Vet visits are so stressful.
Last time we took a cat to the vet, we came home without her.
This morning it was routine check-ups and vaccinations and there were no dire findings.
But Willow has a bad tooth. Uncomfortable probably, without being actually painful.
It may fall out or it may become bothersome. Cats are very good at concealing pain, so how will I know?
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The sensible thing would be to have the tooth removed, but…
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Cats are sensitive to anaesthesia.
We have had serious scares more than a couple of times.
But one of my fosters went for a tooth cleaning after which he developed a blood clot that caused a stroke.
It’s hard to get that sort of thing out of your mind when making decisions.
Willow’s neurological issues make it more complicated.
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Having preliminary blood work done was as far as we got today. I didn’t enquire about the price for an extraction.
When I took responsibility for these cats, I accepted the cost and I would rather go without myself than allow any of them to suffer.
But the thought of Willow being anaesthetised makes me very anxious.
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Having no expensive tastes to give up makes vet fees a little worrying. This morning it was not quite $800.
Two more appointments next week will be less if blood work is not required, but there will be 3 others….oh well.
One can purchase medical insurance for pets, but who can afford the premiums?
It’s a good job we found homes for all those other foster cats!
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Timid Sophia was very brave, making no fuss when her blood was drawn. She is 17 and in the past few months we realised that she is quite deaf.
In a way deafness is not a bad thing as it saves her being startled by sudden or loud noises.
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After all the hype, I was curious yesterday to see how the eclipse would affect the cats and outside animals.
So around the time it was supposed to start, I went outside but I couldn’t look at the Sun as I didn’t have protection for my eyes.
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If I had actually seen eclipse glasses maybe I would have bought a pair, but then as I seldom enter a shop this was fairly unlikely.
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At this stage the only thing noticeable was the silence.
While this is one of the quietest places I have lived, there is always the sound of farm vehicles or traffic down on the state route.
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Presumably everyone had stopped to stare at the phenomenon.
The only sound was bird song which was very pleasing, I must say.
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It being such a beautiful day, I decided to sit on the patio and wait for developments.
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In 2017 we were in Seattle for that year’s eclipse.
As I recall, it was very similar so I expected to see the same crescent-shaped shadows.
We did not, although it seems other people did.
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After a bit I could feel a change, just as I had in 2017.
A cooling of the atmosphere and a change in the shadows.
With the Sun appearing to still be shining brightly, that drop in temperature seemed odd.
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How were the shadows different?
Deeper, somehow.
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It was like being part of a sepia photograph.
Surreal.
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If I hadn’t known about the eclipse, would I have noticed? I can’t say for sure, but I think so.
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As the light grew stronger it seemed to me that birdsong increased.
The cockerels up the hill began to crow, but in my experience they do so whenever they feel like it, so that was not significant!
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The celestial event I most remember was the lunar eclipse of 2019 which occurred in January on one of the coldest nights we’ve had here.
It was something like 0F/-18C and my fingers and ears nearly perished. There was snow on the ground and the world was eerily still.
It was worth risking a bit of frostbite!
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A group of crows seemed animated during yesterday’s eclipse but maybe it was nothing more than crows being crows.
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If the little darlings noticed anything, they weren’t saying so.
“Will there be a meal?”
“Anytime soon?”
Thank you, Carolyn, for the beautiful photos, as always!
Joanna
We couldn’t see the eclipse from the UK, but the TV news showed it in detail anyway.
Losing Ollie will save us around £170 (average) a month on annual vet bills. almost £2,000 a year. That’s money we can spend on home improvements, or better holidays in time.
But I would sooner have Ollie back, and spend the money on him.
Best wishes, Pete.
Indeed, one can’t put a price tag on a beloved pet. Vet costs are quite a problem though making it impossible for many to have pets as well as children (responsibly anyway) and children get so much our of animals.
Here’s hoping for stressless (and inexpensive) vet visits!
I don’t like dentists (to put it mildly)! So, I hope for Willow’s part, the pesky tooth falls out on its own! You’re right, the shadows look different during the eclipse … actually, your landscape looks “different” (but like you, I find it hard to describe). It just does.
Such beautiful skies you have.