TheBanyanTree: The Queen Gives Us A Scare

[auntiesash]

Now I'm picturing Bill the Cat - from Bloom county.

On Sat, Feb 4, 2012 at 4:37 PM, Robin Tennant-Wood
<rtennantwood at gmail.com>wrote:

> Poor Honey. How embarrassing for her. I really enjoy how one story on this
> list leads to others - I've been trying to imagine what possible (discreet)
> sign language might be employed for "my right foot is attached to my left
> butt cheek" but I keep falling off my chair laughing.
>
> Our dear old Queen, the late cat, Alberta, used to get her tongue velcroed
> to her collar when she washed herself and we'd be alerted by a sort of
> anguished squawking that was half 'meoooowwww' and half 'aaccckkkkkkk', and
> we'd have to go and peel her tongue off. We eventually solved the problem
> by just removing the collar. She hated it anyway.
>
>
>
> On 5 February 2012 11:25, <NancyIee at aol.com> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > I  love these stories, and have one little one of my own.  We have
> horses,
> > and  a barn, and when you have horses and a barn, you have horse feed and
> > rats. So,  we have horses, and a barn, and a few cats, who balance it all
> > out.
> > On chilly  nights, the cats found that sleeping on a horse was the thing
> to
> > do.  The  horses never seemed to mind, so it was not unusual to see the
> > horses at the  gate, with a cat or two on their broad backs.
> >
> > Usually the cats jumped off when I put cat food  in a pan in the barn,
> and
> > the horses ate their own breakfasts as the cats  ate theirs.  On morning,
> > the calico was on Buttercup's broad back.  It  must have been super
> chilly,
> > for the cat did not leap off and join the cat  breakfast bar. Buttercup
> and
> > the other horses ate their breakfasts, and by ten,  were wandering far
> out
> > in
> > the pasture to graze. Odd, but calico cat was still  aboard Buttercup.
> >
> > Well, you guessed it. When the horses came in  later for their evening
> > meal, calico was still riding Buttercup. It seemed her  claws had gotten
> > snarled
> > in Buttercup's long mane. She rode that horse all day,  and was glad to
> be
> > finally free and able to join her barnmates for their  dinner.
> >
> > It didn't cure her, though.  The next  morning, she was again warming
> > herself on Buttercup's broad back.  I expect  in years to come, she will
> > one day
> > ride her horse off into the  sunset.
> >
> >
> >
> > This  reminds me of the Christmas party at my bosses house many years
> ago.
> > I was  all dressed up - panty hose and everything.  I sat down gracefully
> > on  the couch with one leg curled under me.  When I went to stand up,  I
> > realized that my ankle bracelet had snagged on my hose.  I was trying  to
> > discretely signal Ed that there was a problem but there is no  universal
> > sign language for "My left foot seems to be attached to my right  butt
> > cheek!"
> >
> > I'm glad Honey is ok.  Thanks for sharing the story  with us!
> >
> > On Sat, Feb 4, 2012 at 11:12 AM, Monique Colver
> > <monique.colver at gmail.com>wrote:
> >
> > > My oldest dog, Honey, is 14  or so. She's aged very gracefully, much
> > better
> > > than I have, and at the  last vet visit was declared in fabulous health
> > for
> > > a dog her age. Still,  knowing she's 14, we're on the lookout for any
> > signs
> > > that things may be  going awry.
> > >
> > > Going awry happens to all of us eventually, doesn't  it?
> > >
> > > Late last night we were hanging out on the couch, as we tend  to do
> late
> > at
> > > night when we're considering going to bed but not yet up  to making the
> > long
> > > trek up the stairs. Ash was probably laying next to  me with his head
> in
> > > someone's lap, or close to it, probably me, since he  finds me very
> > > comforting. We saw Honey get up from the carpet and walk  towards the
> > > kitchen, behind us. She does this sort of thing all the  time. "Should
> I
> > lay
> > > here? Should I lie there?" She still has trouble  with lay and lie, not
> > > knowing which is the appropriate word. It's okay  -- she's a dog and
> not
> > > expected to have perfect grammar.
> > >
> > >  We heard her lay down, behind us, on the floor, which she seems to
> like
> > >  because it's cool, and then we heard scrambling and thrashing.
> > >
> > >  Scrambling and thrashing are not sounds we're used to, though
> > occasionally
> > > she slips on the hardwood floor and then tries to cover it  up by
