Thanks.
Roverian drama-cat.
Came home from work today - no cat to greet me. Usually he's pushing his way out the flat door squeezing himself to cigarette-paper thinness and moving at the speed of "meeeeeeeouw". No cat... Called "Rover...?" Still no cat. Asked Better Half, "What have you done with my cat?" "He's got a sore foot" and he pointed to the sleeping-bag catbed by the radiator. Two ears appeared and a limping cat. Foot examined (to loud hissing - he only does that when it really hurts) and a toe found warm, slightly swollen and the claw raggedly broken just by the quick. As soon as I sit down, he jumps on my lap, makes a great show of keeping his paw well clear of any contact. I wrap him up warm and stay still. Poor mittens. A sliver of ice from the freezer gets balanced on the good side of the sore foot so the cold melt-water can run over the sore toe (he won't tolerate anything touching the toe directly even slightly). Fingering quickcall button for "Vet - emergency". The movement nets me a murderous glance and a three-legged cat jumps off my lap and hides in the sleeping-bed again.
I wander through the flat, planning taxi, what to bring, what to tell the vet and I suddenly notice Rover on the mat in front of the door, asking to go out. "Cats go hide to die" I think, and bannish the thought. "Ok, you can go out in the hallway, but you're *not* going outside like that" Mind lists scary reasons why. I open the door and Rover wanders out. Putting weight on the foot. I follow and he bats at the grass-stalk he left there yesterday. "Hmm...". I slowly move the stalk away and he grabs it with both front paws - feeling better then....
After a good stick-chase up and down the stairs, thundering through the hall after thrown bits of turkey and a good pouchful of catfood I decide that the vet can wait until tomorrow (or Wednesday which is when I'd booked him in earlier for a few minor and decidedly unurgent health-glitches). His paw is still sore, so he is being seen by a vet, but with a bouncy, eating cat I think he can stew until I don't have to pay a fortune for his visit.
Cats...they're worrying enough when they are feeling well, but when they decide to feel poorly they don't half scare you to death.