Hot 2 Trot

Finally got to visit with Rox. She is still on painkillers, and was sleeping with her head half in the water dish. They put medicine in her ears, so she was continuously rubbing the sides of her head against whatever was near: cat box, shelf, hand. Her purr was kind of low and warbling. She looked at me with a gentle, faint cognizance, with huge, dilated pupils. She slowly flexed her paws against the towel she was sitting on. We can pick her up tomorrow.

While we were there, I heard squeals from my 2 comrades. In the kitty bungalow next door they had discovered Arthur. Eighteen and skinny, Arthur has just wisps of grey fur remaining and singed-looking whiskers. His eyes are kind of watery.

"Oh, look at you!" "Hello, boy!"

I first met Arthur when I went to pick up some cat food a few weeks ago. He was perched on the reception desk. With the knobs of his spine showing, he looked more like a gargoyle than a cat.

"Arthur's quite a guy," the receptionist had said when I asked about him. "He just woke up from his nap."

I offered him my hand for a rub. No dice.

"Arthur loves the ladies," the other receptionist said.

I looked into Arthur's rheumatic eyes. "Hi, Arthur." He blinked.

"The medicine he's on made him lose his fur. You're so sexy, aren't you, Arthur!"

I skritched him a little, while the receptionists exclaimed over Arthur's prowess. He sat rigid. I marveled over his chicken legs. He scuttled away from me.

"Okay, well then, see you soon . . ." I signed the receipt and lifted the bags of food over the counter. At that, Arthur sprang into action! He trotted down the desk with the swinging gait of George Jefferson and jumped down onto the floor.

I was dissed!

. . . And now, of all the cats sitting in the cabanas begging for a skrit, my friends had honed in on him.

We had to get back to work. Arthur had fully worked his magic on these two -- while simultaneously trying out a few escape routes. They herded him back into the cubby.

"Gotta go now, Arthur!" Aly said.

"Oh, look, look! He's shaking his head no!"