Monday, May 16, 2016

A Kind of Treasure Hunt

As an addendum to the article I wrote about Josie’s sensitive stomach, which by the way, was rather timely, as it turned out, I would like to append this observation.

On my days off, I still rise at six to give Tucker his insulin injection. At the same time, I provide the beasts their soft-food breakfasts. I want to make sure the roly poly has something to eat with his medicine, so I feed them all. Then I go back to bed; most mornings, I again fall asleep. This morning, as I drifted off, I heard the unmistakeable sounds of wretching. A cat was throwing up.

It would have been far too late to leap from bed and try to do something about it. So I took note of the three regurgitations I heard (which indicated that it was Josie’s doing) and went to sleep. I would clean everything up later. Or so I thought.
 

Finding a deposit left by a cat is rather like a treasure hunt. A treasure hunt with one of the worst prizes available. But like a search for a pirate’s hidden hoard, it is not always successful. I sought Josie’s vomit high and low (only a pet owner would make such a boast) but could not find it.

There were three possible reasons for this: my Chubs had not actually allowed anything to escape but had caught it in mid-flight, as it were; she or another cat had cleaned it for me, an unpleasant scenario and one that would even so have probably left behind some residue; it was in a secret spot that I would find later, hopefully not much later.

This happens from time to time. Though I like to keep a hygienic home, there are instances when I must admit defeat and give up the search. Having abandoned a house in which this occurred several times over five years, and not having located any refuse lying in obscure corners, I am not really worried about my record of cleanliness.

Still, there are examples of finding the mother lode, or at least a rich vein, at another time, a discovery that, like the solution of a mystery, brings a satisfactory if, in this case, rather disgusting, conclusion to the adventure. There are all kinds of treasure to be found in the world, but that anxiously sought, and often found, by cat-fanciers is, I think, unique.
 

12 comments:

  1. I find that Ralphie will throw up and then "dry heave" sometimes, leaving me to hunt in vain also. Oh well, we cat people do have our quirky ways don't we :)

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    1. Both Renn and Josie get the dry heaves, but I nothing ever comes of those, so I just watch them to make sure they don't hyperventilate - if cats suffer from that.

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  2. My friends had two cats, well one would throw up and the other one would eat it up. Gross but true.

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    1. I have a friend with two similar cats. The felines make a good, if disgusting, team.

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  3. Sometimes it's just a big yak attack with nothing to show fur it!

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    1. I don't know whether to be relieved or disappointed when that happens...

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  4. Ahhh... Only a true cat lover would consider their cat's "gifts" a treasure!! :-)

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  5. Ohhhhh...I'm rather wishing I had read this a bit later in the morning, not before I'm actually going to make breakfast. Which I don't really want now. LOL.

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    1. You read all sorts of things in a cat-blog. Some should be taken with a grain of salt, some with a Tums.

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  6. guys.....with out gettin ....crazed....we like ta leeve hair ball dee positz in plane site....

    N shape em when they come out...in case they are in a "pile" ta look like....well ewe noe...rhymez with..... werd ~~~~~

    THAT all wayz freekz out de food servizz gurl....iz it a hairballz....ore.... a....

    { N we total lee understand if yur dad doez knot wanna print thiz commint !!! ♥♥♥☺☺☺

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    1. I think everyone who has a cat has been fooled by a hairball at least once. It would be helpful if they were actually ball-shaped...

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