I have a confession to make that is truly truly the unhealthiest and non-sustainable practice I have right now. Right now, because I’m unemployed, I do not have health insurance. This post isn’t to welcome an influx of criticisms or advice that I’m sure is to follow anyways, but to point out the fact that I am not perfect, and I that I recognize that I still hold onto practices that are unhealthy. Luckily, I am overall healthy and active, so I haven’t had any severe crises that required medical attention. Unfortunately, because the lack of insurance, I don’t push myself as hard as I used to with knee joint movements or high impact exercises in fear of hurting myself beyond muscle soreness.
But I already digress. My point in this post tonight is, even without insurance, I will always ensure that my family receives all the help they will ever need. And two members of my family received their annual check-up. Sullivan and The Kid are our cats. And we definitely look at them as members of the family, not our pets. They provide for me and my husband a lifetime of comfort, joy, laughter, and of course, cuddles. So, our cats, being members of the Beaven household, will never go without the best care and wellness, period. A healthy family is important to our mental and emotional well-being, after all.
To prove how much we love our cats, let me refer our story of Sullivan, the monster. Sullivan is a Russian blue short hair, and he received his name from John Goodman’s character in “Monsters, Inc”. We call him “Monster” quite a lot. Mostly, he’s a food monster, and eating monster. We were actually worried that Sully might have had a worm or something because he ate so much. But the vet didn’t find anything wrong with him. So we just fed him. And fed him. And fed him. For two months we couldn’t pile enough food into his little body, it seemed. Until suddenly, after New Years, he just stopped eating altogether. He got pretty sick, and when we couldn’t get a vet appointment until the following Monday, we decided to take the little Sick Monster to the emergency vet. They suggested x-rays, which was no problem. Unfortunately, the x-rays showed some gas build-up and they couldn’t see if there was blockage in his intestines, so they ordered up an ultrasound. We were worried about our little guy, so didn’t think twice about it. The ultrasound didn’t show a damn thing. Blood work didn’t reveal anything. Stool didn’t show anything. He just wouldn’t eat. 
And then, just as suddenly as he stopped, Sullivan started eating again. My husband and I joke that he was testing us to see how far we were willing to go for him. At least $800, for his last stunt. We’re hoping we don’t have to prove ourselves to him anymore. But, to be honest, we don’t have children, so treating the cats to whatever they need or desire is what we plan on doing. We did it for Winnie before she passed away this past summer. I don’t see it stopping now just because we have a new guy in the household.
I find it ironic that we often won’t think twice about considering a trip to the doctor as something healthy. And most of us don’t think twice about our pets being important components to our mental health and emotional well-being. So why wouldn’t the health and well-being of our furry family be just as important to us? 
Our cats let us know in no uncertain terms that they were not pleased with the level of service they were receiving while getting their check-up. The Kid looked directly into my eyes when the vet took his temperature, as though to say “MOM! Do you know where he stuck that thing?!?” But to tell you the truth, once we all got home, they rested and woke up like nothing had happened to them. Both actually went back into their carriers later on, on their own accord. So keeping my family healthy wasn’t a traumatic experience for any of us.
I will do what I need to do to keep my family happy and healthy. I know I should also take my own advice and do what I need to do to keep myself happy and healthy. One step at a time, I guess…
I love these furry guys, even at 5 in the morning when they wake me up to feed them.