Tuesday 19th February - Poorly Pets and People...

Today has been a day of illnesses - Minnie Mou was scheduled to go to the vets because the skin problem she has under her chin does not appear to have got any better even though we have successfully managed to administer all the antibiotic solution.  The bedroom floor was splattered with droplets of blood and on further inspection we realised that Chivers had some severe scratches in his ear - probably as a result of some fight in the night and John got up after a 'shit night's sleep' (his words not mine) and said that he was aching from head to toe.  Apparently Sandy, who normally plays badminton, had called off sick yesterday and was tucked up in bed with shakes and shivers so John wonders if he has picked something up similar.

We have been a bit concerned about Minnie Mou and her chinny chin chin so I spent some time on the internet trying to see if I could see what it might be.  Dr Inna had suggested she might need a steroid injection and like John says she is a right little porker as it is (Minnie not Dr Inna) so we probably ought to try and avoid steroids!!  After some investigation I was amazed to learn that our little girlie has Cat Chin Acne - ACNE I ask you - but apparently Feline chin acne is a common skin condition in cats. It can appear at any age, any gender, it may wax and wane, or be stubbornly hard to treat. Signs range from barely noticeable comedomes (blackheads) to severely inflamed and draining pustules. Some cats are not seemingly bothered, and some are very itchy and painful. Local hair loss and redness are also common.  So the dirty smudge under her chin is made up of blackheads - NICE

MM hates going to the vets and wails all the way which can be a bit trying for the 20 minutes it takes to get there (if you are abiding by the speed limit) so we have taken to covering the cat basket with a towel to try and calm her down.  It worked quite well as we just got a very plaintiff little miaow every now and then.

Down at the vets it was like a Droushia day out as in front of us were Sue and Cecil Habib with their two dogs and we parked our blue CRV next to their blue CRV so that they looked like bookends.

Minnie had got herself squished so far up the far end of the cat basket that she resolutely refused to come out and made that known when John put his hand in to encourage her - she took a right old swipe at him.  We had to take the cat basket apart in order that Dr Inna could treat her.  Dr Inna confirmed that Minnie Mou did indeed have acne and suggested that we go to the chemists and purchase some sort of spot treatment suitable for a teenager!  Clearasil here we come!!!  She also checked Mins ear and said it was improving but

was still inflamed so we have to continue with the battle that is squirting gunk in her ear.  Still the good news was that as this was a follow up appointment and Dr Inna didn't prescribe anything there was nothing to pay.

We quickly swung by Mum and Dad's to check on how they were - Dad still has his sciatica and Mum is still struggling to speak but with Minnie Mou becoming increasingly more vocal we didn't hang around long.  Back home we spent the day in the conservatory.  I have got Trevor the Table out ready for craft tomorrow.  As Jeannette is still in the UK I have asked Sheila, Pam, Jane and Vicki to come round for some craft, some chat and some lunch.

On the subject of tomorrow's lunch I decided that I would make some of the carrot and halloumi fritters and serve them with some salad including the very expensive avocados we have (if they are still ok!) and the lovely fresh lettuce that Helen dropped round on Sunday.

One of the things that Mum brought me back from the UK was this egg flipper and it was magic for flipping over the fritters which I like to partially cook and then sit on kitchen paper to drain off any excess grease so that I can finish them off tomorrow just before we are ready to eat them.  I had mentioned that my old flipper was getting a bit knackered so bless Mum for finding this and buying it for me.

I have also made some lemon pickle and some homemade sweet chilli sauce and a sweet lemon oil dressing.  The lemon pickle wont be ready for a week or so but the other two will be available for the girls to sample tomorrow.

Whilst I was cooking John snuggled up on the sofa in the conservatory with Chivers for company.  I have dutifully dosed him up with some Night and Day tablets (John not Chivers) and been quite sympathetic.  To be fair he isn't often ill but when he is...

Chivers managed to make a right old mess of his back but it is healing slowly - although he can just about manage to scratch it if he contorts himself sufficiently.  I managed to get some iodine solution yesterday from the chemists and he is quite happy for me to dab this on every now and again.  We wonder if he will ever have fur grow back here.