doctor's orders

I took Mecru in to the vet today. No problems. Got a rabies booster. Chatted with the doctor.
Did I know the cat has a heart murmur? Yes, but I never had an ultrasound done because I could not afford it while in college. Now that I can afford it a bit more easily (it's still $330), I should have that done. Mecru has bad teeth (another thing I already knew - it's not my fault, it's his genetics) but they don't want to give him the anesthetic required for dental work until they are sure his heart can handle it. Thus, I scheduled the ultrasound for next week. My CA vet assured me it was probably nothing since it had been there since kittenhood, and this vet agrees, but would really rather be on the safe side. That's a policy I can get behind.

The vet also said that Mecru would probably stop licking his elbows every time we left town if we got him a little friend. (He also said that he's never seen a cat lick his elbows when stressed - usually it's the tummy or back or something. But Mecru has always been a little odd.) So that's it. The vet said we have to get a kitten. We have a bigger place now, and one or both of us could devote the time needed.

Craig made up a rule a long time ago saying that I can only have 12 pounds of pet at any given time. (We won't tell him that Mecrutio the Fatty is currently 12.6 pounds.) So I can have any number of same-species animals whose weight add up to 12 pounds. Of course as soon as they grew, I'd have to get rid of them. I also would have to trade in Mecru. It's a silly rule, but it's kept our house from being overrun by pets.

But you heard the doctor. He prescribed a kitten. Make it so.