Cleo!

Today was my usual Wednesday with our mid week church service this morning. Afterwards we cleared the Vestry in preparation for the painter's arrival tomorrow. I wonder if it has ever been painted before!
Home in time for lunch, and to begin my stressful afternoon.
Today is the day of Cleo's annual vaccination visit to the vet. She used to be fine I would hold her, they would jab her then check her over. Then when she was about 5 our 6, our lovely vet retired due to ill health. The next vet we tried was awful. On our second visit, when I wasn't allowed into the surgery with her I discovered they had wrapped her in a towel and worn heavy duty gauntlets to hold her. She's tiny! She has been terrified at the vet ever since.
We moved immediately, to another practice where every vet we've seen has been lovely and gentle. There is, however, no longer any possibility of my being able to hold her when we are there, without being badly scratched and bitten. She is so frightened.
She has always been timid and unpredictable and her response when frightened is to lash out. I can deal with it on the rare occasions it happens with me, but it has meant that I have to keep her away from the grand children which makes me sad.
Nowadays the only way for her to be treated when at the vet is for her to be sedated first. I hate it. I didn't give her any food this morning (she had some to graze on overnight as usual) then broke the capsule into her afternoon food which is a sachet with gravy. She ate about half which I thought was probably enough. The next thing I knew, she was on top of the kitchen units! I managed to tempt her down a couple of times with Dreamies, and she was already getting wobbly but each time she managed to get away and jump back onto the top of units. Third time lucky, I put the treats on the floor this time, so she had a double jump and I just managed to catch her on her way up again. After a sleepy cuddle, when she purred and licked my hand, I popped her into her basket and took her to the vets.
All went well, she had her jab, with me holding her, and allowed the vet to check her over. She's healthy thank goodness. Back home she shot away again and that is my blip. On top of the spare room wardrobe and not coming down! I've no idea how, when she was so wobbly, shemanaged to jump so high, I guess her fear gave her springs - she's almost 13 years old.
She's forgiven me now and is purring on my knee while sleeping off the medication. Hopefully that's it for another year.