SUSAN LOESCH

Can you believe it is almost time for school to start? That means it’s time for a back-to-school visit to the doctor for the School for the Blind Library Cat staff, which requires making a trip to Pinnacle Valley Animal Hospital to see their vet, Dr. Cole Bierbaum.

Wouldn’t you know that we would end up picking the hottest week of the year for our trip — or rather trips. Getting all these guys checked out is way too much for one visit, so we did it Noah’s Ark style — two-by-two. Barney and Tank went the first day and Shadow and Hexie the second.

Dress was casual — it was way too hot for bandanas, and only Shadow and Tank wore collars. We seem to have had an epidemic of lost-collar-disease this summer, but that is a whole ‘nother story.

When we arrived, Ms. Lauren led Tank and Barney into “Big Footsie’s Room,” officially known as Exam Room 3. It got the Big Footsie designation over the 6-month period when Foots and I had a standing 4 p.m. Friday appointment for a blood-pressure check after his heart disease was diagnosed.

We almost always were in this room, and there are pictures of him displayed there. I always feel at home there and feel Footsie’s presence.

Tank needed a little reassurance, and Ms.Lauren was quick to pet him and make him feel comfortable. In exchange for the attention, she ended up with a fur coat of her own; when Tank gets nervous he sheds.

And I mean he REALLY sheds. Barney, however, was his usual laid-back self and just chilled on the exam table waiting for Dr. Cole to come in.

Dr. Cole did surgery on Tank’s eyes last fall when he was rescued from a feral colony where he was
coming to eat. His eyes were closed and so infected that we thought he might be blind.

A little surgery fixed him up, and other than having to wear an Elizabethan collar, or cone, to make sure he couldn’t reach up and scratch at his stitches, it was all smooth sailing.

Today his eyes were pronounced perfect, and Dr. Cole listened to his chest and gave him a shot for his cough.

Barney had his persistent skin issues checked out and was told to keep up the good work; he is healing nicely.

It was good news all around, and after the exam Dr. Cole lifted Tank up to see Big Footsie’s picture. I am not sure Tank appreciated that he was looking at a real icon of the cat world.

On the way out, we picked up two kitties for Feline Rescue and Rehome (FuRR). Dr. Cole is also our FuRR vet, and he had altered two kitties for us. Ms. Kristi held pretty black Trashbag up to tell her goodbye.

She got her unusual name because the family caring for her thought they were seeing a black trash bag blowing across their yard when they first saw her. Both she and Howey, who came from life on the streets of downtown Little Rock, will have much better lives now.

Barney and Tank must have told Shadow and Hexie all about their adventure because neither of them was visible when it was nearly time to leave the next day. They finally made an appearance with barely enough time to make our appointment.

When we arrived, Hexie went exploring and met the front desk staff. There is always a canine visitor or two behind the desk, and she met them, too. Luckily, Ms. Laura was able to keep the doggies from getting too close a look! I think they were more interested in Hexie than she was in them.

Back we went to “Big Footsie’s Room.” Shadow got lots of pets from Ms. Laura and then took his usual 3 seconds to feel completely at home. He jumped on the counters, found a package of treats, climbed through the leaves of a big plant and found Big Footsie’s pictures on his own.

Shadow got some blood drawn for tests and didn’t protest at all. As he stretched out on the exam table to help with Hexie’s exam, I mentioned that. Big Footsie always hit the door with a growl and a hiss.

Even mild-mannered Alex picked up where Footsie left off; just to take a look in his mouth we had to roll him up in a towel, into a “kitty burrito,” or risk his drawing blood as he refused the exam.

“These guys are a lot better behaved than Footsie and Alex, aren’t they?” I commented.

Dr. Cole laughed and said he didn’t know if he would be able to deal with that! Up until this point it seems to have been a library cat requirement to turn into a lion at the vet’s office.

Before having her exam, Hexie slipped into the adjoining exam room to say a kitty hello to Bunny, a
beautiful long-haired white kitty who was adopted from FuRR years ago by Ms. Susan. Bunny was
spending time at the clinic being treated for renal disease, and his mom had come to visit.

Bunny and Hexie came into the FuRR program at about the same time, and they actually knew each other way back when.

Bunny is fun to pet and hug; it is like squeezing a big white cloud. We hope he feels better fast and is soon back at home.

Hexie’s exam centered on issues she has with her enucleated eye, and Dr. Cole changed her medication slightly.

She lost an eye to infection when she was little. Hexie was such a good patient and should soon be fine.

On the way back to the waiting room, I introduced Shadow to Ms. Libby who knew Big Footsie well.

“Hi, Shadow,” she said. “You have some big footsies to fill, don’t you.”

Shadow donned his harness so that he could safely explore the waiting room. He found the scale and checked his weight: 10.4 pounds. He looked at all the collars, toys and treats for sale and
then settled down in a bin with the sign, “All Natural Dog Cookies $ .50.”

He would have been perfectly happy staying there a while watching all the activity but we had to leave. Shadow was not at all happy being put back into his carrier, but I did get him a package of treats.

So now the Library Cat staff is all ready for school to start. And me? Not so much! Summer vacation has passed all too quickly.

If you would like to know more about Pinnacle Valley Animal Hospital, check out their web site at
http://www.pinnaclevalleyanimalhospital.com.

You can meet Dr. Bierbaum, Dr. Laura Mehaffy and all the staff members there, and as Barney, Tank, Shadow and Hexie will tell you, they are all great!