First Fall Thankful Thursday

This is Sweetie... and I love her. Sweetie is one of the three original kittens my husband brought home shortly after he moved here. She is the matriarch of the feline herd. She doesn't have to "say" anything, a look will suffice when any of the others are out of sorts. Sweetie comes and goes as she pleases, including in and out of the house. Not long after their arrival, Sweetie and her sister, "Tipper", each had a small litter of kittens. Tipper was less than a loving mother to her babies and it was amazing to watch Sweetie step up and take her nieces and nephews as her own. Sweetie is the dog's favorite "toy" and the only real competition Sadie has in the house. And she's my snuggle bug when I go to bed at night (remember, my husband works nights).

So, for all these reasons and so much more, the last thing I want is for Sweetie to hurt. But for the last week she's been walking around holding her front left leg/foot up off the ground. She refused to put ANY weight on it and pulled away from me when I would try to examine her paw. Enough was enough. It was time to break down and head to Chapel Hill.

I'm happy to say that there are no broken bones or sprains in Sweetie's leg. Dr. Droke thinks she's either 1) simply jammed it jumping off something relatively high - I mean she IS carrying a few extra LBS...15.5 to be exact or 2) is experiencing pain and swelling due to a bite/puncture wound.

We came home with a vial of pain medication and as early as this morning after only two doses Sweetie is showing signs of improvement.

So today I'd like to express my gratitude and thankful heart, specifically, to Cole Park Veterinary Hospital but also to all veterinary clinics in general. I've noticed that all my favorite bloggers are animal owners and lovers so I know you can appreciate your treasured veterinarian and staff and the message I'm putting out here today. Our animals (okay, four-legged children) bring so much...chaos into our lives I don't think any of us would want it any other way. My life would not be complete without my cats, dog, horse...even the raccoons and opossum that visit nightly make for some great laughs and awesome pictures.

Just don't wear black or blue when you visit my house - there's enough animal hair on the furniture to stuff a king-sized pillow.

Thank you, God, for our four-legged loved ones...