Meatloaf Gets a Fixin'

Meatloaf attempts escape from her crate in route to the vet clinic.

Today, Meatloaf became a pet.
The term 'getting fixed' in reference to an animal being spayed or neutered has always sounded weird to me. It's like something is wrong with that cat and we need to fix it. This animal can reproduce and that is a problem but I can fix it. I'm pretty sure reproduction is a natural thing so I believe we might actually be 'ruining everything', and not really 'fixing it' at all.

Here is a normal kitten and we made it so she will not become a cat and bare offspring, but instead, a pet.

Please don't get me wrong. I love pets. no buts about it. Pets are great. relationships with domesticated animals have been some of the most fulfilling of my lifetime. I would not want to live without dogs, and a cat or two is great as well. However, a mountain lion and pack of wolves would not fit into my current lifestyle. I also do not want our pet population overflowing, there is lots of animals that need help and we all need to adopt, not breed.

It is just strange terminology. That is all.
We keep these animals as pets and we have a mutual, consensual relationship. They give up their reproductive rights and tame their wild instincts to live in the lap of luxury. This kitten, Meatloaf, can spend the rest of her days on the family farm with the dogs, cats, pigs and chickens. She can enjoy the outdoors and have food in her bowl, clean water to drink, a warm bed to sleep in; or should say a warm my face to sleep on! I get it. If they decided to be pets, I get it.

Now that is done, more about Louie.
The Meatloaf kitty was all the rage when we got home from the vet this afternoon. Louie couldn't shut his sniffer off, it was on overdrive. Full on sniff-mania. Uncontrollable. So of course we immediately separated the dogs and the kitten. I took Meatloaf next door to my dad's house so she could have some quiet time. I came home, fed the dogs and sat down for dinner.

Louie just laid there on the floor, whining. The high pitched whining that is so hard to ignore. Especially because when he was younger, that's the sound he made when his eyes hurt. I knew that if they hurt there may be pressure spiking and irreversible damage and vision loss to the eye. There was a lot riding on that sound, I thought at the time. So if Louie whined, I was at attention. Now that he's better, it's hard for me to tell sometimes what he's crying about.
What is it Louie? Is Meatloaf in the well?

Then I notice, Louie is 'staring' at the crate I took to the vet and dropped off Meatloaf in.
Louie thought there was something still in the crate! I knew this because when I touched it he jumped about a foot in the air. Suddenly it made perfect sense. I sat down on the floor next to him, one hand on Louie and the other hand I used to mov the crate. I opened the door slowly. I moved it around so it made different noises, picked it up and held the door open so he could stick his whole head in there. There was some serious deep sniffing going on in that crate. I took the towel on the bottom of the crate out and set it on the ground. Louie's nose was a vacuum, sucking everything and in, sorting it out and analyzing the data.

After a few minutes Louie comfortable to accept the crate was empty. I think he even knew Meatloaf had been to the vet. I know that sounds weird, but Louie has spent a fair amount of time at that vet clinic due to his eye condition. He's also spent most of that time there without being able to see anything. Louie knows when we get close to the building, he'll get up and get ready to get out of the car. I am amazed by him more everyday.

Meatloaf is staying at my dad's house tonight because that is what Louie would want to do to the kitten, hold her down and smell her and lick her. Not a good time for that now, sorry Louie. I know Lou will want to clean her owie but she has stitches and she needs to heal. Louie is going to have to tough it out for a few days before he gets to inspect and check out his kitten again.