The Walden Effect: Homesteading Year 4. Farming, simple living, permaculture, and invention.

Vet visit

StriderThe vet says Strider has a four degree temperature and is eight months old.  For $86, we came home with dewormer, antibiotics, and a more impressive ear mite medicine for Huckleberry whose ear mites have been resisting all over the counter meds for months.  The two haven't met, and won't until Strider fights off his upper respiratory infection.  For now, he's holed up in a cozy nook in the barn.

The trip to the vet went pretty smoothly, all things considered.  Strider was a bit of a wiggler at first, but soon settled in and didn't make any sudden moves amid a waiting room full of canines.  The only small problem was a bit of projectile pooping on the walk back to the barn at the end of the day --- Strider really did try to warn me by wriggling and meowing, but I held on tight thinking that he wanted to get down and get lost in the floodplain.  As a last resort, he pooped into midair, barely soiling my coat.  I dropped him in a hurry to let him finish, just as Lucy came barreling down over the hill to greet us.  Mark tackled Lucy while Strider fled into the cave created by an upturned root mass, to be slowly wheedled out again with honeyed tones.  Back in the safety of his barn, he ate and drank ravenously before settling down to pur on my lap.

I have to admit that his manners are impeccable, all things considered.  Yesterday, I talked about trying to give him to my brother.  Today I know he's here to stay.



Want to be notified when new comments are posted on this page? Click on the RSS button after you add a comment to subscribe to the comment feed.


Strider
From the Hobbit??
Comment by adrianne — at noon on Tuesday, January 6th, 2009
comment 2
Yeah, I couldn't resist. :-) After all, he did make that long journey to find us while sick and cold and wet....
Comment by anna — at noon on Tuesday, January 6th, 2009
Strider
What a nice name. Like a water strider too. I hope it works out.
Comment by Maggie — at noon on Tuesday, January 6th, 2009
Expensive cat
I would have sold you a healthy cat a whole lot cheaper.
Comment by Errol — at teatime on Tuesday, January 6th, 2009
comment 5
Strays do tend to get expensive. But if I hadn't paid to fix him up, he'd probably be fox food out on the floodplain by now! Poor little guy.
Comment by anna — Tuesday evening, January 6th, 2009
comment 6
Yeah, I was kinda thinking of water strider as well as The Hobbit's Strider. Fits our watery theme. :-)
Comment by anna — Tuesday evening, January 6th, 2009
Ear mites!
Did you know that baby oil and olive oil work pretty well for ear mites. The whole idea to to suffocate them. The ear mites that is!
Comment by Cindy Finley — Wednesday evening, January 7th, 2009
comment 8
I didn't know that! If this magic ear mite medicine from the vet doesn't work, I'll start dosing him with olive oil.
Comment by anna — mid-morning Thursday, January 8th, 2009
Add a comment



Homemade chicken waterer

Stuck in a cubicle? Fund your journey back to the land



profile counter myspace