Monday, May 29, 2006

My Apologies to PAWS...

Dinner? Gallinou after a foot operation.
(And no, I didn't make fried dog feet!)

... but something happened that will make the animal-rights activists howl. Still thank goodness it occured to reassure me that I'm still very Pinoy.

I was worried. You see, sometime during the months since I moved here, along with the many life changes I had to survive I turned into a thing unheard of in our islands, where urban myth has it that half the time, that's cat meat you're eating in your siopao. Now I imagine the luxury of silk in flea-ridden black fur, hear sweet music in late-night meowings, and find a caress in sharp nails scratching against bare skin.

Biggest proof of my new status as cat lover are the veterinarian's bills. I brought my remaining kitty Dolly not just for spaying and regular vaccination, but also to test for cat AIDS and cat leukemia. Despite that "la rage" no longer exists in France, I opted for the anti-rabies vaccine. Just to be sure. It was robbery at 200-plus euros, but I didn't care. Anything for my baby. I actually came back for more. We rushed one day to Doctor Neiman, who smiled when she saw me, remembering the hypernervous Asian who on her last visit asked, "Do you think my cat is suffering from depression?"

I was much more dramatic this time. "Madame, help me," I cried. "Dolly has been coughing like she's choking on something. I'm afraid she's going to die." Doctor Neiman's diagnosis: not death, just hairballs stuck in the digestive system. For that, and a yummy paste to help ease our troubles, she charged 57 euros.

Dolly has a clean bill of health, so in the afternoons her friend can come to play. Gallinou, my mother-in-law's puppy, is a very frisky six-month-old. He bites Dolly's tail, eats the food in her bowl, licks to leave slobber all over her face. The cat generally takes it well, only sometimes protesting with a little meow.

I turned out to be more volatile. One day when I had just replanted my chrysanthemums, I found Dolly lying on the grass, Gallinou beside her, loaded with guilt along with the leaves and stems stuffed in his mouth. When I checked, I found that he had uprooted half of my plants. No mild meowing then. "Putangina naman, Gallinou e! Halika nga dito." I roared, "Lulutuin kita!!!"

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

hahaha sooo funny. i could relate here, nung bago pa lang cat namin,we spent a fortune on vet's fees(aray!).i cried everytime we bring cat to the vet,ang mahal!!!
but we love him like our own child,we have a daughter tho(real one).

Anonymous said...

57 euros for hairball diagnosis?your vet is worse than my gynecologist. In the picture Gallinou looks like he's thinking "please po, wag nyo akong i-barbeque..." hahah

Kala

decorator said...

bwahahahahhahahah!!! maldita ka!

Unknown said...

Poor plants! At least that's all you did to the dog.

kukote said...

so what happened then? naging azucena ba si Gallinou? hehehe.

haze said...

Can you please explain why dogs have this plastic round thing on their head? I can't see the purpose of it :-( Only in Europe ko lang ksi nakita sa Pinas wala ata nito eh....he he he

Apol said...

ANONYMOUS, I bet you also spend a small fortune on the cat food that promises urine dilution, tartar control, hairball regulation, and body fat control! Tama ka, KALA, Gallinou does seem petrified. Hi, GWYN and KAY! KUKOTE, pinatawad ko na lang siya. HAZE, it's to stop them from biting and licking where they've been operated on, otherwise the wound might reopen or get infected. My poor cat Dolly had one on for 12 days after she got spayed.

mcsister said...

hahahahhahahaha! Hilarious ka talaga.

Sana you can embellish that plastic cover with fur or sequins – wala lang. Para the pets look more festive while recuperating.

Anonymous said...

hi there! I am anabelle co from the philippines... read your article (on one of the philippine magazines and took special interest!) my fiance is french and have been going on trips to france since 2004. been learning french at alliance, too. Will be going to France again this August! Maybe you need something from the Phil we can meet up! Jerome is from South of France. We are getting married on OCT 2006, at Singapore. where can i email you? i am working for Nokia Philippines now.. you can send me email at anabelle.co@nokia.com

Apol said...

MAYS, I saw this show on TV where some girl was getting a manicure with her dog. I thought, hey, I could do that! If Dolly will keep still. Red claws and black fur. Punk! Hello, ANABELLE. Will e-mail you.

Unknown said...

hey there! didn't hear from you yet =( anyway .. how do you link up people? havent really figured out this BLOGGING thing yet ...

Will be in France this August to September.