Poor Little Emmy

Oh, Emerson. My feline friend of five years has had a long history of ailments. When I got him at the Humane Society in July of 2003, he was already fighting some minor infections. Despite his sickly nature, this kitten was too cute to pass up. He had these whiskers that were so long, they practically touched the ground. I'm talking world record here. And he was the only cat that was upbeat and playing in his little room.

Well, fast forward to the present. Every couple of months, Emerson needs to visit the local vet for some sort of issue. Recently, his paw had become infected and he wouldn't let me touch it to fix it. So, I made an appointment to take him to the vet to have it checked out. As I was getting all of my stuff together for the vet, I realized that I had thrown out his carrier because it had seen its last days. So, trying to think fast, I grabbed a pillow case. This was how we used to transport my cat Betsy to the vet when I was younger. I put Emerson into the case and immediately felt guilty...like it was animal cruelty or something. So, instead, I put the pillowcase in the bottom of a laundry basket, plopped him in and got into the car. In order to keep this panting kitty in place, I drove with one hand, thanking God that the vet was less than a mile away. Here is a picture of my poor frantic guy on his car ride:

I won't lie...I did feel bad, but at the same time, this picture makes me laugh! What a drama king. The vet asked me to leave him there as he wanted to run some tests on him due to some recurring issues. That was perfectly fine with me; it gave me time to run over to Stef's to grab a carrier that she was no longer using. (Thanks! You are a life saver!) Anyhow, after dropping a truly shiny and pretty penny for a battery of tests, Emerson (who hates carriers) pummeled his little body into the carrier and curled up. He had four new medications and had to have a cat enema...seriously!?!? Too much information, I know...but I am still in shock.

One of his prescriptions requires me to soak his paws for five minutes in the morning and the same at night. The first couple of times I did this I couldn't help but think that it would be humorous to see this task from an outside perspective. This morning, I asked my mom to chronicle it on film and it truly is humorous. Emerson is thoroughly peeved...but it looks like he's getting a kitty pedicure.

Now, I love my cat...just as most people love their pets...but I NEVER expected that I would be giving him pedicures! Such a life!