5/7/06 I Dare You To Eat That

Lately, Mason and Dixon have been playing a great game, "I dare you to eat that", or alternatively, "Who can cause the biggest vet bill?". It's been a very close game, and loads of fun for all involved. Dixon scored first by (to use the highly scientific medical term) barfing any and all cat food ever consumed back up all over the floor. Repeatedly. Everywhere. A trip to the vet revealed...a stomach full of cat fur, commonly known as the hair ball. Points scored: $105 ($75 for the blood test and $30 for the visit). Dixon was not able to take advantage of any medication cost points, however, because he had pulled this stunt before, and we were already prepared. Not to be outdone, Mason countered with his own barfing THE VERY NEXT DAY. Mason's tummy trigger of choice turned out to be half of a furry caterpillar that he found out on the back porch. (You would think that thousands of years of ingrained instinct would tell him not to eat furry caterpillars, but alas, instinct is no barrier when your brother looks you in the eye, nods to the caterpillar, and says, "I dare you to eat that"). Caterpillar, by the way, makes the kitty cat VERY sick, and Mason was able to rack up $66 for the vet visit, $30 for a follow up visit a week later, and $30 for the anti-caterpillar medications, resulting in a grand total of $126. At this point, I'm thinking that actual children would be cheaper than these cats.

Follow-up thought: Do cats "Double-dog dare" each other, or is there such a thing as a "Double-cat dare"?