You may recall from my last post that I was wondering what “chest x-rays” are, and whether they’re like treats. It is with utmost indignation I must inform you that chest x-rays are not the least bit like treats! It turns out that chest x-rays involve getting up very early, getting shoved into a pillow case, getting dropped into the carrier, taken to (gasp!) the vet, and then (gasp gasp) being left there all alone! I thought for sure Cat-Daddy had forgotten all about me in the shiny-scary room. There was nothing left for me to do but pace the inside of my cat carrier, singing the song of my people.

The vet spoke to me very gently but then touched me with two pointy-stickies. Ouch! Then I found out about chest x-rays. What happens is you get taken out of your carrier and put on a cold table with a strange light overhead. They hold you down on a funny plate for a few seconds and then admonish you not to move. Clearly these people don’t know who they’re dealing with. I cleverly escaped the table three times and almost escaped the room altogether! Then you get tired and lie still for a second, and the vet becomes very happy and cheerful. Just as you get comfortable you’re whisked off the table and back into the carrier. A picture of the x-ray table is shown below.

I never figured out which part of all this was the chest x-ray, but apparently I’m very good at them. They petted me and fed me and told me how good I was, and how good my chest x-rays were, and that there’s no sign of my cancer, and how I won’t need any more chemotherapy, and that I won’t need to come back to the vet for a long time. Now THIS I understood! It’s a good thing I’m so talented at chest x-rays. I think the key was my ability to escape the table so many times.

After a while Cat-Daddy came to pick me up, and was I ever glad to see him! The nurse told him all about my stellar performance at chest x-rays and how I don’t need any more chemotherapy and that I don’t need to see the vet again for a long time. He was so proud of me! He talked to me the whole way home and somehow Cat-Mommy talked to me too, even though she wasn’t in the car. Daddy used a thing called “bluetooth” for that. His teeth look pretty white to me but I was very tired so I let the subject drop. Invisible Cat-Mommy told me how good I was too and how happy she was about my chest x-rays.

Then we got home and I had soft, soft food with Pounce de Leon. Cat-Daddy was so happy that we had soft, soft food three times in one day! Here’s a picture of us eating and not fighting on the bench.

Well I’m exhausted and Cat-Daddy is getting in bed, so I think I’ll go sleep in the cat-pile now. What a wonderful, terrible, exciting day!