I am Teppy and Zen WRT to lists. I like to break mine down into vague categories and then prioritize within a category, it's easier for me that way. And then I lose the list or convince myself I know what's on it and don't need to look at it again.

sumi and Dana, I wish you both patience and strong backs. Ugh, the moving, it sucketh mightily.

Dana, I get a headache if I miss one dose of Zoloft, so it could be that.

Can I get a little bit of ~ma and good thoughts for my roommate? She had to put her dog to sleep very unexpectedly today; Rosie had a liver issue but had never had any trouble from it and in a week went from rambunctious and playful to subdued, not keeping food down, and then in the last day her liver just shut down. So sad, and poor Frankie has lost his playmate just as they were working out their dynamic. L is pretty heartbroken. The vet, bless them, wouldn't let her pay for anything today - they apparently have a fund for these sorts of things.

Oh, poor dog.

Husband, over the phone, suggested that we need to be like old people with pill containers that nag you if you don't take them.

Oh, so sad, smonster! Poor doggie. Sympathies to L!

Oh, NO, smonster. Poor Rosie and L. Ugh, awful.

I found this at CVS, surprise surprise.

!!!!! Ok, i'll be checking out the prices at CVS tomorrow :)

!!!!! Ok, i'll be checking out the prices at CVS tomorrow :)

Note, I found it at the pharmacy checkout, not in the sunscreen aisle. psych

I saw something upsetting on my walk today but I don't really know if I should be upset. It was a kitty, a black adult cat sitting on the sidewalk licking himself. I stopped to say hi (because I have a soft spot for the kitties) and noticed that one leg had almost no fur on it. Wierd. Then he sat up to rub up against me and there was a long strip of no fur on his back. I COULD SEE HIS SPINE. Each vertebra, and yellowish cartiledge between. I...don't know how that's possible. He didn't seem in pain, in fact as I was gaping in horror at his spine he turned around and started licking the area. Eyes were clear and alert, was rubbing up against me all friendly-like...but it also didn't seem right to be able to see a cat's spine. Shouldn't there be skin over the area? I must have spent 15 minutes standing on the sidewalk, glancing at the empty house that the kitty clearly belonged to. Should I knock on the door and ask about the medical status of the cat? Why, there's no way to look at the cat and NOT notice the missing swatch of fur and visible spine where that fur ought to be? I felt like I needed to do something...but then I couldn't think of anything to do. It's way too friendly to be a stray but also not wearing county tags so it's probably not registered as all cats and dogs are supposed to be in this county. So there's a distinct possibility that it's not getting vet care (liscensing is tied to rabies vaccinations, vets have to report to Animal Control who then contact the owner) buuuuuuuut maybe the owners are up to date on shots and liscensing but choose to not have their outdoor cats wear collars...and i'm now being super judgy over a cat on a sidewalk but i'm still aghast over Visible Spine. Dunno. I wrote down the address because I can't stop thinking about that kitty. Should I do something? At least the kitty is evidently well fed, clean, and not afraid of humans, and it's not like the county shelter would be a more pleasant place than a springtime sidewalk. Ack. I want to help the kitty but I don't know how!

Erin, it took us a week to trap our feral. He'd had a traumatic amputation of his left hind foot, and the wound was open. When he stood from hunkering over his food bowl (DH was feeding him at his work site), the leg skin moved up like a pant leg and exposed the bone ends.

He was eating enormous amounts of food with his body attempting to heal, but there was no way that injury was going to resolve on its own. We finally managed to trap and transport him to the vet, who did a surgical amputation and close. It took him a few days to recover from the shock, and much longer to socialize, but he's had a lovely long life for eleven years since then.

The cat is probably in good shape otherwise, but s/he is not going to resolve this injury without medical help. It sounds at this point as simple as closing the muscle sheath and skin over the wound, disinfectants, and some supervision and ABX. As mobile as you describe the cat being, the prognosis is proably good. If the wound goes untreated, chances are very high for infection, which I doubt the animal could fight off, especially if there's no intervention and medical closure of the wound.

In your place, I'd go armed with a carrier. If there's someone home at the house, talk to them about the cat. If no one's there but the cat's still there, pop it in the carrier and take it to the vet, if you're prepared to pay the bill and adopt the cat. If you don't feel like you can or want to take that on, and that's certainly a valid decision, I'd take another route to work for a week or so.

Whatever you decide, good luck.

Thanks, y'all.

erin, holy crap. I'd have nightmares about that. Good luck with your decision. Poor wee beastie.

Pouring rain here. I wonder if we have inside work for four people all day long... we'll see.

erin_o, I would add that if you cannot take on the cat and the bills, it might be good to report this to animal control and/or turn the cat in to the humane society. That kind of injury - any attached humans either do not comprehend the legal and ethical responsibility of providing basic veterinary care to their pets, or they are ignoring it. (Unless the house and cat were recently abandoned, and the cat has been feasting off someone else's outdoor feeding station when that someone has not been alert to new cats with injuries.)

It may seem drastic but with the cat in the hands of animal control or the humane society, the worst case scenario is a quick, painless passing. With no care, the best case scenario seems kind of the exact opposite of quick and painless.