Henrietta, Part 2
I seem to have ended up with a badass. Lemme 'splain.
We spent the night with my new friend close by if not snuggled next to me, and today I called around to find a vet that 1. I trusted, 2. was open, and 3. had an available slot. It wasn't my first pick given a choice, but beggars, etc.
So, okay. Henrietta is not half-grown; according to the doc and her own teeth, she's about two years old. She has three wounded areas--several infected gashes on each hip and an abscess that stretches across half her neck. And her tail's broken halfway up.
And they're old injuries. A few weeks. The doc doesn't think she was attacked; she thinks Henrietta got caught in a fan belt, probably while trying to get warm in an engine.
To reiterate: she's lost and/or cast out, starving, cold, and carrying four separate serious injuries, and she explored my apartment and cuddled with me like they were nothing. She weighs about five pounds, and they had to sedate her twice--not because she was being aggressive, she wasn't, but because she simply wouldn't stay under. When I saw her this afternoon, she was stoned to the proverbial gills and wearing an e-collar, and was still trying very hard to get out of her cage despite the holes in various parts of her body.
They're keeping her overnight since her current condition is a bit much for a civilian to handle, and they want the surgeon to have a look at her in the morning. I'm relieved; I'm not sure I could deal with her as she is just now. I'll spare the details but they are not pretty.
It's a good thing I had a bit of money saved up, because treating her isn't going to be cheap. I suppose I could have taken her to the Humane Society, but I didn't think of it in time (for some reason, ha) and they most likely would have just put her down despite her charm.
I really don't know what to make of this, but if anyone out there needs a sweet little tabby with a constitution made of starsteel, let me know...
We spent the night with my new friend close by if not snuggled next to me, and today I called around to find a vet that 1. I trusted, 2. was open, and 3. had an available slot. It wasn't my first pick given a choice, but beggars, etc.
So, okay. Henrietta is not half-grown; according to the doc and her own teeth, she's about two years old. She has three wounded areas--several infected gashes on each hip and an abscess that stretches across half her neck. And her tail's broken halfway up.
And they're old injuries. A few weeks. The doc doesn't think she was attacked; she thinks Henrietta got caught in a fan belt, probably while trying to get warm in an engine.
To reiterate: she's lost and/or cast out, starving, cold, and carrying four separate serious injuries, and she explored my apartment and cuddled with me like they were nothing. She weighs about five pounds, and they had to sedate her twice--not because she was being aggressive, she wasn't, but because she simply wouldn't stay under. When I saw her this afternoon, she was stoned to the proverbial gills and wearing an e-collar, and was still trying very hard to get out of her cage despite the holes in various parts of her body.
They're keeping her overnight since her current condition is a bit much for a civilian to handle, and they want the surgeon to have a look at her in the morning. I'm relieved; I'm not sure I could deal with her as she is just now. I'll spare the details but they are not pretty.
It's a good thing I had a bit of money saved up, because treating her isn't going to be cheap. I suppose I could have taken her to the Humane Society, but I didn't think of it in time (for some reason, ha) and they most likely would have just put her down despite her charm.
I really don't know what to make of this, but if anyone out there needs a sweet little tabby with a constitution made of starsteel, let me know...