Cats, hysterics, and dog bites

Well, yesterday started out normal and turned into quite an eventful day. First of all, Steven was on day two of moving out. He came over to get some clothes and a few other things, like a cat. I mentioned before that he was going to take Booty-Boy (aka Spaz) to live with him. Well, that didn't quite work out because we couldn't get Booty into the cat carrier. Not even with a catnip bribe. So, we tried a box, but that didn't work out, either. There were four of us and we could not get this cat anywhere near the box or carrier. It was actually quite funny and CUP, Luke, Steven and I were having a good laugh, much to Shauna's dismay! While we were trying to stuff 20 pounds of furious orange and white fluff into a container, Shauna was in the room sobbing and screaming because Steven was taking Booty. She was really hysterical, so I was trying to calm her down at the same time as we were trying to wrestle the cat. Hannah and Alex were already in bed and had no idea anything was even going on, although, how they slept through all that noise is beyond me.

Since Shauna was so upset and we couldn't get Booty in the box, anyway, Steven asked Shauna if she would be happier if he took Sassy (aka Fridge Cat, Kitchen Cat or Cabinet Cat) (No, none of our cats have one name, like normal people's cats!), instead. Shauna said she would still miss Sassy, but she would be a little better with Sassy going instead of Booty. So now she was still sobbing, but the screaming stopped. First they put Sassy into the box, but then as they were taping it shut, she crawled out. So, they put the carrier out and Sassy, being the most laid back cat on the planet, just walked right into it. She had to be pushed a little to go all the way in, but it went really smoothly. So, Steven left with his clothes and his cat. It took me a while to calm Shauna down, but she had taken her melatonin and was getting tired, so that helped. Steven had told her that she could come visit Sassy anytime, so she was already making plans to go every day to see the cat!

After I got Shauna into bed, I decided to watch some television and crochet for a little while. CUP had taken Steven to his new "crib" and was going to help get the cat settled and check out the new house. About an hour or so later, CUP came home and told me that Steven's new house is very nice and the people who live there are very nice and that Steven had gotten bitten by one of the dogs. These dogs seem to be really nice dogs, but one of them was eating a cigarette butt and Steven didn't want him to get sick or choke on it. He put his hand out and said, "drop it" and the dog bit him. He is used to our dog and we trained him from a puppy to let people touch him and his food, so he doesn't bite, even when the kids pry his mouth open to get things out (which happens more often than you would think!). This dog got upset and sunk his teeth into Steven's middle finger. He has one pretty serious cut and several other puncture wounds. One of his housemates had a first aid kit, so he cleaned the cut very well and while I knew Steven would have to at least go to the doctor since it was a dog bite, I thought it could wait until today.

When I got to Steven's house today, it had begun to swell, but didn't look infected at all, which was great. Steven called the doctor's office said they couldn't handle a dog bite and we needed to go to the ER. By the time we waited and waited and waited and finally got it to see the doctor, it had swollen up quite a bit more. The doctor said that had he come in last night, he would have gotten stitches, but it was too swollen at this point. He took an x-ray, which I'm assuming was negative because he didn't tell us anything more about it. He put Steven on two antibiotics, gave him instructions about cleaning it and keeping it very dry and told him he has to go to a hand specialist right away on Monday to have it checked further. He also told us what the danger signs are if it starts getting infected, which he said may still occur, even though it has been well-cleaned. Animal Control will also have to be notified, as mandated by law. I just hope that the dog is truly current on his shots (as the owner's say he is) because if he isn't, they will quarantine the dog for 10 days. Probably not the best way to start a relationship with new housemates! The doctor also said that Steven can't work for at least a week, so I'm not sure how he is going to be able to pay his rent. Steven's boss is really mad because Valentine's Day is one of their busiest days and they were counting on everyone working that weekend.

So now Steven is back at his place and I am home, completely exhausted and fighting a headache. I took ibuprofen a few hours ago and it is still hurting. I don't get headaches very often, so this is a little weird for me. I think I just need a really good night's sleep.