Annie enjoying the sun
A few months ago Annie developed a strange phobia about an area of the kitchen. One day she was fine, galumping around all over the place and the next she had pinned her ears to her head, tucked her tail and flatly refused to come to either one of us if we stood anywhere near the dishwasher.
Human logic being what it is (flawed) we initially thought the dishwasher had made a noise and scared her. With reports of sink holes opening up around the country I have to confess to a mild does of paranoia which had me checking the exterior walls for any signs of subsidence but as Little Bear and the Cat were unfazed by the area and our brickwork remained in tact we quickly came to our senses.
Annie’s phobia then spread to a larger area of the kitchen and then the hallway. By that point we suspected that it was probably the tiles at the root of the problem and tested the theory by covering the floor with mats and towels. Sure enough, with something to walk on besides tiles, the phobia disappeared as if by magic.
Within a week however, the phobia had generalised to any tiled floor, including the one in the pet shop, normally one of her favourite places. We think the fear was probably triggered by her slipping on the floor and hurting herself – a theory that has now played out as she’s since, weeks later gone on to develop a limp on her front leg.
So it’s off to the vet tomorrow for what I suspect will be another X-ray. Our poor love, she’s been through so much already I can’t stand the thought of leaving her at the vets again even though I know it’s for her own benefit. We’re crossing fingers and toes that its a minor injury that can be easily fixed.
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