Minnie At The Vet

We'd put Minnie and Maggie's annual veterinary checkups off for a few months now--Maggie basically got her top-to-bottom exam when she was sick in early summer, and Minnie, having turned ten in the spring, has been her old self. But she'd been throwing up a bit more than usual lately so we thought that was the perfect reason to finally get her down to Queen West Animal Hospital for the yearly poke n' prod.

There was quite a bit of struggle to get her into the pet carrier, as expected, and she was restless on the walk over (perfectly understandable, as she hadn't been outside in a year).

Of course, the instant I arrived there was a sudden "walk in emergency"--always a dog--and we were stuck waiting in the tiny examination room for more than half an hour, which the already nerve-wracked Minnie didn't appreciate. Doubly maddening for me, too, because when we were worried about Maggie's condition in May, we called them in a panic and were informed that they were too busy and couldn't help, referring us to the Dundas West office instead. Do dogs have priority over cats? A sick pet is a sick pet...

Eventually, a new vet, Dr. Jessica Chong, entered and gave Minnie the once over. Teeth, weight, coat--all excellent. I mentioned the incidents of vomiting, and the doc agreed that Minnie has likely either outgrown her hypoallergenic food (Z/D), or maybe her sensitive tummy won't tolerate the Pounce treats we've recently reintroduced. Minnie was given a vaccine for rabies (even though she never goes out), and some blood was taken for the lab, just to rule out infections, viruses, etc.

By the time we arrived back home, Minnie had shed enough of her fine, soft fur to make another cat. She bolted upstairs to the security of the master bedroom and we let her be for the rest of the day. The mean streets of Toronto once a year is quite enough excitement for a ten-pound kitty...