I just put up Chapter 10 of Facilitate Your User. We’re going to start getting into more of Paul and Keylee’s relationship, or at least their attempt at one. They’ve both had such different upbringings that it’s going to be a bit tough on our young men.
The picture today is of Fennik peaking out at me while I’m watering the flower boxes. He generally runs from the window to the door so he can look out and see where I’m at and I suppose what I’m doing. He’s stopped chewing on the window pane crank which is a bonus. It’s a bit littered with teeth marks but still functional and mostly has its plastic coating in place. Mostly – sigh . . .
As an FYI to those reading this from the fan fiction world – I just signed up for AO3 but haven’t posted anything yet. My name will be under MJ_May instead of lunamist.
On the veterinary front, I will be seeing a kitten tomorrow for a recheck and I’m hopeful she is doing better. If you’re squeamish, then you should stop reading now – especially if you don’t want to hear anything about maggots. For those of you bravely trekking on, I’ll tell you her story.
As I’ve alluded to before, veterinary medicine isn’t as “glamorous” as some think. Some days the patients are great and a lot of fun. Other days make you question the world around you. This little kitten is a good example of how it really does matter what circumstances you are born into and how they shape your life.
Last week, we had someone call in to see if we had time to see a little kitten they’d pulled out from under a dumpster. The woman who called said she wanted to try and keep the kitten if we could get her fixed up, and oh, by the way . . . I think she’s got maggots.
Now, unfortunately, this isn’t all that uncommon. Flies are attracted to the smell of decaying tissue and feces (probably other things too, but that’s the important part in my world). Therefore, when it’s summer and an animal has poo stuck on fur around their rump or if they’ve been wounded and it’s infected, maggots can happen. They can be really challenging to clear up and many cases depend upon the extent of the infestation and where they are located.
Long story short, we got this little kitty in and yes, she did indeed have a rather unhealthy crop of well fed, several days old, juicy maggots squirming around several wounds along her left ear. Thankfully none of the wounds penetrated her mouth or into her ear canal. After several minutes of gagging (on my part as I really hate worms that congregate en mass), grabbing them with thumb forceps and flushing the wounds to get as many out as we could, we had a nice little squirming pile of the little buggers.
The wounds were bad, but if there’s one thing cats and kittens seem to excel at, it’s healing. I sent this little gal home with both oral and topical antibiotics and in no way promised the owner I’d gotten every single maggot out and to keep a close eye on the area. Later in the week I got a call from the new owner telling me this little kitty was doing well and she would be coming in on Monday for a recheck.
So, fingers crossed this kitty is doing well tomorrow. This isn’t the worst one I’ve seen – unfortunately many of those we euthanize. But every once in a while, they surprise you and turn out to have great lives. Here’s hoping this little gal is one of those.
Hope that story wasn’t too gross for you. It is, unfortunately, part and parcel of my job. Hug your furry loved ones as long as they’re amenable. Try and tay well and as sane as possible.
MJ May
veterinarian and fiction writer 