Vanna's Vacation

No one seems to talk about me much on this blog any more. I don't know why that is but I am going to take things into my own paws and tell you a little about me, and the horrible people who think that they own me. Own me? Ha, we'll see about that!

Here, on the left, you see me, Vanna, in my natural habitat. Ain't I handsome!? Ain't I fierce!? I'm busy keeping an eye on the events in the banana plantation over the fence whilst making sure the mangy soi dogs behave themselves. That's hard work but I also have to watch over and protect my human's house- they are hopless and can't do it for themselves. It's a full-time job. I have to catch mice, rats, lizards and snakes, birds, insects and falling leaves, and I have to growl at the postman. That keeps me busy. But do you think that my humans appreciate the effort?

Nope, they don't. They couldn't care less in fact! So when they decided to jet-off on a holiday they left me behind. That sucks- after all I have done for them!

 Here I am again after being thrown into a cage by one of my mean humans. I am going on a holiday of my own they tell me. OK, I still look handsome but I'm not happy. Would you be?

Shortly after this indignity I was whisked away on a motorcycle. A motorcycle, are my humans mad? Sure, it was exciting for a while but I'm a cat and we aren't made to ride on bikes of any kind. So can you blame me if I yowled and complained and shredded my bag?

And at the end of this rotten ride I found myself at the vet! Nothing good ever happens here. Nothing! But apparently I am staying here for a few weeks. This is my holiday! Some holiday- my humans stink!

I suppose my horrible humans will come back for me but can you blame me for not trusting them after all their lies and deceit? You can be sure that when I do make it home I'll show them who is boss. I'm planning howls to get out at 1 in the morning and again to get in at 3. Then in and out and in again at dawn. I'm planning a few well-timed nips to the ankles and  I am planning a liberal sprinkling of dead insects and rodents throughout the house. And just to be clear I'm going to spread the feathers of any bird I snare all over the floor. My humans hate that. But after all I have been through you wouldn't criticize me for that, would you?

Lots of hisses,

Vanna

Vanna's Vet Vexation

I'm telling you, Vanna packs the same sort of punch as Cybil. He really does!

by Mark Tatulli http://www.gocomics.com/lio/Lio

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!