A Sad Tail

So, as you've read in the earlier posts, our newly installed frost wall was covered with a waterproofing tar. No big deal. The morning following its application, I went outside to fill the window bird feeder and stepped in the still squishy tar as I stepped on top of the frost wall in order to reach the bird feedr. Ick. Dammit. It didn't really stick to my shoe (I don't know why), so no worries. Well, Maxwell, our cat, LOVES to go outside now that he lives in the country, and when he hears the front door opening he shoots to it hoping to get out. No big deal. So on the same morning as my tar encounter, I let him out when I take Mickey to the bus. And I leave him out. Later, I hear him yowling to be let in, so I let him in. I don't notice anything right away, but shortly after I notice he's walking funny. Holy Shoot! He has walked through the danged tar and has come in and walked through his cat box. What a mess! I called the vet and they said to buy a bottle of Goop to clean it off. Well, I have to go to work, so Tom goes to find the Goop. The hardware store does not have Goop, but they do have plain old mineral spirits, which the hardware store lady says will work as it got the tar off her cat. Well, the mineral spirits softened the tar but it didn't get it off. The vet had said not to let him eat the tar, so I covered his feet with Mickey's old socks.



I was beside myself. So, Saturday morning I called the vet again to report my lack of progress and they said to bring him in. I did, and $385 dollars later I was able to bring him home, a little worse for wear, sedated and shaved in the darnedest places.














Poor guy was NOT a happy camper. We had to give him give him antibiotic that didn't make him feel too well. For days he creeped around the house showing no interest in the great outdoors, but now that weeks have passed, the outdoors holds the same level of interest for the little bugger as it did before, but he isn't going out. Not till the work is done outside and it isn't so ding dong cold. And that tar is good and set!