No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

Isn't it funny that you wake up every morning having no idea what might happen to you on that particular day? And by "funny" I mean "a little unnerving".

For example, when I woke up this morning I never would have imagined that I would end the day with a rabies shot in my butt. This after Ted and I decided last week to go with the cheaper health insurance plan since we're both so healthy.

But who ever expects to need a rabies shot?!

The story leading up to the rabies shot is not for the faint of heart, especially if your faint heart loves animals. Consider yourself warned.

I had just picked up my post-cleanse celebratory latte (the first in 2 weeks!) and was driving to my next errand when I noticed an animal in the road ahead. It was moving kind of funny, and at first I thought it was a squirrel. As I got closer, though, I saw that it was a small cat pulling its body across the road with its front legs. Its back legs were immobile, and I'm sure it had been hit by a car.

This was literally 200 feet from the vet where Minnie and Milo stayed while we were in Oregon, so I got out of the car to get the cat and take it to the vet. As I approached the poor thing I saw that it was a kitten - maybe 6-7 months old. She was a beautiful, fluffy calico.

I picked her up under her front legs, and I could tell she was scared. She frantically squirmed around and bit my finger several times, but she had those little kitten teeth so they just felt like pin pricks. I put her in my lap as I slid back into the driver's seat and she just went limp.

I pulled up to the vet, scooped up the kitten, and ran to the door.

Locked.

This vet is closed from 1:00 - 2:00 every day, and though I pounded on the door, no one came to answer.

I knew I had seen an Animal Hospital somewhere in Oxford, so I ran back to the car, laid the kitten gently on our shopping bags in the passenger seat, and set out for the animal hospital. Unfortunately, as I laid the kitten down, I noticed that she was no longer moving though her eyes were open. I hoped she was in shock. I tried to feel for a pulse as I pulled out of the parking lot but could find none.

After a teary call to Ted to get directions, I burst into the animal hospital where they confirmed that she was dead on arrival. I washed my hands with their disinfectant soap, noticing for the first time that my finger was bleeding from several puncture wounds and had swollen so much at the joint that I could not bend it. The vet took my information and advised that I go see a doctor since this kitten appeared to be a stray.

Ted met me in the emergency room, and two hours later I left with a tetanus shot in my left arm, a rabies shot in my butt, and a splint to immobilize my finger. Unfortunately, the state does the rabies testing, which takes over a week, and the series of rabies shots takes about a week to administer, so there was no time to wait to see whether the cat was rabid or not.

Today's shots weren't bad - I mean, I have several tattoos. Needles clearly don't bother me. But I was told by the doctor and two separate nurses that this Sunday's shots are going to be another story. I will have to get many shots all over my finger and arm. Then I have to go back a week from today for MORE shots. And what will these shots cost, you wonder? Let's just say that if I wanted to take my rabies chances I could forgo the shots and buy an airline ticket to Europe instead.

I think I'll stick with the shots.


Say a little prayer tonight for that poor little kitten. She was so precious. If I had it to do all over, I would try to rescue her again.