It's a Vet's Life: Read Online Free PDF Page A

in.’ Clive chuckles. ‘The last one came in a couple of days ago. That’s why I’m here. Edie’s worried about Cassie’s eye. There was a bit of a fight, and we thought she might have scratched it.’ Clive thrusts the cat in front of my face. ‘Can you see it?’
    I can see a pair of big orange eyes, one of them looking a little teary.
    ‘The left one,’ I say.
    ‘Edie thought the right.’
    ‘It looks like the left to me. Let’s have her down on the table.’
    Clive lowers her.
    ‘Stay,’ he says. Unfortunately, Clive doesn’t understand ‘cat’, and the cat doesn’t understand ‘dog’. He lets go and Cassie flies off, landing with a soft thud on the worktop and padding across the keyboard, sending the waiting list on the monitor into oblivion.
    ‘Sorry about that.’ Clive lifts her back onto the table.
    ‘It’s all right. I can get it back.’ I move over and click the mouse to call up Cassie’s records. ‘Hang on this time, Clive.’ Briefly, I wonder about calling one of the nurses in to help, but they’re busy in Kennels, caring for the inpatients, and Cassie isn’t a ‘care’ cat, as in one to watch out for. I think Clive can manage her – if only he stops treating her like a small dog.
    I examine both of Cassie’s eyes, and add a drop of orange dye into each one to check for scratches.
    ‘She’s fine,’ I pronounce as we stand in the dark, in the glow of the UV lamp. ‘There’s no sign of a scratch.’ I switch the light back on. ‘Is there anything else?’
    ‘Edie wanted her checked over,’ Clive says. ‘She’s put on a bit of weight.’
    ‘You know, you really should have her spayed if you’re not intending to breed from her. If you leave it to chance, you’ll end up with hundreds of kittens, and there are more than enough needing homes without adding to the feline population.’ I think back to Gloria Brambles and the Sanctuary the first year I was here, how she collected all the waifs and strays, including my cat. I acquired Ginge after the fire in which Gloria succumbed and Alex almost lost his life, going in after me as I tried – and failed – to save her.
    ‘I don’t know how many times I’ve told Edie that, but will she take any notice?’
    I pick up my stethoscope – actually, it’s Emma’s, but I’ve mislaid mine again – and have a listen to Cassie’s chest before I feel along her belly with my fingertips, checking for any abnormalities. There are some: three marble-sized objects floating about inside her.
    ‘Is there a problem?’ Clive asks, reading my expression.
    ‘She isn’t putting on weight.’ I kiss Cassie on the top of her head and a few loose strands of fluff tickle at my nose. ‘She’s pregnant.’
    ‘I told Edie that’s what it was. She’ll be over the moon. She’s always worrying about the cat.’ Clive utters a self-mocking sigh. ‘I wish she’d worry about me.’
    He doesn’t mean it, I think. He and Edie always seem so close, and I wonder if Alex and I will be the same after however many years of marriage. I’d like to think so.
    ‘How pregnant is she? I mean, how many are there? How long until she pops them out, and what should we look for when she’s ready?’
    ‘One at a time, Clive,’ I say, amused. I can tell he’s looking forward to the arrival of Cassie’s kittens at least as much as he claims Edie to be. It’s quite touching. They haven’t got any children. Clive confided once that it wasn’t because they didn’t want any. It never happened, something he regrets deeply.
    I didn’t understand before, but now I’ve got George … well, he’s taught me a lot, about happiness and what life’s really about.
    ‘I can’t tell you exactly how many kittens there are. I can feel three, but there may be more. I reckon she’s about three to four weeks gone, so she’ll give birth in five to six weeks’ time.’
    ‘Not long to prepare the nursery then,’ Clive remarks drily. ‘If anything goes wrong,