Slugger Albert

 “ He’s not the easiest of patients!” 

So the know-all receptionist told me when I called back to the vets after Albert had received his X-ray 

“ I did warn the vet that he’s not the friendliest of cats, he WAS mismanaged at a previous surgery “ I reminded her but she wasn’t really interested.

I asked to see the vet

Albert had come round from his anaesthetic and was fighting fit.

I could hear him from reception.

I had booked him in early as a precaution. He was eating fine and had asked to go out early this morning for his usual hunt, but he was slightly guarding his deformed leg and he limped a little more than usual.

It had taken two burly country vets and a practice nurse to anaesthetise  him.

He had no new leg fractures but must have jarred his old injury the vet told me as there was marked arthritic changes around his repaired leg fracture of a decade ago. The vet noted an “old “ vertebral fracture that was probably missed by his former vet. She had also checked his teeth and removed a tick from his shoulder given the information he didn’t like , even me picking him up

“ He’s lucky” she said “ and he’s a fighter!” 

I noted she had a fresh plaster to the back of her hand.

Without the dogs in the car , he wailed all the way home from inside his basket, only shutting up when I let him out in the kitchen where the dogs smelled hesitantly  at his left leg, where he had been shaved and canulated . 

He’s slept on my bed most of the afternoon, only coming down to eat some specially cooked chicken on the window ledge. I snapped him then sharing my eggy breakfast plate with Mary before he took himself off upstairs again to rest. 

The fight all but left him