Mario, the most handsomest man

In post-honeymoon news, we also have had a health issue with Mario. I've found this intriguing because I never would have imagined how things would unfold.

Right before the wedding, Tim noticed a raw, hairless patch on Mario's front left paw. I didn't know how serious it was, but I knew we weren't really going to have time to address it before we left for the honeymoon, and Mario seemed to feel fine otherwise, so we decided to wait and see how he was when we got back. The patch didn't bother him, and I hoped it was just a reaction to the stress of moving and us being gone a lot.

When we got back from the honeymoon, I made an appointment with the vet. He was NOT happy to make the drive to St. Pete. When we got there, though, he was in HEAVEN. The vet tech LOVES him. She says he's her favorite kitty, marvels at his affectionate nature and demands head butts from him. She calls him "her most handsomest man." He melts with the attention he gets there. We've been seeing a new vet there, too, and she equally adores him. Basically, this is the best place Mario has ever been.

The vet noticed an infection in his right ear. He's always had sensitive skin issues, but she saw no explanation for his paw's raw patch. Thheeeennn, she explained that he might be obsessively licking the paw because he can't reach the real source of his discomfort - the ear. She said sometimes animals transpose their ailments or refocus them, and although it might *not* be the reason, she wanted to see how the paw was after we treated the ear infection. If it wasn't improved, we might have to place Mario in an e-collar (basically, a cone over his head to prevent him from licking at the paw). Anyone who knows Mario knows that would NOT go well. They gave his ear a thorough bath and gave me medicine to squirt in his ears twice a day. (He does not love that, either.)

Tim's been helping with the medication - he sits in the "Medicine Chair" (the living room recliner) and holds Mario while I squirt the medicine in the ear. It's quite a production. At first Mario thought it was great to get so much personal attention from Mom and Dad. He caught on quickly, though. Tomorrow he goes back to see if the infection cleared up.

Side note: The vet said we caught the infection early and that was good. She said if the yeast in Mario's ear had budded, we could have been dealing with an abscess behind Mario's ear - I guess cats shake their heads so violently to try to relieve the intense itching that they rupture blood vessels and end up with serious clots. I'm glad we caught it! And I hope after tomorrow, the most handsomest man doesn't have to go back to the vet for quite some time.