass each other under the door.

Yesterday, after I got home from work, I let them play again. And again, I kept a close eye on how they behaved. Much to my surprise, and relief, she gave back as good as she got. Tesah chased Tuck, stalked and pounced on him, generally smacked him around a good bit. He loved every minute of it ... until he decided it was nap time and tried to relax on the rug at the front door beside my chair. I think Tesah is a can of worms Tuck's not so sure he's totally happy to have opened .......