My mom stopped by with someone to try and clean up the basement a bit more. I guess I dozed off around 5:30, and she was here from 6 until 7ish. I woke up at 9, and went downstairs to eat. I don’t remember why I noticed, but I realized I hadn’t seen Oreo. If I am sleeping, he is in one of three places: In bed with me, on the computer chair, or sleeping on the top tier of the cat tower. I knew I didn’t see him upstairs, so I double checked the cat tower and didn’t see him. I called for him, he didn’t come. I went into the basement, thinking maybe he was using the litterbox, but he was not down there. I then proceeded to freak out.
I went outside and walked around calling for him, with no luck. You need to understand a few things here. First, Oreo is a spoiled attention whore. He will always come when he’s called, or when he simply hears anything… because he knows people = petting/attention. He has a leash, and when the weather and my health permits, he walks outside. Hell, he walks better than most dogs do. He loves it. He walks for a mile or so, walks into peoples’ houses if they leave a door open, runs up to every person he sees… everyone around here knows him.
Oreo knows his way around the neighborhood. He has gotten out on his own more than a few times. When I first found him (he was a stray I found when living in Columbus 6 or so years ago) he was an indoor/outdoor cat simply because he would get upset if he was kept inside. Where we were living back then had a park and a golf course right behind us, so it was actually fairly safe for the cats to run around alone. But Oreo is declawed (we found him like that), which means he can’t be a outdoor cat. He also has issues with being territorial and aggressive with other (unknown) cats.
Anyway, the times he’s gotten out I usually found him pretty quickly. He either goes to where the neighborhood outdoor cats live, finds a spot in bushes to sleep, or if people are outside he’ll be with them. I looked all over, called for him, shook a can of treats… and no Oreo :( I called my mom and asked her if she might have let him out when she was here. I know I didn’t let him out, and she did have the basement door open for a minute while she was down there. I guess she wasn’t careful, and he got out. 3 or so hours since he got out then. I told her to come over and help me look for him.
We walked all over, calling him, then drove around. Nothing. I was now worried and pissed off. Do you have any idea how many people have met Oreo and wanted to keep him? He really is a great cat, and everyone knows it. So I was afraid someone found him and took him, or he got hit by a car or attacked by a dog.
I went to my neighbor and got the live trap they have. Their cats have gotten out before, and they bought a live trap for when that happens. I borrowed the trap, and put some tuna in that my mom brought over. I didn’t think it would work. Oreo has seen the trap plenty of times when they had it out for their cat, and he always smelled it and ran. 11pm, my mom was gone, and I was on the couch with the screen door open so I could hear the trap on the front porch. The trap was a little funky, and went off a few times earlier just because of the wind.
I heard the trap, figured it went off on it’s own again, and went out to reset it. Yeah, went out and found Oreo in the trap – purring his heart out while eating the tuna. He wouldn’t get out of the trap until he finished the tuna. When I carried him inside, he was just the happiest kitty ever. He went and drank some water, then followed me upstairs. He just plopped down on the bed, purring and cuddling. He knows he was bad! He was just trying to suck-up so I wouldn’t be mad. Littler bugger.
So that was my kittydrama. I do not like it when my cats get out. I am thinking of finding a vet that still does tattoo IDs. Not all vets have a ID chip scanner, so getting one of those implanted really won’t always help. Hell, if you found a cat outside and decided to keep it, knowing it was someone’s cat, I doubt you’d take it to the vet anytime soon. But having a tattoo ID would be visible by everyone. You can at least prove it is your cat, and notify local vets/shelters to look for a cat with the tattoo. Hang signs all over, and even if someone took him, maybe if they will be nice and return him if they knew it was easy to ID the cat.
But, I don’t think they do tattooing anymore. I don’t know why. I’ve got tattoos, they didn’t hurt me… I doubt the cats would be hurt by it.
Oh well. Right now Freda is in bed, laying on my pillow. Oreo is sleeping downstairs in the cat tower. I think Bo is either in the cat tower box, or on the couch. But I know where they all are, and they’re safe… and spoiled.
In other news, there is no other news. I have an appointment with a pain management Dr. on the 22nd. My primary care Dr. had to write a referral and send over some notes about my history. She called and asked me why I was going to another Dr. I already tried a few different specialists who deal with chronic fatigue/fibromyalgia, so she couldn’t understand why I’d want to go to another. I had to explain that the last bunch of Drs I went to did nothing to help. They threw pills at me that I told them would not work. Giving me nerve pain medication will not work, because despite what some Drs believe, CFS/ME/FM is *not* a nerve disorder. To complicate my problems, I have several things attributing to the pain. I also can’t take 99% of pain medication. Either I’m allergic to it, can’t take any NSAIDs because that is was attributed to my renal failure, can’t take aspirins, and I’m already taking twice the recommended dose of Tylenol (which is causing liver problems already).
In the end, the only safe pain medication is oxycodone. Hell, aside from addiction, it is actually one of the safest medications for pain. The problem is that Drs take one look at me and figure I’m just drug-seeking. Yeah, ok… whatever. My life sucks, I have tattoos, that MUST mean I’m a drug addict, right? But you admit I have several conditions that cause debilitating pain, and I’m also considered disabled and unable to work in the eyes of the government because of my issues. Yet, when I ask for a medication that works and won’t cause organ damage, I’m not given it because some people abuse it. Well, thanks a lot. So I’ll just lay in bed every day unable to move, just so you don’t have to worry about me abusing a medication that I actually need.
That all just pisses me off. But they, the Drs, do the same thing when it comes to treating my fatigue. There are medications that could help me, and allow me to have enough energy to at least get out of bed daily, but they won’t give me those meds because some people abuse them. Fine, fuck you again, I’ll just lay in bed for 2 weeks because I’m too tired to get up. Instead of giving me the meds I need, I get the usual speech about how I just need to exercise. Yeah, as soon as I can shower daily, I’ll exercise daily. But as is right now, I struggle with just getting up to eat or shower. If I shower, I end up so sore and tired I sleep for 2 days straight.
Bunch of fuckers. So my primary care Dr. probably sent the referral with a note saying not to give me any medications that could be abused. If I go there to this new Dr., and get the same bullshit speech… I’m going to be very pissed. I don’t know where else to turn, as this really is my last option. The only other option I might have is going to Florida to visit my family, and see my dad’s pain management Dr. while I’m there. That guy has been giving my dad percocet for 5+ years. That Dr. seems to understand that sometimes, there is no other option.
Blah. In closure, here is a picture of Oreo for you all to google over :P
