Hi Guys,
It’s me. Alfred. KING Alfred. Guess what happened to me today. I went to the Emergency Room! Yeah. That’s right. Moms rushed me to the ER.
King Alfred sick.
“Alfred, why do your eyes look so glazed…?” Moms asked me last night. I was sittin’ there not feeling so well. I was trying to focus my eyes on my wonderful Moms, but I couldn’t hold my head up straight.
“Alfred, you don’t look right. Why do you look like you’re getting ready to go into shock or something? What’s wrong with you…?!” Moms panicked. She was right. My little cat body felt like it was going into shock…
The week before Moms left for NYC she kept spraying this so-called all natural flea and tick medicine all over me. I hated that sprayer, spritzer thing. Every time I saw her with it in my hand I ran. Hid in the pantry.
“Alfred! Alfred!” Moms called when I ran from her. “Come back here! You know you have to take your flea medicine. Those ticks aren’t going away, and we have to get rid of them before I get them as well.”
Guys. It all started around a month and a half ago when Uncle A came to stay with us. If you remember from my Rwanda blog “King Alfred Gets a New Home,” Uncle A was the one who gave me the “King” part of my name. Well, since Moms and I have been back from Africa, Uncle A has come to visit us on several occasions. I’ll blog about that later. He loves to go out into the woods around the farm, and one day he said, “Hey Dee! Looka here. I think I’ve got this tick. Can you take it off of me?!”
“Wow. A tick. I hope you don’t get a disease or something,” Moms said using the tweezers to take out the tick.
That all happend a while ago. Then Moms started seeing bugs crawling all over me. And, I’m an inside cat. So, both Moms and me know it was Uncle A who gave me my ticks and fleas but we don’t want to say anything to embarrass him or anything.
But, after all that spritzing and spraying, bugs were still crawling all over my little cat body. I kept scratching. I didn’t like it. But, it upset Moms more, “Alfred, I don’t think that so-called all natural flea and tick medicaine is working. But, I know flea collars are really strong, and I don’t like the idea of getting you one. But, I’ll have to go get you one because they seem like they’re multiplying or something.”
So, Moms got me a flea collar. She put it on me. It was okay. I didn’t fight it like I did the separation anxeity collar she put on me before our trip from Malabo, Equatorial Guinea to Washington, DC.
“You’re such a good little boy, Alfred. You aren’t fighting your flea collar. But, you look a little limp, and you’re having trouble walking. I’m going to take off that collar for the evening,” Moms said. So, she took it off. And the next day she put it back on, trying to kill off my fleas and ticks. But, I wasn’t feeling so well. I think I was going into toxic shock. But, how could I tell Moms.
During the evenings after I got my flea collar, I slept close by. I always stayed by my Moms. I didn’t feel well. “Alfred… something is wrong with you. Why are you following me all the time, and why do you look so limp? What’s wrong with my Litte Cat Man…?”
I let out a soft pathetic meow… “Moms… I don’t feel so great. You have to take off the collar.”
After Moms saw my eyes glaze over and my little cat body started shaking like I was going into shock, that evening she said, “Lets take off the collar, Little Man,” Moms said pulling off the collar. I didn’t protest. I didn’t mind it. I could tell this collar wasn’t good for me.
The next morning Moms left for the Farmers’ Market. I felt okay. But, when she came back I didn’t have the energy to greet her at the door like I always do. “Alfred, Alfred!” Moms called coming into the door. “Where are you? Why aren’t you here to greet me…? Are you feeling okay…? I’m so worried about you…” Moms said.
Moms was tired. So was I. Moms went to sleep. And, so did I – curled closely by her side.
When Moms woke up she saw me by her side looking really bad. “Alfred!! Something’s wrong with you!! Let’s go. We’re rushing you to the Emergency Vet Room now!”
So, Moms called my vet, a very nice lady even though I’m afraid of her, and she’s the one who prescribed me my Cat Valium. The vet told Moms to bring me in right away. Moms shoved me into my awful cat carrying case. I hadn’t been in that thing for over a month. I kind of thought Moms and I were through travelling for a while. I growled and hissed. But, eventually I went in.
In the car, I only meowed a little. I was feeling very weak. I sat quietly by Moms’ feet and the car pedals.
When we got to the vet Moms explained the situation. “King Alfred isn’t feeling well. I’m afraid he may have been posioned. I’ve been spraying him with flea and tick medicine, and then I put a flea collar on him. His eyes became glossy and his body looked like he was having some CNS problems (Moms worked in a pharmaceutical marketing selling Prozac. So, she really knows the pharmaceutical lingo. I’m always so impressed by my Moms when she talks professional.).”
“Ma’am, I am so sorry to hear about King Alfred. Yes, I remember him. He’s the cat from Africa, who is a nervous traveler and had to get Cat Valium here,” the friendly, young receptionist said. “Well, I’ll have to take him from you Ma’am because we’ll have to isolate him in the surgery room to see if he needs detox.”
“W-H-A-T…?!” Moms shrieked. She was overcome.
The Petsmart Banfield receptionist grabbed the carrying case from Moms’ hand and she whisked me off.
“Moms! Moms! Moms!” I cried. “Don’t take me away from my Moms!” I cried. My world was ending before my eyes.
They put me in an isolated room to calm me down. But, I was angry. Really angry. I had been separated again from my Moms, and I had only just got her back a couple of nights ago. I growled and hissed.
“Don’t you worry, King. The vet will be in to examine you to see if you need to be detoxed,” the receptionist explained.
The vet came in to calm Moms down and explain to her that she shouldn’t use the over-the-counter flea collars. She said I didn’t need to be detoxed, and it was good that Moms had taken off the collar and brought me in. The vet gave Moms a prescription flea and tick medicine and told Moms to give me a bath and give me the medicine in a week.
On the way back home, I didn’t make a sound. I was so glad to back with my Moms safe and sound.
Of course, once we got home. Moms gave me a bath. I wasn’t happy at all and I fought a little bit. But, I knew it was for my health.
So, now I’m back. With my Moms. Even though the vet told Moms about all these all natural, fancy cat foods to buy and Moms bought some, Moms gave me a treat of freshly pan-fried trout Moms brought back from the market today.
Moms knew that I had been through a lot – Flea medicine intoxication, pet emergency room visit, and after all of that a bath. She wanted me to be happy.
King Alfred back at the farm house after his ER visit and waiting for his next adventure
Guys… Have you ever been to the Emergency Room? Tell me about your experience. Is there anything Moms and I should have done differently….?
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