Carrying On Like This

Claudia McGill 13 Comments

Carrying On Like This

Darn you cat
please don’t fight me
oops now you’ve done it
run under the bed
I move it away from the wall
wait I grab your tail and
I am sorry to pull it but
I have to get you into the carrier
for your trip to the vet
Having lost the element of surprise
now we’re wrestling ouch those claws hurt and
I’m bleeding on my shirt
listen here we have to get this done
one two three success almost
I cram in your trailing leg sorry but
if I’ve got nine-tenths of you in the carrier
well I can’t let the one-tenth
reverse the gains. I slam the door
latch it tight. You shake the carrier
pace and figure the angles for exit
I wash the scratches on my arms and legs
I change my shirt. Then comes how we
haul ourselves out to the car. The screeching
tolerable but once we start to move
oh boy it tunes up. And then

when we get to the vet
you lie on the exam table and purr.
Sometimes I just don’t understand you.

6/6/19

13 thoughts on “Carrying On Like This”

  1. ” lie on the exam table and purr” Typical cat perversity.
    However – my own dear animal companion ramps it up a notch.
    She has a mark on her chart and gets handled with barbecue gloves.

    • We had one like that. She weighed 6 pounds and terrorized the staff. She was not mean, just a little eccentric, and also very anxious, I think. Even at home she wasn’t much for socializing.

  2. That scenario has familiar elements! Fortunately my one cat has gotten calmer and I’ve honed my strategies 😉

    • Yes. Since our one crazy cat died, it has been easier, but even our easygoing cat we have now, he can display a bit of petulance. But then, he is the one I wrote the poem about. He tends to settle in pretty fast. And then he doesn’t want to go home.

      • Taking the cat to and from the vet can be stressful, but once there purring and exploring becomes more important than protest. They have their moods and personalities for sure!

  4. […] I’ve long enjoyed reading Claudia McGill’s poetry, and decided to write this in one of her styles. Here are some examples from Claudia –                    Revealed Too Much                    Cross Roads                    Carrying On Like This                    Grasp […]

    • Yes, this cat in the poem is my favorite of all the cats we have ever had, a very bright little spirit, especially since he was a rescue cat and has only one eye and gimpy legs. But he does hate that carrrier and you are right, he has to let me know to keep our relationship in balance. I think at the vet, freed from the carrier, he reverts to his regular personality and everyone coos at him. There is never a dull moment…

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