Have you ever played nursemaid to your pet? Do you have a funny story about trying to administer medicine to an unwilling animal? Share your pet's medical trauma

-- Brad (brad@scriptbrads.tv), April 07, 2001

Answers

Caring for pets....last night, Chuck and I winged a few skeeters and put them in front of the toad who lives under the steps. Incredible to see how quickly a slowmoving reptile can move its tongue.

As for giving pills -- the cream-cheese-on-paws trick works. And I hope never again to administer ringer's solution to an ailing animal.

-- Sally (aiolia@worldnet.att.net), July 04, 2001.

Several years ago, our cat Sam tore the ligament in her right rear knee leaping off a loose log in a woodpile outside out fence. Yup, a blown-out knee just like some 300-pound football player. Nonetheless, the brave thing managed to climb a four-foot wall, jump down onto the slate, hobble down the steps to the patio, come indoors (the door is kept open for her) and make it up one flight of stairs to our bedroom where we were preparing to leave for work. When we saw her limping and in obvious pain, we whisked her to the vet for emergency surgury.

$480 and six weeks later, she was able to get around with only a slight limp. And months after that could run and jump... well, not quite as high as she used to, but still she can jump.

Two years later she blew out the left rear knee. This time it cost $720 but the recouperation time was much quicker.

Now at 11 she still runs, but knows her limitations when it comes to leaping and uses good judgement. Her maximum is the height of her favorite chair, my old leather executive model, useless to me since all the padding is flat and, well, I'm no longer an executive. However, it does make an excellent, if not large and ugly cat bed. I can't bear to get rid of it. Bionic

-- Reginald Squirrel (rsquirrels@prodigy.net), July 05, 2001.

Again it cut me off. BRAD, DO SOMETHING!

It should have read:

"My Bionic kitty need it."

(Now is that so hard?)

-- Reginald Squirrel (rsquirrels@prodigy.net), July 06, 2001.