Though my ex- did get Thistle through the worst of his head tilt it’s still disconcerting. To himself most of all. He’s disoriented, his sense of balance is affected, and it’s clear whatever is causing the head tilt involves some discomfort.

The indignity is the worst of it, I suspect. He’s been unable to clean himself the way he prefers. I spent an hour or so this afternoon carefully freeing a formidable mat of hair and rock-hard fecal matter and a few other things from beneath his tail, which was entirely too familiar a process for his liking.

I learned three valuable lessons during that process:

1) cornstarch is a really good lubricant for extracting solid dried horribles from animal fur

2) himself seems still to trust me, more or less, despite my having disappeared inexplicably for a year and a half

3) tending thus to someone who needs me to seems to fill some sort of void.

After a brief and upsetting few hours in which a certain other household member seemed certain that rabbits are to kitties as zombies are to humans, and that the bedroom closet was thus the only possible safe place, we seem to have arrived at some sort of detente.

1. 
   Space Kitty 2009 10 19 at 10:17:07 am

   Scuze me.  Scuze me, um, rabbit?  You’re sitting in my spot.

   Nosy seems to say.

2. 
   Dana 2009 10 19 at 7:17:24 pm

   I am worried about him!

3. 
   Becky 2009 10 19 at 10:14:30 pm

   He’s learned to compensate quite a bit from his falling sensation. I’m assuming he still no longer scrambles around? He stopped doing that 5-6 days ago. Dr. Becker called to follow up from my conversations from Dr. Ivey. I’ll phone in after dismissing my class tomorrow but you may want to call, too. Sorry - know I should just email instead of comment but too lazy.

4. 
   Sven DiMilo 2009 10 20 at 2:18:48 pm

   cornstarch is a really good lubricant

   http://www.ep.tc/realist/89/ibc.html

5. 
   Laura 2009 10 21 at 10:04:22 pm

   Poor Thistle… headtilt is so scary, harder to witness than to experience; I suspect.

   Have you considered padding his cage?

   Giving him that motion-sickness drug?

   Hope he fares well…

6. 
   Natalie 2009 10 26 at 10:09:59 pm

   Poor little bun… he looks to be quite a bit smaller than the feline but doesn’t seem to be intimidated. What do they think has happened to him?

7. 
   Chris Clarke 2009 10 27 at 12:54:31 am

   Inner ear infection. His horrible raspberry antibiotics seem to have done the trick. He had a big honking bunch of cilantro for dinner.