Saturday, April 7, 2007

weird and wonderful and everything else

Public holidays and Easter stuff. I was about to leave the house to go fetch a snake who has had to have part of his tail amputated from one of our 'rehab-friendly' vets, when I got a 'desperate' call from ex-neighbour who runs a charity for burn victims. She'd just had a couple from the squatter camp where she does a lot of work, contact her, asking if she could lend them some cash so that the local vet would look at their injured cat. She said no ways, we'd sort something out instead. So I took cat and owners with me to the other vet, will twist his arm into a bit of a discount, but am likely to end up paying for it myself. These people, living in a tin shack with no water or electricity, cared enough for their cat to walk 3 or 4 kms carrying him in a pillowcase, only to have the so-called vet refuse to even see him without payment in advance. It's a public holiday, and a long weekend. "Andy" is a very healthy, happy looking male of almost a year. It looks as if he caught his leg in a snare, so apart from a raw, open wound which is showing signs of infection, there is almost definitely a break as well. It needs major treatment, which could have waited until he could be taken to the SPCA tomorrow. What couldn't have waited was pain-relief, and getting him started on anti-biotics. The vet is a private practice, so I wouldn't expect them to donate x-rays and ops etc. It would have taken them 5 minutes to look at Andy, explain to his owners about restraining him till he could be taken to the SPCA tomorrow, and to give him about R20 (retail, cost price about R5) worth of immediate meds. Owners had brought R50 with them - all they had, but they were willing to spend it on the cat. Instead of on food for themselves for the next few days.

Melville Animal Clinic (Melville Vet, Melville vet hospital, Melville Animal hospital)....yes guys, I want this to show up on every site that you do..., JHB, South Africa. You SUCK. BIG-TIME. Yes, you are a business, but there are times when a small financial loss for people who are in business PRIMARILY to care and love for animals would be worth it. As it is....my burn-victims charity friend will be publishing your lack of care in her newsletter. She is a loud-mouthed activist. That's probably going to be the most expensive R20 you ever threw away...

That was my effort and energy for the day. P-doc is not too happy about it, but at the moment I'm taking 4mg benzos, 15mg others and a large shot of vodka to make me sleep. Even after that, I wake up 5 or 6 times a night. The cats claw me awake for breakfast, I feed the birds, and then sleep for another 2 or 3 hours in the bath. Feed birds, and fight off another nap - today I lost the fight. Doesn't matter whether I do or not, sleep at night is forced and feeble, but can sleep the whole day without even trying. Maybe I'm being an atypical idiot again, and can get written up as the first person who gets flattened by Nardil. Really don't need that.

On the lighter side, I am getting all keen on what and why people end up visiting here. My best so far? 'Daniel Radcliffe Equus pictures'. Yo...well I don't have any, but if someone wants to send a few I'll publish them under a title of 'dirty old women....' or somesuch!

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