The Worst Reality TV Show Ever

Also known as "My Cat is Quarantined in My Bedroom For The Next 21 Days."

Warning: Long, depressing post ahead, focused on my cats. Skip if you're not an animal person.

A little bit of backstory:

Midnight was adopted in 2009, at the tender age of just-barely-weaned. He came with his practically-twin brother Shadow. They were inseparable. Shadow was the alpha of the pair, the more outgoing and friendly--to the point where he took naps with several neighbors in their homes, came home with other peoples' cat toys, and enticed other cats onto our property for "play dates."

Midnight and Shadow cuddling on a chair. Probably a couple months old at this point. 2009.

Midnight was the shyer cat, and clung to Shadow's shadow. They probably should have had their names switched. At the time, Midnight could take or leave people. He liked people, sure, but the one true love in his life was Shadow. They would curl up together for naps. Whatever lap Shadow went to sit in, Midnight followed him.

MiSha in the window sill, keeping an eye on the construction of the rec room. 2010.

Because they were weaned improperly, they had a habit of doing what a friend and I called "vampiring"--they'd latch onto each other (Midnight to Shadow's chest, Shadow to Midnight's ear) and suckle. They were so inseparable, I started calling them MiSha.

MiSha tussling on my bed after a vampiring session. 2010.

On May 4th 2011, Shadow was hit by a car two blocks from our house.

Midnight and the ever-fascinating dripping sink, the day he was neutered. 2009.

We were afraid Midnight wouldn't survive. He was so dependent on Shadow, we couldn't imagine him without his brother. But transferred his dependency to his human family. He was clingy for months. And he survived.

Midnight stealing a stuffed animal. Shadow, relaxing in his beige box. 2013.

Part of that survival was the adoption of the Bitty Kitties. In September of 2011, I received a call from an aunt, asking if I could foster four kittens whose mother had been hit by a car. Her co-worker had been feeding the mother (a stray), and when she saw the mother had been hit by a car, she went looking for the kittens. None of the cat rescues would take them, since they hadn't been weaned yet. In fact, they were possibly only a week old.

I took them in and gave them around the clock care. Kittens that young can't defecate on their own, and eat every 2 hours. Against all odds (they were horribly sick with conjunctivitis and an upper respiratory infection), all four survived. In the process of socializing them for adoption, they met Midnight. And he fell in love.

Midnight and the clowder (except Panda) on my bed. 2016.

His personality had changed with Shadow's death. He was never a fighter before Shadow died. He's still more of a lover than a fighter, but he seems to think he has to take Shadow's place. He tries to be alpha cat. He's 17 lbs, but our 6 lb lady beats him up regularly. Still, he tries to boss the Bitty Kitties around (none of them let him). He's extremely protective of our home property, chasing off other cats. And he started pissing on things when he didn't get his way.

I admit it--we've spoiled him. He gets what he wants, when he wants it, or he sprays the nearest object. Since Shadow was hit by a car during the night, we try to keep Midnight inside overnight. However, about a year ago he started pissing with more frequency, so we let him go in and out as he pleases.

He was bitten by something recently, and we didn't know about it until the punctures from the teeth abscessed. We took him to the vet yesterday. I'm to hot pack the wound to keep a scab from forming, to flush out the punctures with water to clear out the pus, and to give him antibiotics twice a day.

Then the vet said the kicker. "I know it's not exactly common in our area, but since we don't know what bit him, we have to consider rabies." Quarantine from the other cats for 21 days. No going outside for 21 days. Midnight, who's used to getting his way in all things, must now stay indoors and away from the rest of the clowder. The only viable room to keep him confined to is my bedroom/computer room. So Midnight and I will be spending the next 21 days together, while I watch him for signs of rabies.

Midnight. 2015.

If he has rabies, it's already too late at this point to treat him. The only thing we could do would be to put him down. Rabies is invariably fatal in an unvaccinated animal.

Yes, I said "in an unvaccinated animal." There is a rabies vaccine. It's advised not to do it at the same time as other cat vaccines. Midnight had one shot of Defensor in 2014. Defensor is supposed to be given as one shot, a followup shot a year later, and then your animal is safe for 3 years before needing a booster.

Midnight showing me why there's always a hole in the catnip. 2015.

Somehow the ball was dropped. He got his first shot, but we never received a reminder that he needed a second a year later, and since it's supposed to be done on a different schedule than the other booster shots, it wasn't part of the yearly booster shot update visit. Since we didn't know the vaccine schedule and relied on the veterinarian to remind us, Midnight is unprotected. The only reason I know the name of the vaccine Midnight was given is because I called the vet after the appointment yesterday to ask, so that I could do research.

I can't lay the blame entirely at the vet's door--yes, they didn't remind us about a very important vaccine, but we also didn't ask about it. If Midnight had been a human child, and I'd been his mother/health advocate, you'd best believe I'd have asked about every detail and taken notes. But I too dropped the ball and didn't find out the information I needed to to keep him on track. It's a lesson learned, and one I won't be repeating. From now on, the tablet goes to the vet with me, with a document opened to take notes on everything that's happening.

I'm stressed. Super stressed. Midnight has been a part of my life for seven and a half years. When his brother died, I clung to Midnight as much as he clung to me. I know there's only a very slim chance of rabies, but the fact that we're going through this quarantine makes it worse.

Midnight's box of meds to deal with the bite wound. 2017.

Wish us luck. And if you know Midnight, you might want to stop by during the 21 days to see him, just in case. At least I know his excessive drooling right now is only because a) he has a cold, and b) he always drools when he's happy.

TL;DR: Midnight is quarantined for 21 days because of the possibility of rabies.