Hep Me!! I've Been Shot!!

Hi, I'm G.T. That's short for Growltiger from T.S. Eliot's 'Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats' and the musical 'CATS', of course.

Mine is another long story, but whose isn't in the house of Forty Paws? My brudders and sidders and I came from Kaufman County. We were born to a farm cat, but our Mom became a sail kitty on the FM road. (FM means Farm to Market for those of you not from Texas.) So, the farmer and his wife wanted us all to find really good homes so we wouldn't become sail kitties so they found a rescue person who then contacted our Maw to foster us.

First thing Maw and Paw duz to us when we get here is give us each 2 baths!!! We were kinda covered in red dirt and fleas. 2 baths!!! And they said we smelled. All 8 of us were grey tabbies except for one all black sister. It was very hard to tell us apart, except for me because I growled all the time. Hence, my name. And we had to get Albon for a very long time because we all had coccidia, and everybody loved it except me. I've always been rather offended by medications.

So, we all got fixed, although I didn't know we were broken, and we were taken every weekend to the big box retail pet store and put in a big cage with these goofy bows on us to tell us apart. Well, everyone was adopted eventually except my brother Dorf and me. And since we were becoming lap kitties, and Bow, Jenny, Annie and Gatsbi weren't lap kitties, Maw and Paw just decided, "Aw, what's 2 more?" So we got our furever home.

Well, over time, I started itching. A lot. So Maw takes me to the V-E-T. She says I probably have allergies. Since I DON'T take pills, Maw had the human pharmacist make up liquid prednisolone mixed up with Triple Fish flavoring. Ummmmmmmm. That's the bestest ever stinky goodness. I would beg and stand up against the big white cold box to get my Triple Fish every day. Ummmmmmmm. Very good stuff.

Well, I was still itchy, and sometimes it would get so bad that my liddle cheeks would become ulcerated and ooze because I scratched them so much. Then I would have to go to the V-E-T and get those prednisolone shots. WOW! Did I feel great after that!!! For about a month.

Well, Maw and Paw got tired of me scratching all the time (AND HOW DO THEY THINK I FELT?), and it was VERY expensive to get my Triple Fish formulation every month, so I went to a V-E-T allergist. I went to sleep, and look what happened!!!!!

Not only did I wake up shaved, but they made me polky-dotted!!!! Ack!!! But the V-E-T allergist was very impressed with my test. He said out of 34 possible allergies, I had 27!!! About the only thing I'm not allergic to is cats. Good thing, huh?

So, Maw started shooting me every 2 weeks!!! Can you believe that? Then, after a year, she shoots me on the 20th of every month. Can you believe that? My own Maw shooting me every single month.

But let me tell you, I don't get the itchys no more, no how. I is one itch-free poodie. So, today I got shot. Again.

Stay tuned tomorrow, same station, about the same time, and I'll tell you the story behind this wonderful picture of me.

Luf, G.T.