I saw that torn ear and wondered. So Adelaide is gone. She was a nice old lady. Good for you for taking in her cat.”
Like he’d had a choice?
Dr. Burnside kept on with his examination. At last he said, “I see no broken bones, no evidence of injury. His heart is fine.”
“Then what’s wrong with him?”
“We’ll do some blood work,” said the vet, “but I suspect he’s just anxious. Changes in environment can upset cats. He lost his owner recently, he’s in a new home. It’s understandable.”
“Except he’d settled in okay and there was nothing wrong with his appetite until a couple of days ago,” Zach protested.
“Have you had any changes in your home?”
Breaking up with Blair probably didn’t count since she and Tom hadn’t exactly bonded. Other than that, Zach couldn’t think of anything. He shook his head.
“Change in routine? Travel?”
Zach thought of their failed excursion to see Santa. “We went to Pet Palace. He didn’t like it.” Neither had Zach. “But that was Saturday.”
“Well,” said Dr. Burnside. “I suspect he’s simply upset. We don’t want to let this go on too long but I’d like to wait another day before prescribing anti-anxiety medication. It’s highly effective but it can have detrimental effects on your cat’s personality and disposition.”
After their tussle in the closet anything would be an improvement on Tom’s disposition, if you asked Zach.
“You’ll pull it together, old boy. Won’t you?” The doctor slipped Tom in his carrier. “If he doesn’t improve in the next twenty-four hours bring him back.”
Yeah, that would be fun. Zach drove home wishing the vet had prescribed some anti-anxiety meds for him. “You know, you’re stressing me out,” he told Tom.
There was no reply from the carrier.
Zach frowned. He needed a cat whisperer.
And he knew just where to find one.
They did a detour by Pet Palace. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to make you go in,” Zach assured Tom.
He cracked the window for fresh air and then made his way across the slushy parking lot.
Not many people were inside shopping today. Hardly surprising, since the weatherman had predicted more snow and the sky was a sheet of bloated gray clouds, just waiting to dump. Zach looked toward the checkout stands. No sign of Merilee. He went to the cat section. No one. He walked around the whole store but saw no sign of her. It was a weekday. She should have been there somewhere.
At last he snagged a couple of cans of cat food and wandered up to a checkout where a plump girl with short black hair and a nose ring was busy gossiping with the woman at the stand behind her.
“It was so unfair to fire her for standing up to that beeatch,” said Miss Nose Ring. “Just because her family owns the store. Poor Merilee. She left in tears.”
So that explained why Merilee was nowhere in sight. And it sure wasn’t hard to figure out who the beeatch was. Zach ground his teeth.
“She did get hired part-time at the animal shelter. God knows how she’ll make her rent working part-time, though.”
Behind her the other woman caught sight of Zach and tried to tip off her coworker, nodding his direction.
“It just goes to show, you shouldn’t get involved,” finished the cashier. The other woman cleared her throat and nodded again. Miss Nose Ring followed her gaze and saw Zach. Her face turned fire engine red and she cleared her throat. “Uh, hi. Welcome to Pet Palace. Can I help you?”
“You already have,” he said.
He stormed out of the store and marched to his car, pulling out his cell phone as he went. He barely gave Blair time to answer before snarling, “You got that girl fired. And right before Christmas. Nice, Blair. Way to go.”
“Excuse me?” Her voice was huffy.
“There is no excuse for you,” he snapped, and ended the call.
Good God. He sure could pick ’em. Here he thought he’d been hanging out with a fun-loving, hot-blooded American girl and
Like he’d had a choice?
Dr. Burnside kept on with his examination. At last he said, “I see no broken bones, no evidence of injury. His heart is fine.”
“Then what’s wrong with him?”
“We’ll do some blood work,” said the vet, “but I suspect he’s just anxious. Changes in environment can upset cats. He lost his owner recently, he’s in a new home. It’s understandable.”
“Except he’d settled in okay and there was nothing wrong with his appetite until a couple of days ago,” Zach protested.
“Have you had any changes in your home?”
Breaking up with Blair probably didn’t count since she and Tom hadn’t exactly bonded. Other than that, Zach couldn’t think of anything. He shook his head.
“Change in routine? Travel?”
Zach thought of their failed excursion to see Santa. “We went to Pet Palace. He didn’t like it.” Neither had Zach. “But that was Saturday.”
“Well,” said Dr. Burnside. “I suspect he’s simply upset. We don’t want to let this go on too long but I’d like to wait another day before prescribing anti-anxiety medication. It’s highly effective but it can have detrimental effects on your cat’s personality and disposition.”
After their tussle in the closet anything would be an improvement on Tom’s disposition, if you asked Zach.
“You’ll pull it together, old boy. Won’t you?” The doctor slipped Tom in his carrier. “If he doesn’t improve in the next twenty-four hours bring him back.”
Yeah, that would be fun. Zach drove home wishing the vet had prescribed some anti-anxiety meds for him. “You know, you’re stressing me out,” he told Tom.
There was no reply from the carrier.
Zach frowned. He needed a cat whisperer.
And he knew just where to find one.
They did a detour by Pet Palace. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to make you go in,” Zach assured Tom.
He cracked the window for fresh air and then made his way across the slushy parking lot.
Not many people were inside shopping today. Hardly surprising, since the weatherman had predicted more snow and the sky was a sheet of bloated gray clouds, just waiting to dump. Zach looked toward the checkout stands. No sign of Merilee. He went to the cat section. No one. He walked around the whole store but saw no sign of her. It was a weekday. She should have been there somewhere.
At last he snagged a couple of cans of cat food and wandered up to a checkout where a plump girl with short black hair and a nose ring was busy gossiping with the woman at the stand behind her.
“It was so unfair to fire her for standing up to that beeatch,” said Miss Nose Ring. “Just because her family owns the store. Poor Merilee. She left in tears.”
So that explained why Merilee was nowhere in sight. And it sure wasn’t hard to figure out who the beeatch was. Zach ground his teeth.
“She did get hired part-time at the animal shelter. God knows how she’ll make her rent working part-time, though.”
Behind her the other woman caught sight of Zach and tried to tip off her coworker, nodding his direction.
“It just goes to show, you shouldn’t get involved,” finished the cashier. The other woman cleared her throat and nodded again. Miss Nose Ring followed her gaze and saw Zach. Her face turned fire engine red and she cleared her throat. “Uh, hi. Welcome to Pet Palace. Can I help you?”
“You already have,” he said.
He stormed out of the store and marched to his car, pulling out his cell phone as he went. He barely gave Blair time to answer before snarling, “You got that girl fired. And right before Christmas. Nice, Blair. Way to go.”
“Excuse me?” Her voice was huffy.
“There is no excuse for you,” he snapped, and ended the call.
Good God. He sure could pick ’em. Here he thought he’d been hanging out with a fun-loving, hot-blooded American girl and
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