Actually feeling quite a bit better today. Throat is still sore, some minor coughing, but the fever appears to have broken, the headache’s gone, and the raw-skin feel has subsided. And I just generally feel better.

Possibly this had something to do with the nice man bringing me tea in bed this morning.*

My major concern today is actually Ben–since I got back from Toronto, I noticed an odd licking-half-yarking behavior. I assumed he was working on a hairball, since he’s otherwise acting just fine, but it’s continued for a week, and now I’ve noticed that it seemed to be localized to one side of the jaw. So Kevin, who does stray cat rescue and is a champion cat wrapper, got him pinned in a towel and I poked around inside his mouth.

Ben was not pleased, to say the least.

It’s hard to tell in a flailing cat, but there’s some discoloration around one of the upper canines, leading me to believe that a tooth may have gone bad or abscessed or something. He’s avoiding the dry food and eating all the wet lately, which bears this out, although he doesn’t act in any way in pain, and will allow jaw rubbing and snoogling. (And he’s peeing, which with male cats is usually my default check for health.)

So, he’s got an appointment at the vet tomorrow to drain more of my savings account. (Dental work or abscess inside the mouth–it’s gonna be spendy no matter what. But…I mean…it’s Ben. I owe Ben.)

Still, he seems in good health and good spirits, since once we let him go, he eyed us both–hmm, MY monkey, no…might need her for something…male monkey…no, he’s not scared of me, probably a bad idea…fine!–and then stomped off and smacked Angus upside the head.

Ah, felinity…

Now, if I can get a Digger done and get my Gearworld painting scanned today, life will be good.

*AFTER I snored in his ear for half the night, no less. Post-nasal drip and/or profound exhaustion turn me into a buzzsaw, and he bore it well.