English Original
Why I agreed to cat-sit for my friend is still a mystery. She asked me to look after her two cats while she was away. "How hard could it be?" I thought. She mentioned one cat, Lucas, needed medication for dry skin—two pills a day and Neosporin on a sore. "No problem," I said.
I arrived at her house to find detailed instructions. The cats drank bottled water from the fridge (while I get tap water), and I was directed to "poopy bags" in a specific holder. My friendship needed reevaluation.
The real challenge began with Lucas's pill. I tried hiding it in veggie cheese, turkey, and tuna. Each time, Lucas expertly ate around the pill, leaving it untouched. I then attempted various gourmet cat treats—salmon, beef, chicken—but Lucas, now full, wanted none of them.
While waiting for him to get hungry, I tried applying the Neosporin. After a 45-minute struggle and multiple scratches, I succeeded, only to see Lucas lick it all off. In a moment of inspiration, I even tried coating the pill with Neosporin. It failed.
Three hours had passed for one failed medication attempt, with three more days of this ahead. I needed a new plan.
Thus, "Plan C" was born. I calculated the total pills needed (eight), disposed of them, used the Neosporin on my own wounds, and only visited on the last day to refresh supplies. My friend returned, grateful and unaware. Do I feel guilty? Perhaps someday, after my wounds heal. But between the time, blood loss, and my tap water grievance, I saw no other choice.
中文翻译
我至今仍不明白当初为何会答应帮朋友照看猫。她请我在她外出时照顾她的两只猫。"能有多难呢？"我想。她提到其中一只叫卢卡斯的猫因皮肤干燥需要服药——每天两片药，还要在患处涂新孢霉素。"没问题，"我说。
我到了她家，看到了详细的指示。猫喝冰箱里的瓶装水（而我只能喝自来水），还被指引到猫砂盆旁特定架子上的"便便袋"。我觉得有必要重新评估这段友谊了。
真正的挑战从给卢卡斯喂药开始。我试着把药藏在素食奶酪、火鸡肉和金枪鱼里。每次，卢卡斯都能巧妙地只吃掉食物，把药片完整留下。接着我又尝试了各种高档猫零食——三文鱼味、牛肉味、鸡肉味——但已经吃饱的卢卡斯对它们毫无兴趣。
在等待它再次饥饿的间隙，我尝试给它涂新孢霉素。经过45分钟的搏斗和满手抓痕后，我终于涂好了，却眼睁睁看着卢卡斯把药全舔掉了。灵机一动，我甚至试着给药片涂上新孢霉素。还是失败了。
一次失败的喂药尝试就花了三小时，而这样的日子还要持续三天。我需要一个新计划。
于是，"C计划"诞生了。我算好了所需药片总数（八片），把它们扔掉，将新孢霉素用在了自己的伤口上，并且只在最后一天去换了水和猫砂。朋友回来后，对我千恩万谢，毫不知情。我有负罪感吗？也许等伤口愈合后会有吧。但在时间、鲜血的损失以及我喝自来水的"待遇"之间，我别无选择。