The Chickenloaf Papers

Pia, last August Wrecking Ball

Wednesday, January 3, 2001

Pia was sick for more than a week over Christmas. She is getting better now.

We had to do a lot of traveling over the dreaded holidays, so we did not notice right off. It wasn't until the day after Christmas that we realized she was slowing down. I was taking photos with the new Mavika, and the photos of Pia looked pinched-faced, like those of a 20-year-old cat.

But Pia is only six years old.

At first we thought it was a cold. Gritty as she is, Pia is still prone to colds.

Then on New Year's Day, Pia wobbled when she stood up. She hobbled an inch or two. Her hind legs lagged. Twenty minutes later, the big black cat crouched miffed in her cat carrier, which was strapped into the front seat of the truck rumbling its way to the emergency vet.

The emergency vet lived way, way out in the woods on a meandering snow-packed dirt lane. Her office, a downstairs room in her house, had a shelf of well-worn cat toys. While waiting for the diagnosis, I picked up each cat toy and examined it. Gray felt mouse, whiskers chewed off. Smudgy sperm whale with baline grin. Plushy green parrot with yellow toes. Beany Baby cardinal, fuzz matted on one side. Woolrich lamb, real fleece, with plaid scarf. Assorted plastic crabs and dogs. Sponge rubber jolly Santa.

The best was a small velveteen octopus, pink on top, green underneath. "Chickenloaf would like this octopus," I announced.

I watched red squirrels sneaking in and out of a birdfeeder near the window. Played with a depressed black Lab pup with parvo. Examined a manual on pet snakes.

It turned out Pia had a general infection. It started with a small battle wound on her side~a scratch, a bite, something like that. The infection was unwinding her mainspring.

Antibiotics are winding it up again. This morning Pia trotted briskly out to the kitchen and got underfoot as usual. She tripped Edsel with her old trick of diving in front of shins. When we administered her medicine, she chomped my thumb. She spit 1.5 cc's of bubblegum-colored antibiotics all over us and the kitchen.

Wrecking Ball once again.

Photo: Pia, back in August

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