> acting
> > as
> > > if she meant to do it all along. Andrew looked over the  couch and I
> > said,
> > > "What's going on over there?" I can't see back there  because my head
> > > doesn't do 180 degree turns. I blame my parents for not  producing
> > something
> > > more functional when they made me.
> > >
> > >  "I don't know," he said, "But . . . "
> > >
> > > And then he jumped up and  ran to her. "There's something wrong!"
> > >
> > > I ran to her also, as did  Ash, who regards Honey with all the
> reverence
> > due
> > > a supreme  being.
> > >
> > > Her head was at an awkward angle, twisted so that her  left eye
> appeared
> > to
> > > be bulging because of the angle of her neck, and  she looked desperate
> > and
> > > unhappy and confused. We knelt by her and tried  to move her head, but
> it
> > > wouldn't move, and her desperation didn't seem  to be dissipating,
> > despite
> > > the fact the three of us were standing over  her like avenging angels.
> Of
> > > course, it wasn't avenging angels she  needed, it was help of some
> sort,
> > if
> > > only us stupid humans could figure  it out.
> > >
> > > "We need to take her to the vet," I said, and Andrew  went looking for
> > the
> > > number to the emergency vet.
> > >
> > > We  recently used the emergency vet when Ash consumed chocolate
> chocolate
> > >  cake to celebrate my birthday, so we know which one to go to.
> > >
> > > As  Andrew looked up the info I stayed with Honey, and I petted her and
> > told
> > >  her everything was going to be okay. Then I looked at her as a whole,
> > >  instead of focusing on her head and her bulging panicked eyes. "Hey,"
> I
> > >  said to the poor thing, "Where's your other leg?" I could see one back
> > leg
> > > on the side she was laying on, it was right there where it was
>  supposed
> > to
> > > be, on the floor, but the other one, where was it? The one  leg was
> > there,
> > > but there should have been two legs. When last I saw her  she had two
> > back
> > > legs, not just one.
> > >
> > > Did I mention that  this year Honey has grown a fabulously healthy
> thick
> > > long coat? It's  gold and soft and fabulous, and things can get lost in
> > >  there.
> > >
> > > Like legs.
> > >
> > > I found her other back leg at  her neck. She'd broken a toenail on that
> > > foot, and when she'd been  scratching herself up at her neck, or ears,
> > the
> > > toe had caught in some  of that luxurious fur and was stuck there. My
> dog
> > > was not having a  seizure, or an attack of some sort, and she wasn't
> > > anywhere close to  being terminal. She just had her toe stuck to her
> fur,
> > > which was why her  head was twisted to the side with the toe attached
> to
> > it.
> > >
> > > Oh  sure, it's funny now.
> > >
> > > I yelled out that she was fine, that I'd  found the problem and what I
> > > really needed was a pair of scissors,  because that fur was not going
> to
> > be
> > > dislodged easily. Andrew couldn't  find the scissors, and as he ran
> > around
> > > looking for them I tried to  separate her toe from the fur that was
> quite
> > > attached to it. Just as he  gave up on the scissors and brought me a
> > knife I
> > > separated the toe, with  the hair coming loose in a big clump, and
> Honey
> > was
> > >  free.
> > >
> > > She was shaking quite a bit by then, no doubt more alarmed  by my panic
> > than
> > > by the fact that her toe was stuck to her neck, so I  sat down with her
> > in
> > > the living room and we calmed each other down while  I cut off the
> > offending
> > > toenail. I tried another toenail as well, but  she wasn't ready to have
> > > anything else done, so I made an appointment  with her to do some more
> > > grooming on both toes and fur today. If she  cancels on me she has to
> pay
> > a
> > > cancellation fee.
> > >
> > > She's  fine, and she says the only problem is that she would like to
> have
> > >  servants who are a bit quicker with a diagnosis. I told her too bad,
> > she's
> > > stuck with us.
> > >
> > > M
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > You  are a fine person, Mr Baggins, and I am very fond of you;
> > but  you are only quite a little fellow in a wide world after all!”
> >
> > “Thank  goodness!” said Bilbo laughing
> >
>



-- 
You are a fine person, Mr Baggins, and I am very fond of you;
    but you are only quite a little fellow in a wide world after all!”

“Thank goodness!” said Bilbo laughing