Coated With Fur: A Blind Cat's Love by Kristen Nelson

Author:Kristen Nelson [Nelson, Kristen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781936278183
Publisher: Veterinary Creative, L.L.C.
Published: 2014-01-13T08:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Recheck

“There is a very special cat waiting to see you, Dr. Nelson,” Kim teased me. She wore turquoise scrubs, the kind with elastic around the bottom of the pants and a matching shirt. Since we kept the clinic at sixty-eight degrees to save energy, she wore a white turtleneck underneath. “You’d better hurry because you don’t want to be late for this very important date.”

“Who am I seeing?”

“Hurry up,” she said, ignoring my question. She stood by the door to the cat examination room with the record pressed against her chest. “No hints!”

“OK, you win.” I washed my hands and joined her at the door. When she swung it open, I saw a white cat sitting on the table with an orange feeding tube sutured to his head. Margaret and Scott stood next to the table, beaming with joy.

“Snowflake,” I cried. “How have you been, buddy? It seems like I haven’t seen you forever.”

“Three weeks at least,” Scott corrected. “Good to see you again, Dr. Nelson,” he said as we shook hands.

“Yes, it is,” Margaret echoed. When I stuck out my hand, she ignored it and hugged me instead. “Did you have a nice Thanksgiving?”

I nodded, unable to speak after Margaret’s bear hug.

“So what brings you in today?” I asked when my breath returned. “Toenail trim, vaccinations or maybe a root canal?” I teased.

“Don’t listen to her,” Margaret instructed Snowflake. “Today we get rid of that nasty tube.”

“That tube saved his life,” I noted. “I wouldn’t call it nasty.”

“I know, but it looks so awful,” Margaret said.

“And he’s been sneezing a lot,” Scott added.

“Then let’s get rid of it,” I replied. “As long as he has been eating on his own.” I paused for confirmation from the couple. They both nodded.

“He eats a quarter can of food every eight hours,” Scott reported.

“Perfect, then it’s time to lose the tube.”

After a physical examination, I removed the e-collar from Snowflake’s neck. It left a ring of matted fur around his neck. Kim scratched his neck for 10 seconds before holding his head for me. Three nylon sutures held the tube in place, one on his forehead, one between his eyes and the toughest one, right by the corner of his nose. I slipped the small blade of the suture scissor under the one by his nose, hooking the suture on the first try. One down, two to go.

Next, I tried to snip the one between Snowflake’s eyes. Every time the scissors came close to the suture, Snowflake jumped and pawed at my hand. I removed the one on his forehead before trying to get the suture between his eyes again. When the scissor tips came within an inch of the suture, Snowflake let out a warning hiss, then tried to bite. Margaret and Scott were shocked to see him so angry.

“He was easy to work with when he was sick,” I mumbled. Kim nodded, pressing her lips together. I stepped back from the table, hoping for inspiration.

In veterinary school, I worked for a referral surgeon named Lance Magnuson.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.