My cat threw up last night — twice. I’m not sure why or how it happened.
I came home, fed the cats and sat on the couch to watch the Angels came. The cats ate, cleaned themselves and chased each other around.
Then, I hear a “hack, hack, hack” sound. I turn around and see Smokey vomiting up a mustard yellow glob of gross-ness. I freeze, unsure of what to do. My mind races as it conjures up images of cleaning products, paper towels and latex gloves. For a few seconds, I’m lost in thought.
“Hack, hack, hack.” The sound brings me back to reality. Smokey is coughing up another mustard-yellow glob of goo. This time, I’m set. I know what to do.
One eye is on the cats. They’re looking at the vomit curiously, circling around it and sniffing it. I’m afraid one of them might take a nibble at it. Another eye is on the kitchen cabinet, where I retrieve a chemical concoction made by Arm & Hammer specifically for pet stains. I also find a fat roll of paper towels.
Gingerly, the vomit is scooped up with two thick sheets of paper towels. The chemical spray is liberally applied to the carpet. I watch and observe. Not enough spray, I think, and more is added, blanketing the beige fabric with more snow white suds.
I never smelled the vomit. The chemicals did their job, masking the unknown odor and bleaching the carpet. Smokey seemed fine for the rest of the night. She didn’t throw up again, and she continued playing with Marshy. At one point, she crawled onto my lap and fell asleep.
I pray this doesn’t happen again, although I know it will. “Cats just throw up sometimes,” my boyfriend (who was not there at the time) tells me. I guess it’s true. Cats do throw up sometimes. I just hope that when this happens again, I’ll be there. I need to spray.
