TheBanyanTree: Forgiveness

[Theta Brentnall]

Cats must be psychic about going to the vet.  I had one cat who would 
disappear when I made the appointment for the cats (all 5 of them) to 
get their annual shots.  It got to the point where I would lock her in 
the house before I called the vet, just to make sure she got her vaccines.

It's amazing how short their memory can be for things we'd find 
unforgivable, and how long it is for things that brought them joy. 
Wouldn't the world be a better place if people were like that?

Theta
On 8/28/2014 9:45 PM, Tom Smith wrote:
> We've had Kizzy 10 years. She has always been spooked about
> going to the vet. She was due for a rabies booster. It was time to
> get her in the carrier, a sturdy cardboard box with carrying
> handles and vent holes. Somehow, she *knew.* She did not want
> to be picked up. We had her surrounded, which made her panic.
> She made a dash past me and I attempted to grab her. By the
> scruff of the neck was the plan, but the reality was a black blur of
> slashing claws, and teeth sunk as deep as they would go, just
> above my wrist, where the pulse is. Out of the reasoning realm, I
> tried to pull her off and got the other hand bit and slashed, so I
> made a move like throwing a bowling ball with two hands and
> somehow we got free of each other. She disappeared. I had a
> lot of deep scratches and puncture wounds and pouring-out
> blood to deal with. The medical advice was to go the the ER.
>   
> A consequence of ER paperwork was animal bites becoming
> government business, and Kizzy was quarantined, sort of under
> house arrest. We caught a brief glimpse of her, the next day,
> and noticed one of her canine teeth was jutting out at an odd
> angle. Another emergency. She went back into hiding, but
> gradually relaxed enough to go for food and water the next day.
> Somehow Barbara, with a combination of charm, bribery and
> quickness, got her in the carrier, and we were off to a 7/24 Pet
> Emergency Clinic, Quarantine be damned. Her canine tooth
> had broken off, but there were other loose teeth. After another
> veterinary dental appointment, all that could be done, was
> done for her.
>   
> Animal Control called 10 days later. I said "Kizzy and I are both
> fine." That, fortunately, was the end of the public safety issue. I
> wondered if Kizzy and I would ever be comfortable with each
> other again. There was nothing to forgive on my part. She had
> only been instinctively trying to escape. If she never forgave me,
> I would understand. I wasn't going to push it. She now gives
> me the honor of sitting on my lap again, like none of this ever
> happened.
>
> Image at:
> www.flickr.com/photos/9482738 at N07/14879555700/
> .
>