Cat Williams

Brandi and I have been cat parents for just over three weeks now.

Getting a cat seemed like such a good idea. We were finally in a place, physically and metaphorically, where we could get one. Brandi had wanted one for quite some time, and I'm an animal guy all around. Also, it was close to Valentine's Day. Simple enough, right? You go get a kitty from the shelter, get its shots, get it fixed, and you've got a relatively low-maintenance friend.

Let's just say that it hasn't exactly worked out that way.

We took Luna to the vet for her first round of shots after we had her for a week. During that visit, she was diagnosed with ear mites, and we got a tube of ointment to drop in her ears. This past weekend she went in for her second round of shots, and she also had an irritated patch underneath her right eye. So she got some eyedrops to help with that. On Sunday we noticed she had a few bald, scaly patches, so she went back to the vet on Monday afternoon. Ringworm. Awesome.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that she went into heat last week, before her second vet appointment. That only lasted about three days, but what interesting and amusing days they were, let me tell you.

So here's the tally, if you're keeping score at home:

Ear ointment three times a week

Eyedrops twice a day

Ringworm medicine with food once a day

Ringworm ointment twice a day

A bath with special shampoo once a week (and yes, bathing a cat is just as enjoyable as you might imagine...especially a cat that still has her claws)

The medicine mats her fur down around her ringworm patches, and the eyedrops, obviously, make her eye water, so she looks a lot sicker than she really is. In addition, she has to be quarantined to one room in our place for 6-8 weeks. She hates being away from us, so she spends a good amount of time meowing loudly when we're not in there with her. She also can't be fixed or declawed until the end of those 6-8 weeks, so it's pretty likely that she'll go into heat another time or two while she's recuperating.

I should also mention that picking up a prescription for a cat is pretty hilarious. The lady at the pharmacy looked at me like I was crazy when I said I was there to pick up a prescription for a cat, although she did turn out to be pretty helpful. Then the label on her medication indicated that it was for "Luna Cat Williams," which struck both Brandi and me as pretty funny.

Needless to say, our short time as pet owners has been pretty interesting so far. I guess it's kind of a crapshoot when you adopt a stray--you never know what kind of shape the cat is actually in. Still, in between vet appointments and medicine applications, she is fun to have around. Hopefully we're getting all of these health issues out of the way early, and it'll be smooth sailing afterwards.