Citizen Wausau

The black cloud lingers.

by Billie on November 10th, 2008

Election night was a wonderful one, for several reasons. I welcomed the news that Obama became our President Elect, while also welcoming into the world two lovely kittens.

The kittens came as something of a surprise since Ruby is not allowed outdoors and did not show her pregnancy. I had taken in over a dozen cats to be spayed and neutered, Ruby was the last intact cat at our place, scheduled for spaying in less than two weeks…

We tucked mommy and babies into their box in a quiet corner of the downstairs bathroom, kept the doors closed, and prepared for the fun of watching them grow up, then sending them off to friends that had already lined up to take them once they were weaned.

On Wednesday I woke before the dawn. My bedside clock read 3:17 am. From a distance I heard the clicking sound of toenails on lineoleum… the fog in my mind quickly cleared as I leapt into the bathroom. One of the doors must not have been closed completely, and my jack russell terrier was in the bathroom, with the little female kitten lying in a heap at his feet, the other in the box with its mother, also deceased. Ruby was completely oblivious to the situation as she lay curled around the little male, purring contentedly.

Kevin put Ruby and her kittens upstairs to give her time to understand what had happened. By 6:00 she was crying piteously, at which point Kevin performed a somber burial.

On Friday, I was laid off.

This morning, I went out to feed the horses only to find that pony Hyacinth had escaped her pasture.

I fed her pasturemates while Hyacinth abled over to me, waiting for me to put her back in her turnout. She drank a little water, and breakfasted with her friends.

When I went to Duncan and Lerus’s pasture, I was greeted with Duncan standing at the gait waiting impatiently for his grain. Lerus was lying down – a red flag. This horse is not one that spends much time lying down, and as soon as she sees a person she typically rises quickly. I saw that part of the fence was lying on the ground, then saw the blood on Lerus’s right hind leg. Without even finishing the morning feeding, I sprinted into the house to call the veterinarian.

The news was the worst it could be. Lerus seems to have tried to kick at Hyacinth through the fence, which wrapped around her leg, severing her extensor tendon and damaging the joint capsule of her hock. At best we could take her to the University hospital in Madison and hope that she would beat the 20% odds of survivial. Dr. Margaret, being a fellow horseperson, advised that we euthanize her, to spare her any further suffering. She lay down and quietly went to sleep.

I have escaped into the house for now, Kevin is fixing the pasture fence while Duncan nuzzles his friend trying to wake her. A man is coming shortly to remove her body as our backhoe is out of commission.

This afternoon I will make a trip to the home of one of my clients to pick up her young gelding to act as a new companion to Duncan.

It has been a really rough week.