The Day After the Vet

Thank goodness that the vet visit is only once a year. Yesterday I put the cat in the carrier and we took a taxi to the vet for his yearly check up and vaccinations. Vet visits are not Mugsy's favorite thing. He was yowling in his carrier all the way down the elevator. He quieted once we were in the taxi. Once at the vet, he refused to get out of his carrier so we gently dumped him out onto the exam table. He then commenced his growl-hiss noises while the vet tried to soothe him in German. The vet wasn't able to do a very thorough examination since he turned into demon-cat once we entered the examination room. She could, however, see his teeth quite well when he was growling. Mugsy tried to jump off the examining table several times. I managed to catch him before he could get far. The vet had to call in a second person and between the 3 of us, we managed to get his vaccination injection administered. Mugsy then jumped off the table and hid under a chair. He wouldn't budge or go in his carrier. The vet left the room to get a broom to shoo him back into his carrier. I moved the chair and grabbed Mugsy and stuffed his unwilling 10-lb self back into the carrier. His was the first appointment of the day. It wasn't much past 9am, but we were all a bit worn. I'm sure the vet was ready to call it a day after that.

I've got some scratches on the back of one of my hands. Mugsy's anger was escalating and he simply struck out at anyone who happened to even try to touch him. Once we got home, he was back to his normal self, a little spooked perhaps, but nothing like the possessed beast he had been.

Maybe next time I'll try carrying him in a plastic shopping bag.



I saw this woman when I was walking through the neighborhood around the South Bund Fabric Market. I did a double take because I wasn't sure if I had seen what I thought I had seen. Yes, it was a woman carrying a live cat in a plastic shopping bag. She was carrying the cat in her arms like a baby. The cat was quite placid. Where do people find these calm cats? I could never take Mugsy out like that. I have no idea why the cat was in a bag. I don't know enough Chinese to ask her or even to understand should she decide to share.