The Sherlock Saga- Episode 4

 

I was not out of the woods yet, for I had not settled on the couch for a hot second before I heard Mum on the phone to someone called Kaitriona from a Wicklow cat shelter negotiating for my admission to her establishment.

“Well we don’t really know if it’s a virus.” I heard her say.

“Yes, I understand perfectly. Of course you don't want to endanger the other cats. I’ll have it checked out with our own vet after the Christmas break.”

“Can’t we just keep it?” moaned Red who had returned from her dip in the Forty Foot. She was making up a bed basket for me, lining its base with a Santa hat and tying some festive ribbon on the handle. “Big Pup will get used to little Jesus," she added by way of encouragement. Big pup referring I supposed to the monster.

“We can’t call him Jesus!” wailed Longfellow.

“Why not?”

“It’s …just…”

"Sacrilege.We’re calling him nothing,” Mum interrupted. “Let’s just see how he gets on with Molly. But Kaitriona did say that cats and dogs often get along very well.”

 

Red and Longfellow had the good sense to say no more so I just purred and rolled over and sidestepped the monster who for the most part was simply ignoring me. Blanking I think they call it. Well, that suited my purposes just fine.

 

Colin, their vet, was a hearty fellow who assuaged Mum’s fears immediately. I had no virus, he asserted, but I would never see again with what was left of my damaged eye. He suggested sealing up the socket when I would be in for neutering and my peripheral vision was compromised so no night prowling,

Sealing my eye socket, neutering me and curtailing my range of movement, perhaps I should be reconsidering my options…

 

“How much trouble can a cat be?” he declared. He was to regret those words. They must have ignited some inherent, innate spark in me that was destined to give trouble, but not just yet. It was however his determination of my approximate age that was the clincher in the Forever deal, as he calculated that I was three months old, which made my date of birth , wait for it, exactly the same date as the monster’s and, you won’t believe it, the same day as Mum’s birthday.Serendipity! I saw her eyes glazing over with emotion. 

“It must be fate,” Colin said when he heard the back story. That word again, fate. But mum didn’t look so sceptical this time and I knew then that Big Pup was going to have to shove over and make room for a new kid on the block.

To be continued...

(As a PS we found Kaitriona at the Aughrim cat shelter very informative and helpful when contacted. And given that it was Christmas, most generous with her time)

https://www.tagsrescue.ie/aughrim-cat-rescue/

Copyright 2022 Cathy Leonard All rights reserved