Nelix Loves His Medicine!

Every time I have to give Fiske any medication, I get a new scar.
Not so much with the kitten. Nelix loves getting his meds. For a while we would wash his medicine dropper and leave it on the window sill in the kitchen, but he kept grabbing it and dragging it around with him.
Mal thinks it reminds him of his mom.
Either way, I'm happy to have a cat that won't give me a flesh wound every time he gets sick!

Nelix and the Vet

Yesterday was a stressful day for our little apartment-hold.  Nelix was neutered.  For all of you men out there who winced, I apologize.  I was feeling a bit guilty on Tuesday when we had to take away his food and water.  Before bed, he was also locked away in the bathroom so he wouldn't get into Fiske's food.

Nelix is always a trooper when it comes to getting in his cat carrier, so Ben and I were able to whisk him out the door bright and early.  The Chicago Animal Welfare League (the rescue where we found our little fuzzy bundle of energy) will neuter/spay any animal adopted from the rescue free of charge, which is wonderful, but they have a very assembly line check-in procedure, and suddenly, Nelix was being rushed into the back for his "spa day" at the vet's office.

For those of you unfamiliar with the process, the neuter surgery is an out-patient procedure where the male kitten is taken home at the end of the day.  So Ben and I both worked our respective jobs before meeting again to pick the little rascal up.  When we arrived, there are lots of people and animals waiting for service.  I signed us in as "neuter pick-up" and found a spot standing along the wall with Ben.  We then waited a good half of an hour before we were called up.  The staff explained his post-op care, and I was more than ready to see Nelix and get home (poor Fiske probably thought we abandoned him).  The vet tech then approached me and said, "I might need you to come back with me. He is not happy and is hissing really badly."

One thing one must know about Nelix is that he has never cursed in his life.  Only happy sounds have escaped his mouth in the four months he has been with the family.  So I was concerned.  Had this experience changed my sweet, albeit devilish, kitten into a hell cat?  Another vet tech took our cat carrier into the back and coaxed him in.  Sure enough, he was letting out a stream of curse words that would shock a cat sailor!  And growling too!

The car ride revealed the extent of Nelix's disorientation.  He was growling, hissing, and asking to be pet all at the same time.  Even when we let him out at home, he wobbled quickly away and wouldn't let Ben or myself close to him.  Now I am officially emotionally distraught.  But with patience and soothing words, we were able to give him his meds, cut off his vet collar, and even try to put the cone on him (didn't work, he could get out).

By the end of the evening, he was snuggling with me in bed (still would get confused and growl when I think he meant to purr), and fell asleep smack dab in the middle of my pillow.  Even for the inconvenience it caused us as we attempted to share a pillow, Ben and I were just happy that calm had been restored...

until 11:30 when Nelix started attacking Fiske.  Too bad he had to spend a second night in the bathroom.

What we don't do for love

We live in a constant state of chaos...mostly thanks to the four-legged animals that we share our life with. I take full responsibility. To call me an animal lover would be an understatement because I love all living things. My poor family has dealt with this for years, including but not limited to saving bugs, triggering mouse traps, and bringing home animals I found on the street (don't worry, I always found their owners).

Now, it is Ben's turn.

Don't get me wrong, Ben loves all living things as well, but he doesn't feel the need to bring them all home. When we began talking about getting married, pets were a topic we spent a lot of time on. As an equestrian, a horse at all times is a must. And then every family needs at least one dog, which needs a friend, and one cat, which may or may not need a friend. And of course, there are the dogs and cats that show up at your door or find you on the street.

Ben agreed to two animals (not counting horses), and I agreed that two was a good start.

With the addition of Nelix this past April, Ben has been a great sport. Nelix has a little bit more energy than I expected and our other cat, Fiske, is the target of his attacks. This leads to cats flying through the apartment accompanied by curse words flowing freely from Fiske at any time of the day or night.

And on top of it all, Ben is allergic to animals. What we don't do for love.

Good Morning?

This morning I was awoken by the sounds of grind stones and construction outside my window. There has been some renovation work going on on the exterior of our building and the work crew seems to enjoy getting in nice and early. Immediately upon opening my eyes I discovered that our kitten, Nelix, had figured out how to get on top of the dresser where we keep all of Mal's jewelry and was repeatedly grabbing bracelets and knocking them off. After closing my eyes and fighting with myself to get up to stop him, I picked him up and placed him on the bed, gave him a stern talking to and laid back down to get a few more minutes of sleep. I was awoken again, only a five minutes later, this time by a ravenous kitten who had mistaken my arm for a chew toy. This has become somewhat of a running theme on most mornings.Whether Nelix is using me as a chew toy or Fiske (our other cat) is using my legs/feet as target practice, the day doesn't begin without me drawing some blood. These two cats are the first pets I have ever had and I have come to expect that so long as there are furry little beasts running around, quiet, peaceful, injury free mornings will be few and far between...

At least they seem to sleep peacefully.