I had a scare of my life this morning.
I thought Minnie was sick.
And why is this so scary?
It is because Minnie (and Samantha) cannot be touched. If they cannot be touched, they had better not get sick. Otherwise, how would I be able to get them into a carrier to take them to see a vet, and thereafter, to feed them medicines?
That is why it was so, so scary.
It was breakfast for the Monsters and Minnie did not come for it. Something was definitely wrong, so I looked for her and found her sitting alone up on the highest platform (the lookout).
Oh dear…this is bad.
In the past, there had been occasions where everyone comes to sniff at the food, but these three might walk away in a huff: Minnie, Robin and Smurfy. Even Ginger, at times. So, if Minnie had come down to sniff at the food, it is still not alarming. But not coming down…oh dear, this rings many alarm bells.
I started preparing for the worst. What if she is sick, how would I attempt to catch her? Today is Wednesday, our senior vet is off, which other vet can I see at the clinic? Or should I take her to the USJ vet (I’ve found a vet here who has very good Google reviews and I have actually taken four of our cats to see him before)?
It was just 6.00am in the morning.
Minnie was up here, ignoring me. But I took a chair, stood on it and just barely managed to place a bowl of kibble for her.
When they have tummy upset (just in case), I know they would prefer dry food. Did you know that cats tend to prefer food with a moisture content of around 6-8% for palatability—likely because it mimics the texture of biting into bone. That’s what I learnt recently, from someone who is a cat-person.
She did not finish that bit of kibble I gave her, but she definitely ate some. Okay, at least she ate some. That’s good. But Minnie normally has a fantastic appetite every morning, so my alarm bells were still ringing.
The boys were all down here, waiting for Minnie. They had all eaten very well, as usual.
After awhile, Minnie came down to this platform here.
I offered some tasty treats, but she didn’t eat any. But she also didn’t look sickly. Look at those bright eyes.
I waited and she began to groom herself. Hmm…grooming is always a very good sign. Eating and grooming, that is.
Hey, Minnie, are you okay? There are times, sometimes, when I wish I could communicate with animals, you know. But I always think that there must be a reason why we cannot communicate with them. So, why try to alter the natural order of things? Maybe we are not meant to be able to communicate directly with them, and this is how the human-animal relationship is meant to be.
Then…it got more magical as time passed…
I brought out the packet of PledgeCare Salmon Chunks which everyone loves. Minnie came down quickly.
I tell you, I think cats can smell what’s inside an unopened tin can and they can smell through plastic. The pack wasn’t even open yet. But she knew and got excited.
Happiness…for Minnie and for me.
I must order more of this snack, really. They just love it. It comes in so handy at such times, doesn’t it? This was at 8.22am.
More magic at 8.26am. Minnie is eating canned food now. Phew!
Can I assume all is well with you now, Minnie? I hope so.
And during the mid-day snack, it’s business as usual already. Minnie came for the snack and ate with everyone else.
Phew…what a relief!!
But truly, this has been such a scare for me. Reminder to self: Must work harder to get Minnie and Samantha to let me touch them. Otherwise, they had better have the proverbial “9 lives” or better still, “90 lives”! Or be a TCM-practitioner like Indy (that’s Traditional Cat Medicine, if you please).