10/06/2004
Maower has had a tough summer. A few weeks ago he started trotting over to the litter box every few minutes while I watched suspiciously. With nary a few drops for his effort, he exited the closet, stared at me, and meowed.
Off to the vet we went, where general anasthesia had to be employed for catheterization. In the end, all he needed was a selection of pills to mend his bladder. He gets one "acidifier" tablet a day and he employs every strategy in the book to avoid swallowing it.
1. The fake choke. Open your eyes and mouth wide, make a "gah!" sound, and your stupid owner will let go of your face and you can spit out the pill and run away and hide.
2. The smuggle. Use your tongue to wedge the pill between your teeth and cheek. Make a swallowing sound and your stupid owner will think the deed is done. Then let the pill drop to the floor with a sad, tiny clatter.
3. The twist. Writhe, gasp, and flail until you escape.
4. The bite. Bite your poor owner. Alternately, bite the pill so it crumbles and falls out of your mouth.
5. The play dead. Go limp and lie down.
Every single approach is valiant but futile; I get the feeling he knows resistance only invites more poking, but feels an obligation to do it anyway. Thank goodness we are done with the antibiotics. A bright blue, they left him with a little manic-panic colored goatee with every effort.
Off to the vet we went, where general anasthesia had to be employed for catheterization. In the end, all he needed was a selection of pills to mend his bladder. He gets one "acidifier" tablet a day and he employs every strategy in the book to avoid swallowing it.
1. The fake choke. Open your eyes and mouth wide, make a "gah!" sound, and your stupid owner will let go of your face and you can spit out the pill and run away and hide.
2. The smuggle. Use your tongue to wedge the pill between your teeth and cheek. Make a swallowing sound and your stupid owner will think the deed is done. Then let the pill drop to the floor with a sad, tiny clatter.
3. The twist. Writhe, gasp, and flail until you escape.
4. The bite. Bite your poor owner. Alternately, bite the pill so it crumbles and falls out of your mouth.
5. The play dead. Go limp and lie down.
Every single approach is valiant but futile; I get the feeling he knows resistance only invites more poking, but feels an obligation to do it anyway. Thank goodness we are done with the antibiotics. A bright blue, they left him with a little manic-panic colored goatee with every effort.
