Who would be a Parent?

I did not have my camera with me today so there were bound to be, in the words of Paul Simon, 'incidents and accidents' and I never got the chance to capture them - such is life!

We had to be up early this morning as the cats were due at the vets at 8.45 am.  Everything in our favour was against us because when we went to bed last night Chivers decided to join us coming in through the window which we decided to leave open so that he could go out again when he wanted without one or other of us having to get up but he hadn't been in two minutes when the wind began to pick up and pick up and then get somewhere near gale force and things were being blown around in the garden - which was all the louder as we had the window open.  He settled for a short while but poor John never got the chance to settle at all as he had to get up to investigate what was going on in the garden and batten things down.  Eventually Chivers gave up the comfort of our bed and we shut the window and settled down to a restless night - the weather was just dreadful.

We couldn't afford to stop for any breakfast as we needed to get the cats into the basket with the least amount of stress possible (for them and us) - Chivers hates it and tells you so - all the way!  We dropped our little babes into the care of the vets and set off to see Nicky for a coffee and a worry.  Nicky and Mark have been adopted by a little kitten who they thought was a little girl and named her Minnie but who is, in fact, a little boy and so we were trying to think of names - finally settling on Alfie.  He is an absolute corker - a real ball of fluff - very loving and very cute.

We then went on to Mum and Dad's.  Dad is poorly - he was fine on Thursday and then went down with what seems to be some sort of chest infection because he has a cough like the bark of an Alsation.  He has been in bed for the last couple of days and has no appetite which is most unlike him.  He had pneumonia some time ago so this is a bit of a worry.  We have persuaded Mum to get him to the doctors by the end of the week if he doesn't seem to be improving.

Mum needed some shopping so she, John and I went down into Paphos to allow her to get a few bits and pieces.  Bugger me if we didn't get back into the car and the bloody thing wouldn't start and we are in the middle of Paps car-park which is chaos at the best of times.  The CRV is very heavy and even worse to try and manoeuvre with no power-steering.  Fortunately for us a really nice Cypriot guy came to our rescue and when he helped John push the car two or three others came and joined him.  He then raced round to get his car so that we could jump start ours.  We tried to offer him some money for his help but he wasn't having any of it - so whoever you were THANK YOU.

We got back home without incident but Mum and Dad's aged cat Missy is unwell again and hadn't eaten for days indicating that her gingivitis has returned.  She is treated with steroid injections which are not helping with her weight problem so it is a bit of a vicious circle and she is almost impossible to handle - we have found to our cost that she has no scruff on her neck with which to pick her up and she nigh on fills the cat basket.  John did manage to grab her and stuff her in the basket and she wailed worse than Chivers all the way to the vets.  She had her injections but unfortunately the vet didn't shut the basket properly and she escaped as John was carrying her to the car.  Well she might be old and huge but she can be fast on her paws when she needs to be and she was off across gardens away.  My heart fell in my boots as I didn't think we had a hope in hell of catching her and that would have broken both Mum and Dad's hearts.  Eventually we managed to get her cornered underneath a Land Rover and after a while I managed to get a hand on her but couldn't pick her up so fortunately John managed to grab her and we got her back in the basket, in the car and back home.  Mum has subsequently phoned to tell us that Missy is snuggled up on the bed with Dad none the worse for her experience.

We did a quick turn round from Mum's to our vets to pick up Chivers and Minnie Mou.  Driving along by Banana Bay the sea was whipped into a frenzy and would have made for some fantastic photos if I had had my camera with me but there is always the next time.  

We got the cats home in one piece and for once Chivers kept quiet all the way.  He does not have any stitches so we are not quite sure what they have done - it looks like they have just removed the testicles from their sacs (his big testicles as Dr Inna described them) and cauterised - anyway he has been home about four hours and seems to have come round well from his operation, he has had a quick lick round where things used to be, steadied up on his feet, eaten some food and is playing with his favourite toy - a crinkly wrapper.

Minnie Mou is a different kettle of fish and we are a little bit worried about her at the moment.  When we got her home we found she had a huge lump behind her front left leg and she was dreadfully unsteady on her feet.  I rang the vets and Dr Inna told me it was fluid from the catheter which had moved and would disappear.  It has actually been leaking and at one point John thought she had pee'd on him.  We now think that the majority of the fluid has gone and so we have her wrapped up lying on a beanbag in front of the fire.  Her breathing seems less laboured than it was and we are keeping an eye on her - poor little thing.  We may well be dossing down in lounge tonight to make sure she is ok in the night.