Winston Woes

The following is based on a true story that is hilarious, sad and scary...the names were not changed to protect the innocent because everyone mentioned is guilty as sin. 

So I come home from work yesterday to find Winston on the counter chowing down on a Calla Lily... I had this little spark go on in the back of my head that says "I think those are poisonous"...so I did what any logical person would do...I Googled it.  Google did nothing to abate my fears....Calla Lilies are as poisonous as antifreeze!  So I call the vet who gives me instructions (get cat to vomit...yeah right...how, by asking nicely??) We are supposed to give him 1Tbs of Hydrogen Peroxide and then hold his back legs up and sway him front to back.  Any of you who have co-habitated with cats are smiling to yourselves thinking 'Best of Luck!'....We followed the instructions to a T, but Winston is his Mother's (and Father's) cat and is too stubborn.  So we end up running him to the Animal Hospital to have them induce vomiting...then treat the poison.   After I hand him over to the vet tech we walk out of the building all the waterworks start.  All I can think is that Winston is going to die and his last memory of me will be shoving HP down his throat, swaying him around in the bathtub then shoving him in his crate and taking him to the vet.

Needless to say I didn't sleep well...we went back out to the vet at 8am (as we had been told by the vet tech).  We were met by Ms. Vet Tech who had apparently woken up on the VERY wrong side of the bed.  She rudely told us we would just have to wait.   And wait we did - for almost an HOUR.  Finally a new Miss Vet Tech came in and asked if we had been helped - we told her we were (patiently) waiting for the Vet and BAM 30 seconds later he appeared....I think I like Miss Vet Tech better.  They had eventually gotten poor Winston to regurgitate...but not after forcing him to injest charcoal to absorb the poison.  He was also subjected to a catheter (fun for no one), an IV and multiple blood draws...all of which required his neck and both forearms to be buzzed (see exhibit A, above right)  To add insult to injury he apparently stepped in some charcoal while doing the hippie hippie vomit shake and so now one of his snowy white paws is stained a bit black...and his IV foot is swollen.  

After almost 24 long hours of misery (for all involved) we were allowed to take our beloved Winston home.  When they carried him out into the waiting room he was quiet until he saw me and then he let out a big 'MOMMY MEEYEOW' shortly followed by an 'I'm SOOO pissed at you Meow!'. That's my boy.