- I noticed her lips were blue. She was lying on her side on
the kitchen floor, away from traffic. I knew she was dying.
-
- I had taken her to the emergency night vet two nights before.
She was going into heart failure and was cyanotic. She had had
a mastectomy ten weeks previously and was now riddled with more
tumors. They put her into an oxygen box and she perked up. In
fact, when the vet took her out, she hopped right back in. Smart
pussy cat, my Binky!
-
- I made her as comfortable as possible on a towel near me
in my bedroom. She never took her eyes from mine as I kept a
vigil over her. When she finally took her last breath, I cried
and called my son to let him know we had lost our dear pet.
-
- Now the more practical side of me took over. What does one
do with a dead cat at 10PM? I live in the friendly village of
Mamaroneck, where we usually call on the police for emergency
situations, so that's what I did. The officer in charge could
not give me a clue as to what to do. I then called the Humane
Society and heard a recording.
-
- I called my neighbor Jean, also a cat lover, who had four
cats with a total of fifteen legs. She threw on her clothes and
came over. We wrapped Binky in a towel and set off in my car
to the Humane Society, thinking someone would be on duty and
that we could
- leave her there. Alas, the building was pitch dark, with
not a soul in sight. I could not bear to leave Binky on the porch
for fear the raccoons would eat her. We drove around aimlessly
for a while, trying to think.
-
- It then occurred to me - here we were - two crazed ladies,
riding around the quiet streets of Harrison and Mamaroneck with
a dead cat in the back seat. We had left home without purses,
wallets, I.D.'s and driving licenses! What if we had been stopped?
We would have been taken in for observation!
-
- Finally, I thought of taking her to the emergency night vet's
across the county in Greenburgh. So, off we went, being very
careful to observe the speed limit and keeping an eye out for
police cars. When we arrived, I presented poor Binky to the attendant
and told him my problem.
- "Of course, we'll take her," he said. "That's
part of our service. That will be ten dollars, please."
- "But I left my purse home. I have no money," I
wailed.
- "You can't make me drive her all the way back to Mamaroneck
and then back here again." By this time, I was slightly
hysterical.
-
- The vet was consulted and it was agreed that I could leave
Binky to her rest and send them a check the next day. We left
quickly before they could change their minds. We headed home,
much relieved and feeling a little giddy. I said "Jean,
I am not a drinking person, but this night calls for a stiff
one." So, crying and laughing at our adventure, we had a
few drinks. Some ladies' night on the town!
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