Monday 25 January 2010

Not happy




Poor Millie. She's had a horrid day.

I noticed that she was a bit hunched-up and mopey last night, looking fixedly at me for long periods in that significant way that doesn't provide a dim-witted human with enough clues, but I couldn't see anything that might be wrong. She spent the whole night on my bed in the same position, and didn't want to move this morning. Her left eye was now half-closed.

The boys tried to greet her in their chirrupy, tails-up way, and were hissed and growled at. She ran away from me, and yowled when I picked her up. This wasn't Millie as we knew her; something was wrong. I made an urgent appointment at the vet's.

By 9.30, her eyeball had been examined and found to be bloodshot, swollen and excruciatingly painful. There was an injury, caused either by a fall on her head (unlikely, given her agility and sure-footedness) or a less-than-sisterly swipe from another cat's paw. No prizes for guessing which possibility we went for.

Millie decided not to be brave or stoical about the two injections that followed, but raised the roof. She directed some very bad language at the vet, despite his immense sympathy, he having suffered the same injury in the past. I cringed, as always, at the anxiety-damp paw prints on the examination table.



A few hours later, the painkiller seems to have worked well; Millie looks more cheerful, has opened her eye, eaten some chicken, and, despite my best efforts to keep her indoors, has had two minutes outside on wall patrol. In the process of escaping, she showed me very adeptly just who it is who keeps opening the locked cat flap.

So it wasn't my carelessness with the sliders; a determined claw can move that stiff one on the right, opening the flap one way, and the result is feline freedom. It is also feline locked-outness, as she hasn't worked out that in order to get back in again, she has to move the other slider - from the inside - that allows the flap to move both ways.

But that's another story, explaining why I sometimes get up to find three wet, bedraggled cats who have mysteriously locked themselves in the back yard in the early morning, queuing outside the catflap, and a worried little Hamish peering from inside at them, not daring to make the leap to freedom himself.



Lottie was made to sit on my knee and have her razor-sharp claws trimmed a little. Does she look like a fluffy young sweetie who would hurt her little sister? No?

Look again.



Jill the Ripper.

13 comments:

Marie Rayner said...

haha, you made me giggle with that last sentence!! Ohh poor kitty though. I hope her eye heals well and quickly!

Anonymous said...

Poor little Millie! I'm happy that there seems to be no lasting damage.

SmitoniusAndSonata said...

That sounds so painful , we all cringed . Poor Millie !
I'm full of admiration for your skills as a manicurist to the Feline Bon Ton . Perhaps a new career opening if you ever get bored ..... do they tip well ?

Paddy Paws said...

Poor Millie. Now you've both got poorly eyes.

BumbleVee said...

awww, poor little MIllie....

...time to bolt the cat flap... can't have them out and about unattended... it just ain't safe!

_lethe_ said...

Even in that first photo Lottie looks mean! Bad Lottie, to do that to your sister! (I am suddenly reminded of the song "Bonny Swans" by Loreena McKennitt...)

Hope Millie heals well and will be her old happy self soon.

Val said...

Lottie definitely has a speaking look.... and judging by that expression perhaps it's as well we don't speak cat

Anonymous said...

Great observation on your part. Praise be that Millie was treated quickly, hope she continues to heal fast. Playing devil's advocate, the possibility exists that it could have been an outsider since Millie has such excellent escapology skills. (Though there is a look of the devil in that last pic.)

My prescription is: one strip of gaffer tape, applied nightly .... (to the catflap - not Millie!)
OllieV

Pam said...

Oh, naughty Lottie! Poor Millie!

We have a wooden cover that goes over the cat flap at night. Craftsman made by Mr Life, but I'm sure Lovely Son could make one (or even Lovely You if you're talented in that direction).

Fran Hill said...

Very funny final photo and caption. (Cat-tion?)

Linda said...

Rupert is of the night-hunting variety, and would bash away at his cat flap enough to wake the neighbours if we put the cover down! He does wish Millie a speedy recovery though. Tell her there is plenty of tradesman activity here that would take her mind off her woes!

Sweet Virginia Breeze said...

Poor Millie, I hope she is feeling better. Lottie looks quite ferocious in the last picture - don't think I'd want to cross her.

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

I enjoyed my visit to your blog and seeing all your wonderful kitties!

I hope Millie's eye heals quickly!

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