CLOSE CALLS

Whenever you’re dealing with animals (or humans, or mechanical devices and conveyances) there’s the potential for calamitous injury. Fortunately, the risk rarely keeps us from “boldly going”—including, at times, to places where even Starship Enterprise crew members, left defenseless and to their own devices, would hesitate--at least temporarily!

The next series of blog posts will recall the times when I probably didn’t deserve to escape grave injury but, by great good fortune, I did.

Cougar by the Tail

(Excerpt from Let No Day Dawn that the Animals Cannot Share)

I know you want to hear at least one “close call” story (I have a handful of them), because there’s a little of that in all of us (adventure-seeking savages that we are)—as long as the story has a happy ending, right? These ones do, so just relax and enjoy them.

I was helping a veterinarian suture the tail of a cougar. The cougar was abundantly anesthetized for the procedure, so there was no real danger—or so we thought!

The doctor got about an inch or so from the end of his stitching job—I was holding the cougar’s tail tightly with both hands, to keep it still and in the proper position for the work to be done—and without warning, the pretty kitty sat up! The vet had never seen anything like it. The cat hadn’t just drowsily lifted his head—HE SAT UP!

Well! The vet stepped back, of course, and then told me, “Don’t let go of his tail” as he grabbed a stand-by syringe filled with sleepy juice. I follow directions—no matter HOW bizarre they are, thank God—and I said, “Okay!”

You know the term, “tiger by the tail”? I was THERE! The cougar did NOT like me at that moment, and he turned around to bite me (“Let go my aching tail, will ya?!”) but I had him in a really fortunate way, because he couldn’t get all the way around—so instead of biting me, he changed tactics: he recoiled his rear legs and bunny-kicked me right in the chest no fewer than three times. BOOM BOOM BOOM! You know the term, “seeing stars”? It’s accurate! I saw stars—I even experienced momentary blackness— but that veterinarian’s directive held sway and I continued to hold onto the cat’s tail!

By that time the veterinarian had administered the tranquilizing agent, and the cougar peacefully settled back down onto the den box and cooperated for the rest of the procedure, for which I was unspeakably grateful!