The Return of the Foot Monster & Our First Vet Visit

Apparently, playing with Duncan late at night to wear him out before bed does not always do the trick. I ran around the house, dangling the felt ribbon wand as he chased after me until we were both out of breath. I thought, this is gonna be great--he'll sleep the night away and wake up when we do.

So when I felt paws poking my back in bed, I figured he was settling in for the night, finding the perfect place to snuggle with us. Instead, he was saying, "Mama, I wanna play!" Shortly after I felt the poking sensation, I felt a pinch on my leg. He decided it would be a good idea to bite me in order to let me know he was not ready to go to sleep. "No biting!" I told him. He jumped off our bed and sat looking up towards me. As I peaked my head over the side of the bed, he flew into the air.

"Ahhh! He's right there!" I yelled to my boyfriend, Ricky. For some reason, he likes to pounce on me and not Ricky. He thinks I am his play buddy, and that if he wants to play he better let me know.

"I can't believe you're scared of such a little cat," Ricky said laughing at me.

Normally when he gets into his super-active play mode, I toss one of his favorite mice to him, which distracts him from pouncing on me. The two mice he loves had been sitting in a drawer in my parents' house for years and are already ratty. For the first week or so we had Duncan, he lost at least one of them every day, which I would find rolled under a doorway or cabinet. Lately, he has been hiding/losing them in more challenging places. So last night, we were without his favorite mice. None of the other twenty mice we've bought for him will suffice. (Luckily, I found some obscure website that sells these special mice and ordered six packs).

But last night we were without these mice, so I had to wake up at 3 AM to play with him so he would settle down. Kittens will be kittens, I guess. Fortunately, Ricky and I both had the day off today so we could sleep in. Then it was time to take Duncan for his first vet visit. He was due for his rabies vaccination.

After the vet gave it to him, she said, "He'll probably lose his appetite and be a bit sleepy tonight; that's normal. Just give us a call if he's not back to normal within 24 hours."

"Okay," I said, nodding. "Actually, that might be good because he kept us up late last night."

She laughed. "Well, we don't guarantee it."