Saturday, November 04, 2006

True fables

Many years ago, I lived with Em. Like many in their early 20s, we lived beyond our means. We had a cat named Spam. Sometimes we called her Spammy and perhaps even Spamela. I do not remember how we came to posess this cat, but I'm fairly certain she was free. We loved this cat and its calico coat. One day Spam got sick and wasn't eating or drinking. The veterinarian said she needed a blood transfusion. We (agonizingly, excruciatingly) borrowed money to pay for it. We brought Spam home from the vet and three days later, she disappeared and we never saw her again. Now is the moral of this story one, blood transfusions are a waste of money, two, don't let the cat outside, or three, do not name cats meat products?

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

I tried blood transfusions with Sparky but he just died anyway. I'd do it again, though.

Honey, got a new blog. Come visit me.

(formerly nongirlfriend)

Anonymous said...

Don't let the cat outside...unless you live in a 50-acre rural retreat with no surrounding car traffic, of course. It's too cruel.

Anonymous said...

When I was a child we had a cat named Tony. He was mostly white with a gray spot on his head and one on his back near his tail. When he was about 5 years old he disappeared. We thought he was gone for good. Three years later he came home. He had a hole in his chest where he'd been shot. We petted him and he purred. My Mom said we could take him to the vet, so we ran outside to get him and he was gone. I think he came back to say good bye.

Doug said...

#2 is probably a pretty good rule. We let our cat roam only in screened-in areas. No true freedom outside for her without parent supervision.

dirk.mancuso said...

I have to go with number 2. My cats never leave the house (because it's not safe and because of my fear of rabies).

However, naming anyone or anything after a meat product is probably not the best idea either...

Anonymous said...

I vote for #2 - mine never leave the house... also remember, animals prefer to die alone, and many will run away when they know their time is coming... makes it even harder on us humans...

Patricia said...

ugh, since i couldn't deal with the torture of not knowing if she was safe, i'd probably always have a less-than-happy cat and forbid her to go outside.

stupid cat for making me worry.

Snooze said...

I'm with Em - I think cats should be allowed outside whenever possible. My cats love the outdoors. If they die younger, so be it. They need to live their lives as cats who can hunt mice and climb trees, however long that life ends up being. I would probably put a cat to sleep if it needed a particularly costly procedure, but I do love the name Spam!

madamerouge said...

how about blood transfusions are a waste of money for cats

[duck and cover]

A Bear in the Woods said...

Did you live in an area where there were a lot of residents newly arrivd from east Asia?
Never let doggies or kitties run loose in areas where they are considered lunchables.

r said...

Don't have cats as pets.

Dogs man, that's where it's at. dogs.

St. Dickeybird said...

I would never borrow money to pay for pet surgery. I love them, but at that cost I'll give them "the sleepy needle."
I won't let them outside, they'd probably think moving car-tires look cudly.
Lou and Andy have expanded names. Lupis and Androgeny.

Anonymous said...

From my experience, when cats get sick, they get REALLY sick and spiral downward pretty quickly.

dpaste said...

#2.

If she was feeling ill, she would seek out a hiding place to feel safe in. She probably, sadly, died there.

But #3 is a strong contender as well.

Anonymous said...

Mmmm... cat-- the other dark meat. (Just soak 'em in milk and coat with panko and arrowroot starch and fry away.)

But I can't seem to fault naming a meat product after a meat product. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Don't forget to keep your house rat indoors, or just get a dog.

Anonymous said...

Aww, I have a kitty named Spam. We call him Spammy. And his sister's name is Musubi, which is basically Japanese for a ball of sticky rice. Together they are Spam Musubi, which is a very popular snack in Hawaii. :)