15 January Last day alongside and ship's cat needs to go to the vet

 At 1am this morning Polly woke me. We always lock her inside at night, bring in her litter tray and food bowls.

I woke hearing her scratching in her tray and then being sick. It didn't sound right so I got up and she was obviously in distress, straining to pooh and when she couldn't retching until it was only dribbles of bile. One of us stayed up with her all night waiting for daylight to be able to take her to a vet.

Through Google we found a highly rated surgery two miles away between Point a Pitre and the airport but how to get there? A taxi or a rental car. Very luckily there was a small car available from the rental company in the marina and they were very helpful to process the paperwork quickly to enable to make our 9.15 appointment.

Just like our dentist experience we were impressed with the modernity of the facilities. Dr Fourest examined a now adrenaline fuelled banshee. Polly has had a vet phobia ever since she lost her back toes in an accident 3 years ago. A tranquilliser shot enabled the vet to begin a full round of tests; blood tests, an ultrasound and an xray were done and while the tests were analysed she was put on a saline drip.

We were to come back at 4pm when they would have the results and the drip would have finished.

What was the cause of straining to pooh? Constipation. No shit Sherlock! Literally, no shit. She had impacted faeces which were removed by a soapy water enema and a gloved finger up her bottom. The bill was the same as the cost for staying in a marina for one month! But we love her and she had a full health check which revealed her kidneys are ageing, but all other organs are good and a picture of her genetic bone deformity at the base of her tail.

She was very grateful to be home on the boat and very clingy too. A visit to the vet is a trauma for her. For us we still have the last day cleaning jobs to complete because, although we asked nicely, the marina wouldn't allow us to stay for one more night in case we need to go back to the vet.

We had booked at Quai Ouest for a final sushi platter but couldn't leave Polly.  Instead the meal came to us as a take out.