I'm Back!

Man, I don't even know why I left. It's been one hell of a crazy year and a half! I left my post as Foster Coordinator at CAT, not because a kitten robbed me and ate my fish, but because I had an opportunity to join one of the best animal ERs in the country and I took it. I still foster and am a mentor, so kittens are definitely still in my life. It's just a little more medical now.

Although that robbing thing did happen. No one will convict a kitten.

First of all, I want to thank Cat Adoption Team for helping me to start learning all the skills I have today. I went into my new job with a great background of knowledge and I consider myself lucky for that. Now that I'm in the ER, though, I've learned that this is what I'd like to dedicate my life to.

Plus you get to wear these awesome outfits that aren't stuffy at all.

Let me tell you a story: when I was young, I wanted to be a veterinarian. I could pronounce the word when I was five and spell it by the time I was seven. Throughout my years in school I came to realize math is not my best subject, and resigned myself to not be a vet, seeing as I only passed Algebra by cheating (cheating is wrong- don't cheat kids). Instead I went into writing, as I was moderately good at that and it required no math skills at all, unless I was writing about math, which I was not. That's crazy.

I also thought I could be a unicorn, but that is neither here nor there.  

So I plodded through college and got my English degree, hoping to maybe be a writer or, even worse, screenwriter. As soon as I realized it's really hard to make money that way (I like money), I decided to volunteer at non-profits in hopes of returning to my roots there. I started at cable access as a director and I never, ever fit in at any for-profit retail job I've ever had. I know right now you are laughing at me for realizing writing is hard and going into non-profit to make money, but if I'm not doing what I love there's no point in me doing it at all.

Once I got into the medical side of the shelter, a still newfangled thing called "shelter medicine," I figured out I enjoyed it and was actually quite good at it. I learned to give shots, recognize illness and find the right course of action to treat it. I'm pretty proficient at taking care of kittens as well. Now I'm learning to take care of other things, like these big furry animals called "dogs."

Terrifying.

So follow me on this scary journey into vet school and beyond. I promise I'll try to convey the hilarity as well as the hardships. And hey, you have questions? Let me know. Obvs I can't give medical advice online (nor would I), but behavior questions I am all over.

Questions like "What's wrong with my cat? He's not hanging upside down like normal." will be ignored.