Well, last weekend it was time to take the cats, all three of 'em in one carrier, to the vet's for their annual checkup. Although they all fit in just fine, getting three willful boy cats in the one carrier was NOT fun. I came out relatively unscathed, and the trip there and back was, for once, rather quiet.
All three have been very healthy, thank the Gods, over the last year and so I pretty much knew we probably didn't have anything to worry about. But that didn't stop me from fretting. You see, we used to have four cats. And after one of those checkup trips, I got a call from our vet informing me that cat #4 had a disease. A disease that wasn't going away and couldn't be treated. Some six weeks later, we were back to three cats. It took longer for the hurt to heal.
Thus the reason why, every year I worry and wonder when it's time for the annual checkup. See, those cats mean the world to me. When they hurt, I hurt. Fortunately, all three received a clean bill of health from the vet, and I was able to breathe again.
Caring for our cats has, over the years, given me newfound respect and understanding for those of you who have children and for what you go through with them. If I wore a hat, it'd be off to you.