It’s been one of those weeks. On Wednesday, Annie and Duke took a ride out to the Hawaii Kai Veterinary Clinic to see Dr. Sakamoto. It was just a regular checkup for both of them. No new problems were found, and in fact Annie’s existing heart murmur was harder to detect and moved a step down the scale of seriousness.

When we got back to the house, Romeo wasn’t around. A little unusual, but nothing to worry about. But when dinner time rolled around and it was time to fill their food dishes, still no Romeo. I didn’t spot him on my first pass through the house, checking his usual spots under or behind chairs, in our closet, etc. A second pass, a while later, and I located him way in the back corner of our closet. You couldn’t see him without moving some clothes out of the way. Not good.

I pulled him out, but he wanted to get back in there. Really not good.

I waited a bit, then offered him a few bits of chicken leftover from our dinner the night before. He liked that. Appetite is a good sign. But he retreated into the closet again. I waited a bit more, then returned with a spoonful of the chicken soup I had simmering in a pot on the stove. He wasn’t interested. So my next step was to pull him out and use a syringe to push some water directly into his mouth. It worked, despite a little spillage. An hour or so later, I offered him a teaspoon of canned cat food. This time, he emerged from his cave and slowly ate.

Later, I got up twice in the night, one to offer him a spoonful of baby food, and later a small bit of dry food. He ate. Both times.

By yesterday morning, he had his appetite back. Crisis averted. But I’m taking him in early this morning for a check. That day in the closet was too weird to just let pass.

So that’s where I’ll be instead of pulling together the week’s photos.

[And now a photo from the vet’s office while we were waiting. Unfortunately, Romeo’s reading skills are limited, and so I don’t think he fully appreciated the sign.]