I’m experiencing PWS — Patches Withdrawal Syndrome — this morning.

 

I can’t wait to have my kitty cat back with me here at home!

 

The good news is that she’s doing far better than I am. As of yesterday, they say she is relaxed, friendly, chatty, and eating like a horse.  I’m only doing the latter!   (OK, I’m friendly, too, but I went for a laugh there!)

 

I want to go get her soooo bad!

 

But she’s a Hazmat Cat right now. It’s illegal to release her until her radioactivity level drops to safe levels, and they say that can take anywhere from five to eight days, given the amount of radioactive iodine she was given.

 

So, I’m waiting… and wishing I was busier with writing work so the wait didn’t seem as long as it does.  When I’m writing, time flies.

 

The Aftercare instructions for Patches say that I can’t be within a foot of her for more than an hour a day for two weeks. After that she can sleep on the bed with me. Until then, she can be in the same room as long as she stays at least a foot away from me 23 hours a day.

 

I have to collect her waste and the litter it’s in for two weeks and save all of it in a covered can. After two weeks, I can date the can and dispose of what’s inside after 80 days have passed. Any sooner would set off the radioactivity sensors in dump trucks and send a team looking for the source of the radiation, and I would be fined BIG TIME for essentially triggering a response for nothing. (They look for illegal weapons assembly criminals when they detect unexpected radiation from domestic sources. Oh! The things you learn when your cat needs radioactive iodine treatment!  I had no idea!)

 

I also have to wash her food and drink bowls and wear gloves when I empty her litter and wash her litter box. It’s okay for the other cats to cohabit with her and eat out of the same dishes and use the same facilities.

 

The only reason I’m under different rules is to limit the amount of lifetime exposure to radiation that I’ll receive, because x-rays are a part of a number of health care procedures (dental and medical).  So, they err on the side of caution when it comes to a pet’s owners. In other words, it isn’t that Patches is going to be glowing in the dark or posing a huge threat to the environment. She will be okay and perfectly safe (no HazMat cat) in all aspects EXCEPT while in close proximity to humans (who live longer and get many different x-rays during our lifetimes).

 

That makes sense, but it also means I can’t pet her more than an hour a day, or sleep with her, or do any of the things I usually do with her.  The good news is she’s a cat. She doesn’t demand more than an hour of my time every day. She likes being near me but isn’t big on being ON or RIGHT NEXT TO me except during sleep. We can mitigate that risk easily enough.

 

So I want her home so we can start the countdown to the date when we can resume normal sleeping arrangemements. She will like that and I will love it.

 

Counting the days…