Vanna to the Vet

Our daft but beloved cat Vanna is coming with us to Cambodia. Getting him there however, is no easy process as frequent visits to the vet are required to ensure that he gains the approval needed from the government's airport vet so that he can fly.

Today’s visit saw Vanna getting his Leukaemia shot. No doubt similar to getting a small child ready for an outing, Vanna requires a blanket in his carry case-for familiarity, his brush- for calming him down, a ball- for distraction, tiger balm- because he loves the smell, and a very long lead in case he tries to escape. That's the easy part.

Then I have to find a taxi driver who will agree to transport a cat in his taxi. This is more trying than you may think, as taxi drivers are very particular about maintaining the state of their back seats; something I unfortunately discovered when transporting Vanna from our old house to the new one in Bangkok was, don’t let the cat out of the bag! However while I was searching for a taxi, Vanna was at home getting more stressed as he scrutinised his carry case knowing full well ‘a trip’ was about to be undertaken.

Although only a short taxi ride Vanna displayed his full vocal repertoire whilst simultaneously destroying his carry case. The five-minute ride seemed like 50.

Our arrival turned heads of the other waiting clients. It appeared that everything I said to Vanna was regarded with intrigue, including how I touched him. Stroking him to quieten him down seemed to be of great interest as no one else was touching their caged pets. I had already taken Vanna out of his bag and was jigging him in my lap- mainly to shut him up!

This fascination extended to my entrance into the Veterinarian’s clinic. She asked with wide eyes why was I taking him to Cambodia with me. Her five assistants gathered round to intently watch how I handled Vanna. Stroking him under the chin caused the biggest stir. It was as if they had never fondled a cat like that before. In turn they all proceeded to give it a try producing huge smiles all around. Actually the lack of attention that the Thai give to their pets is something I have really noticed here although that appears to be changing as 'trophy dogs' become more popular in Thailand.

Vanna of course wasn't much fond of his mandatory blood test or leukaemia shot and despite the help of all the staff still managed an attempt at nipping my hand as the needles made their way in. Can't say I blamed him. While I waited for the blood test results most of the staff and all the other pet-owners watched with fasination as I tried to settle an unhappy Vanna down. Lovely really!