Children of mine

I've often said that Dios sabe lo que hace in the fact that I don't have children. While I don't agree with my mami and sister, who have suggested that I wouldn't have the patience to deal with a child (well, definitely not with a spoiled one!), I do realize that it's totally best -- for many reasons -- that I have no biological child.

For one, there would be many a school teacher who would dread my entrance into their building. Like my mami before me, I'm a lioness when it comes to protecting and caring for the people I love, most especially those who are weaker or younger or smaller than the rest of us. I would take no prisoners if a child of mine was in any way bothered or hurt by anyone.

But while I have no sangre de mi sangre to worry about, I do have two cats and two dogs and I do plenty of anxiety-pill-level worrying for them.

This week, Magellan is going to have to spend a few days at the vet. I know she's going to be unhappy in a cage (although at the vet they call it a cat condo) but we're going away for a few days and we can't ask our cat sitter to chase her around the house to try to give her the medication she requires. The cat sitter will have plenty of work with Darwin, as it is.

For one, because she is the Devil's Cat, Magellan would likely allow the cat sitter to give her the medication ONCE. But that would be it. The cat sitter would never see Magellan again in the flesh, only her shadow as the evil cat rushed to hide. And Magellan is pretty good at hiding. Many a time she's set my husband and me on searching parties throughout the house to locate her most recent hiding spot.

Because the dogs, especially Rusty, who failed doggie day care, cannot be boarded or cared for by the sitter, they're off to my in-laws' and that brings its own set of anxieties. Each dog takes a whopping amount of medication and is on a restricted diet. You almost need a degree in veterinary medicine to figure out which one needs what. I bet I'd pass the veterinary boards, if I tried, given all the trips to the vet over the past few years.

In any event, while I'll likely enjoy the brief change of scenery (although I hate traveling) and seeing my family, I'll be anxious about the furry children of mine. Thus, I know that, as usual, the best part of being away will be the coming back.