Here you see hi-tech imaging of Goober the Cat. He took an unhappy trip to the vet today, and it was nothing but bad news. In this photo (and do click to see the larger version — it is wild) you see Goober in the top left, looking like the spawn of Satan when the light hits his rods & cones. On the top right you see into his right ear, which is, indeed, infected. Not a major deal — 7 days of ear drops and liquid medicine (more on this in a bit.) Bottom left, an eye, both of which are in good shape. Bottom right, his teeth, which do have plaque buildup and, alas, one cavity. The cost to fix this? A little over $300. That plus the $175 we already paid for the checkup and the ear medicine.
We’re thinking of holding like a benefit concert or something to raise the cash.
It was quite an experience getting him there — Goober does not like to get put in his cage. The images below don’t fully express the struggle, nor do they do justice in respect to Goober’s ability to turn himself into both a block of cement that won’t budge and the stretchy dude from the fantastic 4 who can extend his arms really far.
Despite all his rage, he is still just a cat in a cage.
But let’s not harp on unhappy things. Sure, getting Goober to stand still while you plug his ear full of goo is close to impossible. And, sure, he spits out his pink liquid antibiotic after you’ve wrestled with him to get him to open his mouth. But. . . if you just knew the guy, you’d know he’d do the same for you. Maybe.
We recently put a chair in the back bedroom. So now Goober can use that to finally reach the windowsill and stare out at birds and, occasionally, the neighbor’s dog.
He still likes to sleep on the bed, too.
I like this photo a lot because I am always joking about how huge Goober is. And he is big. . .for a cat. Here we’re reminded that for all of Goober’s pomposity. . .he’s still a tiny creature.
I read your entry about Goober. I’d like to thank you for helping me make up my mind about something. I was this close to adopting a kitten. I was going to go to North Shore Animal League a few weeks ago. But the possibility of this new job and other stuff came up and I didn’t get around to it. At the time I was absolutely convinced that getting a kitten was the right thing to do. But when the job thing came up, I started to wonder. Your vet bills convinced me that there is no way I can afford a pet of any kind at this moment. I refuse to be cruel and refuse my pet any sort of medical care, whether sick or just a check up, even for a hamster. And since I’m a bit of a hypochondriac, I’m sure I’ll be the same way about my pet as well. So while I am sure that pets bring limitless pleasure and love, alas, I cannot afford that kind of love. Woe is me.