Yesterday was so busy, I barely had a chance to bark about all that happened.  Things were calmer at the clinic today so now I can tell the story of a most interesting case.

My parents had barely left to get a quick bite to eat  for lunch, when in rushed a black cat named Royce and his hysterical human mom. "Someone needs to look at my cat right away... there's something wrong with him, he's not acting right" she howled.  Royce was howling too;  the yowling and howling of an uncomfortable cat, usually the song sung by cats that can't get the yellow marking liquid out.  Sweet Sally and Patient Pam went to work making all the machines beep to try to figure out how sick Royce was.  Mother was called and she confirmed it:  "Your cat is really sick. His temperature is 107, and he acts like his belly is painful but his bladder is small so I don't yet know what's going on."  "Sick?  How could he get sick?" Royce's mother questioned.  "He was fine this morning.  Do you think someone poisoned him?"  Royce's mother started barking on, and on.  As she talked I noticed her words slurring, and the odor of alcohol rose like a cloud from her breath.  I caught mother looking down and realized that the lady wasn't wearing any foot coverings. 
I admit that these cool mornings we've been having are loads of fun.  I find myself filled with energy to run and hop and play.  But if I were like those humans, with no fur on my feet, there's no way I'd leave the den without something covering them.  Despite mother's visual inspection, Royce's mother continued;  "I have a neighbor that might have poisoned him, or could a snake have bit him? Do whatever it takes to make him better.  My mother's paying the bill, so do whatever it takes."
On those instructions the team went to work:  tube in the arm to run the liquid in,  clear liquid on the gums to ease Royce's pain, red syrup out of the neck for testing, poke in the back to kill any germs, and finally to the humming table for pictures.  "His x-rays are perfect, his lab work is normal and yet he's acts like he wants to die!  I just don't get it!" mother barked at no one in particular.  Shortly afterwards, Sweet Sally was checking Royce's temperature and noticed some red liquid on his chest.  She called the team over and after removing the fur from over the oozing spot, mother found the source of Royce's pain.  I had a perfect view from my villa to see that there was a large bruise over the cats neck and chest area that was dripping smelly red liquid from multiple tiny holes.  The whole thing smelled like delicious rabbit pellets on a warm summer morning.  It was evidently the source of Royce's pain but the look of it didn't help mother get any closer to answers.  "A snake bite -- but so many holes?  Racoon bites?  Did he fall on something?  Maybe a chemical burn?"  It seemed like everyone was talking simultaneously, including Royce.

The end of the day quickly approached and in the midst of all of the other patients going home for the day, mother had to try to explain how worried she was about Royce to the shoeless lady.  "I really think you should take him to the emergency clinic tonight.  Do you know where that is? she asked.  "Yes, I've been there before.  But I really want him home with us.  He needs to be with us.  I'll bring him back first thing" was the answer; although based on mother and Pam's faces, not the one she wanted to hear.  So Royce got his arm all wrapped and more liquid on the gums to help him sleep for the ride home.
Neither I nor mother was surprised to hear this morning that Royce had fallen asleep last night and not woken up.  Sadly a crazy end to a crazy day.