This is my constant companion. He sits on the sofa in my office and watches me write. He climbs on the to back of my office chair and hangs on tight as I swirl around. (I do that when I'm thinking.) He jumps up on the desk and blocks the computer screen when I'm not giving him enough attention. If I'm sick he curls up with me. If I sleep through the alarm clock, he pulls my hair until I wake up. At night, he cuddles around my arm or curls up on a pillow beside me. He has one of those purrs that rumbles.
Last week something awful happened. He got in the dryer. He's never done it before. I was cleaning the kitchen, doing laundry, watching TV and reading blogs. I rushed to our neighbor's house (our vet) while my husband doused his head with cool water. Our vet said meet him at the clinic. I was panic stricken, my constant companion looked awful. He was panting heavily. He had blood on his face and ears. His heart was racing. His whiskers were shorter on one side than the other. I was horrified. I had done this to my dear cat.
When we arrived at the vet's office, his temperature was one hundred five degrees. The vet gave him IV fluids and some medicine to keep him from going into shock. He took him home for the night so he could monitor Stripes. Leaving Stripes was dreadfully hard. I cried and shook. It was an accident...accidents happen...all words that should have relieved my guilt. All I could think was that if I hadn't accidentally killed him, he would probably hate me forever.
The next morning, the vet called. "Stripes appears to have no broken bones or internal bleeding....and....don't get mad...but he's really soft and fluffy." It wasn't funny at the time. I was guilt ridden. But in all honesty, he was really soft and fluffy...
I am so grateful that he is okay. He was lethargic for about a week, but never stopped loving me. He is my constant companion and I am so blessed that he is doing well.
It is already November. So I'd like to say I'm thankful for my vet John, my husband's calmness under stress, my daughter's hugs and my cat's life.
What are you thankful for?
