Adventures With Kitty

I took Roo to the vet this morning for a checkup and vaccinations. She knew what was coming and hid under the couch: I had a tough time getting her out and into the carrier. Then, of course, when I got to the vet's office, she started squeaking plaintively.

There was someone else there with a stray kitten she had caught in a trap specially designed for the purpose. The kitten was not happy either. I put Roo's carrier near the kitten's cage and the two of them seemed to carry on a conversation of feline noises. I talked to the woman who had brought in the kitten: she says there are lots of stray cats in her neighborhood. She uses special cage traps to catch them so she can take them to the vet to be vaccinated and spayed at the very least, although her ultimate objective is to place them in loving homes. She says she has rescued over a hundred cats this way.

When I was let in and brought Roo into the exam room, she got really surly. After I let her out of the carrier to walk around on the table she started hissing at me. And of course she bit the vet, without even warning her first. But the vet and her assistant still thought Roo was incredibly cute (which she is). They said that she was fit and at a good weight, but that I should start introducing adult food into her diet to keep her from getting fat.

Giving Roo shots was quite an ordeal. They had to wrap her in a towel and hold her down. And, naturally, she was pissed. But she calmed down after it was over and seemed okay when I got her home.

The whole thing cost me upwards of $90. Oy. But it's important that I keep Roo healthy, so it's worth it.

(no subject)

I don't know if any of you have friends or family serving in Iraq or Afghanistan: I personally do not, but I think that makes it all the more important that we make the effort to think about our soldiers.

In spite of atrocities like those of Abu Ghraib and Haditha, we should remember that most of the men and women on duty in the Middle East right now are decent, dedicated people who are trying their best to carry out their overall mission: achieve peace and stability where they are stationed, and help make the rest of us safer here at home. As a general rule, the soldiers on the ground tend to be disengaged from the political and ideological influences that - ironically - determine where they are sent and the grander strategy in which they play a part. In a democracy it is a civilian's duty to question, but it is and always has been a soldier's duty to serve.

These men and women are doing their duty, and staying alive, as best they can. Even if we are against the war and the boneheaded policies that engendered and misdirected it, we should remember not to blame the people who are actually out there fighting. They believe they are protecting their country and the Iraqi and Afghan people. They are doing their best. It is not their fault that they're being mismanaged and sent out to sacrifice in vain. We ought to have more respect for our soldiers than the people who sent them there, whether we agree with the war they're fighting or not.

I hope that the changes in Congress and the appointment of a new Secretary of Defense will make things better for our armed servicemen and women, as well as the Iraqi and Afghan people. I hope they will soon be operating on a sensible, effective strategy more worthy of their extraordinary dedication and efforts. I hope that we will see them come home soon.