Back in 2014, when my cat was 18+ years old, she went into kidney distress. Unfortunately, not unexpected at that age. It was a Sunday afternoon, so I had to call the emergency line then wait at the vet for somebody to show up. The vet said it was possible for treatment to save her, if only for a couple more years, so I told them to do what they could within reason. They said come back at 8pm and if she's doing okay, I could take her home.
When I got back at that time, there was nobody there, and the place was locked up. I called the emergency number again and nobody picked up. So I waited in my car until 10pm, listening to an NPR story about Eleanor Roosevelt's fireside chat radio broadcasts. At that point I gave up, sick to my stomach that my cat might die alone and afraid.
And that's what happened. They called me the next morning to tell me she hadn't survived the night. It was heartbreaking. But what I did not do is come back armed and force my way in.
