Wenzel's Bad Night Out

Wenzel
Originally uploaded by dkbullock.

Subject: Wenzel
Age: 6.5 years
Gender: Male (um, sort of)

Tonight's adventure involved pushing his way through the closed (and, we thought, locked) screen door, getting into a fight with a more outdoorsy-neighborhood cat, and losing the battle resulting a trip to the CARE Animal Hospital.

How many times have I explained to Mr. Wenzel that he simply doesn't have claws (PETA people - I adopted him this way, I did not subject him to the torture)? How many times have I explained to Mr. Wenzel that he really is a wimpy cat?

Don't worry, readers, those are rhetorical questions meant only to increase your interest --- did it work or have you now suspended reading? (Is this a rhetorical question?) (Does "this" in the preceding parenthetical question refer to the parenthetical question or does it refer to the preceding question?) (Is there any such thing as a "parenthetical question"?)

Right. Wenzel. Anyhow, he has a minor laceration beneath his left eye - cornea appears fine. Two of his paw pads were ripped off, and two other paws seem a bit "roughed-up" (for lack of any other word to describe the phenomenon). No sutures needed. He'll be on antibiotics for the next 10 days --- giving a pink liquid in a syringe to a cat could be interesting (the vet assures me it is easy and he'll like it! O.k., whatever!)

Anyhow, Wenzel is now home (inside where he belongs), curled up at my feet hoping that there will be no more trips to the vet. I'm just curious, do you think Wenzel makes the connection between his bolting through the screen door and getting into a fight and my taking him to the vet? No. I didn't think so.

Oh - to add insult to injury, his sister Kirbie keeps hissing at him whenever he comes near - he smells a bit too anti-septic and vet-like for her taste. Poor Wenzel.