This morning I had to take Smudge into the local Emergency Vet Hospital.
She had been electrocuted.

She was on my desk this morning trying hard to force me to hurry up with
breakfast and at one point she did a rare rub against the swing arm elbow of
the desk lamp.  The cord is exposed there and she bit into it.  In the past,
I have been able to prevent her from actually biting into it but I was
getting my blood test equipment together to do my morning test.  The first
thing I notice is that she seemed to have attacked the lamp and was trying
to both rake it and pull away from it at the same time.  It took me a second
to realize what must have happened and another second to get into position
to try to get her away from the lamp.  It took a few seconds before she was
free and tore out of the room.

I was left with a few claw cuts from the struggle.  I grabbed a band aid for
my hand and put it on while looking for her.  Peepers helped me find her
quickly as he had this stupid posture looking over at the loveseat.  I
pulled the loveseat forward onto its front legs and forced Smudge out but
she tried to hide under the other desk.  I picked her up, and didn't get the
fight I expected, and put her on the loveseat and petted her briefly to calm
her down.  She did relax a little but she was breathing very much faster and
harder than I can remember ever hearing her breathe before.

I went back into the bedroom, tried the white pages to locate the Emergency
Vet Hospital, gave up and went back out gave her a little more petting to
calm her before picking up the yellow pages that I had really come for and
found that I couldn't find their ad (it was there and in a full page - but I
didn't, couldn't recognize it as I was more than slightly rattled) .  I went
back into the living room and gave her a little more reassurance and picked
up my wallet with my Vets card in it.  I dialed the number although I knew
they were closed but they put the Emergency Vet Hospital phone number on it
in case their regulars need it while the office is closed.  Got the number,
dialed the emergency number and then stupidly asked if I should bring in a
cat that had just been shocked even though I already knew I was going to do
that.  They of course told me to bring her in and gave me the address and
entry location (back of the building - on the street behind the address
actually).

I went out to reassure Smudge a little bit more found she had left the
loveseat.  I checked the balcony and there she was at the end trying to look
small.  I went over petted her a little she started to walk or rather limp
back to the balcony door with me but didn't want to go back in.  That was
good by me.  I got the carrier and myself fully ready to leave the apartment
and went out on the balcony closed the door and went to the end again where
she was now sitting.  I picked her up and realixed just how hurt she must be
as she didn't struggle at all untill she was half in the carrier.  Usually I
end up scratched just picking up that feisty little lady.  She likes petting
and will come for it but she will not be held for anything let alone even
taking her near the carrier.

I went to the street hailed a cab and went over ( I live on a street where a
large percentage of the cab traffic going in or out of the city core travels
on and I learned long ago to not bother calling a cab ).  It was Sunday
morning and 6:45 AM so there was not a heavy flow and it took maybe 2 to 3
minutes to get a cab that was empty.

Smudge got into the vet about 30 to 45 minutes after the shock at 7:00 AM.
She was whisked into the rear while I signed and paid for the visit.

Fortunately she didn't have a pulmonary edema and only some slight burn
marks on each side of her tongue but she had dislocated her left hip.  I've
left her there to have it repaired.  The real problem will be keeping her
shut into the only room in the house that will work as the only room that
has a door that can be shut is the bathroom until the bandages.  She will
undergo surgery this morning and I suppose I will be called tonight or
tomorrow morning to pick her up.

I walked home (about a 40 minute walk) to relieve the stress.  I probably
looked a little strange walking down Yonge Street carrying my big two cat
carrier but I didn't care.

The only thing that may have kept it from being a fatal electrocution or
having serious edema was the fact that the lamp was a 13 watt fluorescent
and the ballast was on the plug so the wire carrying power up to the lamp
would have had a very much lower amperage than might have been if it had
been an incandescent lamp which would carry a full house current on the
wire..

Please remember Smudge in your Purrs or Prayers today.