おそろしや

 共同生活をしている男子の様子がおかしくなった。涙目になって、充血もしている。トイレにも行かない。ご飯も食べない。これはやはり診てもらうしかない。しかしそれはやっかいなことだった。彼は病院が嫌いなのだ。だが悪化する前に行かないと、もっとやっかいなことになる。

私は彼専用の特大サイズの洗濯ネットをこっそりと用意した。どうにか取り押さえ、洗濯ネット内に捕獲した彼をケージに入れた。どれだけ平静を装って用意しても、見えないところで準備しても、動物病院に行くときは、絶対に、必ず、バレる。動物のカンは本当に鋭い。

結果は風邪であった。「電気毛布を早々にしまってしまったからだろうか？」と思ったのだが、どうやら空気感染の可能性が濃厚だとわかった。空気感染？彼はひとりっ子である。また、ベランダに出て昼寝をする以外に、外に出ることはない。だがうちの周辺は野良にゃんこも多く、ベランダの下の道路でたむろっていることはよくある。彼はそうしたにゃんこ達をベランダからよく見下ろしている。そのせいか？そしてふと思い当たった。お向かいのうちの家猫も、ここ数週間、自転車に乗せられて動物病院に行くのを嫌がって、大声でわめいていたではないか。そしてうちの彼はいつものように野次猫よろしく、ベランダからそれを眺めていたではないか。

数週間後に風邪をうつされ、自分もわめき散らすことになることなど、その時の彼は知る由もなかっただろう。だが現実にはそうなった。道路を挟んでのお向かいだし、ベランダは2階だし、空気感染するか？？と思ったのだが、獣医師の答えは「可能性大。」であった。なんと。油断も隙もあったものではない。空気感染、おそろしや～～～👻

抗生剤を打ってもらったが、目薬は毎日ささねばならない。動物病院に無理やり連れて行ったことで彼の私への信頼は失墜したが、目薬はそれに追い打ちをかける行為である。しばらくは、彼は私と距離を置くだろう。私自慢のメタボ腹の上で、これまたたぷたぷ腹を持つ彼が再び安心しきってお昼寝してくれる日々が戻ることを信じつつ、今日も目薬片手に彼を追い回す私なのである。

That's the nightmare

I'm concerned about the health of a boy who lives with me. Lately, his eyes have been watery and bloodshot, and he hasn't been eating or using the toilet. I know I need to get him checked out, although it will be quite difficult because he hates going to the vet. If I don't take him, his symptoms could worsen, making the situation even more challenging.

I secretly prepared an oversized laundry net for him. After catching him in the net, I managed to put him in the carrying bag. As I said, it was quite difficult. I tried to be as quiet and inconspicuous as possible, but he always seemed to sense when I was taking him to the vet. Animals have strong instincts.

The exam results showed that he had a cold. I wondered, "Did he catch it because I removed the electric blanket too soon?" However, it turned out that there was a strong possibility of an airborne infection. An airborne infection? He is an only child and rarely goes outside except to sleep on the balcony. But there are some stray cats and kittens around our house, and they often hang out on the street below our balcony. He frequently watches them from the balcony. Could that be the cause? Then I remembered something: The cat who lives across the street had been loudly complaining for the past few weeks, not wanting to be taken to the vet on a bicycle. He was watching that complaining cat from the balcony with his usual leisurely look on his face.

He probably couldn't have known that a few weeks later he would catch a cold and start complaining as well. But that's exactly what happened. We live across the street from that complaining cat, and the balcony is on the second floor, so it couldn't have been due to airborne infection. Well, that's what I thought. But the vet's answer was "It's quite possible"... Really? Even though they were not close enough? Gee... What a nightmare!

He was given antibiotics, but I still need to administer eye drops to him. It is obvious that I had lost his trust by forcing him to go to the vet, and the eye drops are another blow to his trust in me. He will probably stay away from me for a while. Now, every time I try to apply the eye drops, he runs away, shaking his flabby belly. I truly hope that he will eventually come back to me and relax on my flabby belly like he used to.