Their Doctor's Visit

Hector and Zofia went to the doctor yesterday. There was nothing that we thought wrong with them, but the rescue-group needed to have Hector’s booster-shot given and Zofia’s first vaccination.

It was not a happy journey. Hector, who can be quite brave when picking on Horace, yowled in his carrier the whole journey. He eventually was reduced to a strange honking sound, like a goose. I thought the poor fellow would hyperventilate. Little Miss Zed was quiet, but afraid.

The examinations that accompanied the injections went well. Hec has some tartar that will have to be addressed, but not right away. As someone remarked, it seems that every stray we rescue has dental issues. Otherwise, the little Turk is doing well. He is at an excellent weight, though keeping this gourmand at it will not be easy.

It was revealed that Zofia has a kind of floating patella in each of her rear legs. This bone is behind the knee. When the kitten stands suddenly, she sometimes must wait for the bone to slip back into place; I have seen her arch her back and hop a bit when rising from a still position, but thought it was just a sign of her stretching, or accommodating stiffness. This condition is not common but not entirely rare, either; it causes no pain at the moment, but her weight, too, will be a concern. Too many pounds will aggravate the condition in years to come, and could lead to arthritis.

However, Zofia is doing well. She and her big brother took their injections without flinching and, though Hector repeated his raucous crying on the way home, their evening was uneventful, and they have apparently suffered no ill effects from the shots. They played, ate and snoozed, the rest of their day no worse for their doctor’s visit.