Kako is sick this morning. She woke me just after 3 AM with the telltale wails of an upset stomach. I called out to her from bed and she came to me, then I showered her with affection and concern. She seemed OK and climbed under the covers with me, found a comfortable spot, and curled up next to me. I stroked her calmly and spoke to her in hushed tones to reassure her that I was there.
We lay like this for several minutes, and she seemed to calm down. Perhaps it was just a hairball or, as cats are apt to experience just like humans, perhaps it was nothing more than a simple upset stomach. I can only surmise that five minutes passed while we rested together like this, her curled in a ball and me wrapped around her. I began to doze off again while I continued speaking to her and gently brushing her fur with my hand.
She was so appreciative and comforted by me that she promptly barfed a tidy little bundle right there on my arm and the bed. While I didn’t react so as not to frighten her in her apparently not-well state, she rose quickly, sniffed momentarily at the mess she’d made, then vacated the bed completely and dashed out to the living room. Thanks a lot, Woman!
I climbed out of bed, pulled the covers together into a pile and tossed them to the floor — essentially vanquishing them to be manhandled in laundry fashion — and went to check on the dear girl. Since I was up and fully awake by then, I turned some lights on so I could get a clear look at her. Nothing seemed terribly wrong and her demeanor, although subdued a bit, was normal.
With my copy of Carl Sagan’s Cosmos in hand after having already been relegated to my desk in preparation for delivery to xocobra later in the week, I sat down and decided to delve into its pages yet again (who knows how many times I’ve read this book…) as a diversion while I kept an eye on Kako throughout the rest of the morning. She is prone to deadly urinary tract infections and I take seriously any signs of illness.
Only an hour or so later she was at the food and water bowls having a bite to eat followed promptly by a quick drink, then she returned to the living room and found a comfortable position near me where she might rest. It was no more than 10 minutes later when she arose, walked into the hall, and immediately tossed her cookies yet again. I of course went to her and stroked her lovingly and talked to her. I then cleaned up her latest incident and went back to sit with her on the bed where she’d gone. I took a clean sheet from the closet and covered her with it to provide her with a bit of privacy and comfort, and it is there that she fell asleep and rested comfortably for the rest of the morning.
It goes without saying that I am keeping an eye on her to see if she eats and drinks, as well as how she acts. This could be nothing more than a case of nausea, something all of The Kids have suffered from at one time or another, but Kako always requires close monitoring in situations like this given her tendency to develop deadly infections at the drop of a hat. I can tell it’s going to be one of those days.