Getting the ball rolling

Over the course of the past ten years we have had four female cats spayed. The operation involves the removal of the uterus as well as the fallopian tubes and ovaries, making it almost as radical as a Wertheim's hysterectomy. All four operations have gone without a hitch.

Over the same period of time we have attempted to have four males of three different species castrated by four different practitioners and each one to varying degrees has been a balls-up.
First up was Homer the dog who was over-anaesthetised and was still incredibly wobbly and disorientated some 24 hours after the event. We are still unsure whether this caused him permanent brain damage.
Next up was Taz the tomcat who needed surgery on his eye at the same time. The vets involved in this particular operation were from a British charity called 'barelyqualifiedyoungladieswhowanttospendallsummerongreekbeachesworkingwithpussycats' or something like that, so it's not really the greatest of surprises to learn that they were so excited about the eye surgery that they totally forgot the other end of the animal and he needed to be returned at a later date to have that little oversight rectified.
Third was Stu the ram, first we waited patiently for his testicles to descend and then other rather more important considerations distracted us and we took our eyes off the ball. By the time we got Kon round with his trusty rubber band stretcher the fruits of his intended labour had grown too large to be dealt with by that method and so over the following months our lovely little lamb began to turn into a dangerous animal.
And now number four, Mo the new pussycat went for his surgery a fortnight ago but complications have meant he required another trip to the vet for his now traditional 'second castration'

And while we were in town I spotted these two characters outside the pharmacy opposite the medical centre. They reminded me for all the world like an old couple, weary but content, waiting patiently for their turn to be seen by an appropriate physician.