An Incomplete Education

Took Squoosh to the vet (see mes tweets); took him home, and went to dose him this morning, and heavens to mike did my baby stink!  This *hideous* smell that was close to what I would imagine rotting maple syrup (I know, but work with me here) being poured over a pile of burning tires would smell like.  Naturally, I start freaking and worrying that Squoosh has an abscess from the injection last night, or has developed diabetes, or his bowels are rotting out, so I phone the vet with Squooshable in my arms, looking up at me, purring and smelling.  The tech that came on the line laughed at my maple syrup and tires description and told me that it was probably Squoosh's 'anal glands'.  Huh? After I told her that I do not think Squooshable has 'anal glands' (???), and kept mentioning things I thought it could be, she finally told me to bring him in for a sniff.  

I packed him (protestingly) into the carrier and over to the vet's where *two* techs came out to sniff him, 'cos the one tech that had been on the phone with me said (really politely) that she had a feeling that I would want a confirming opinion.  I really like Dr S's staff.  So I pulled him out and they could not smell it at first, and then when I showed them the spot it seemed to me to be coming from (on his left haunch), both of them came closer and then smelled it and 100% assured me that it was 'his anals', and that he looks fine and his anals look fine, and he probably accidentally got his fur in it in the litterbox, or spooged it out last night when he got stressed over the vet visit.  

Well, okay then.  

So I googled it on the way home, and guess what?  Squoosh has anal glands .  And not only does Squooshable have anal glands, but *all* cats have them, and god damn do they smell.  Normally the anal gland stuff comes out when they poop.  Who knew?

I know you knew.  Shut up.  How in the hell was I supposed to know that??

But now I know what it is when I see other people's dogs scooting their butts across the floor and stuff -- their anal glands are infected and they need to go to a vet.  The article I found says that cats scoot like that too, though I do not think that I have ever seen that.  If Squoosh scoots, he's going to the vet ASAP, but he is on Clavamox for the respiratory infection already, and he seems fine.  

Sigh.  

Relatedly, I also found this article about anal glands from the ADM and damn near died laughing:  Senile Human Bitch Allows Cat's Anal Glands to Swell and Fester .

Butsoanyway. 

I am extremely unhappy...much, much, much to be done in only about a month and a half.  Polkaroo...polkaroo...polkaroo...

omfg.