The next morning, Ria showered, dressed, and ate breakfast then fed Jay his breakfast of canned chicken. Jay never ate commercial cat food. He insisted on canned chicken and tuna, and not the store brands either.

**This cat takes finicky to the next level,** Ria thought as she watched him eat. **I swear, he eats better than I do.**

When Jay was finished with his after-breakfast washing, Ria got out the plastic cat carrier she had bought for him. It had a hinged door at one end and was perfect for car trips. Ria set the carrier down on the floor next to Jay and opened the door. "Hop in," she said, grinning.

Jareth circled the carrier, eyeing it distastefully. **She *must* be joking. I am not about to be carried around in that plastic *thing.* I simply refuse.** He turned his back on the carrier then walked over to his scratching post and proceeded to sharpen his claws.

Ria could tell he wasn't going to cooperate, so she simply picked him up and stuck him in the carrier, Jay protesting very orally. Ria closed the door then set the lock. "Come along, Noisy," she said as she carried him out of the apartment. "You have a date with the vet."

*I would have preferred a date with you,** Jareth thought, irritated almost beyond reason. **But no, I *had* to be your cat. I did not think about vets, dogs, or anything else. All I thought about was being closer to you. Ha! You won't even let me in your room when you're sleeping.**

Fifteen minutes later, Ria brought the carrier into the waiting room of the veterinary office. She carried it over to the receptionist's desk, passing a Doberman, a German shepherd, and a Siamese sitting on its owner's shoulder.

"Name?" the receptionist asked.

"Victoria Lynn Allen," Ria said.

"No, your pet's name."

Ria looked at the appointment book and saw that the spaces were filled with names like Fluffy, Brutus, and Ginger. "Jay."

"Take a seat. Dr. Rudersdorf will be right with you."

Ria sat down next to the other cat owner, away from the two dogs. She decided to leave Jay in the carrier.

Jareth glared at the dogs with utter contempt. **Filthy creatures.

All they live for is pleasing their humans. Of course, all I want to do is please Ria, but that is a whole other story.**

When Jay's name was called, Ria picked up the carrier and followed the vet into an examination room. She set it down on the examining table.

The vet smiled. "You must be Victoria, and this must be Jay." He unlocked the door and opened it.

Jareth decided he wanted no part of this check up. He curled up at the other end of the carrier. Unfortunately, that did not deter Dr. Rudersdorf. He simply unhooked the top part of the carrier and took it off. Jareth glared at him then turned his back on him.

Dr. Rudersdorf chuckled slightly. "A very independent cat. Would you like to have him declawed?"

Ria had already thought about that. "No, he's an outdoor cat. He doesn't scratch up the furniture, so he can keep his claws."

"What about neutered?"

**WHAT?!** Jareth quickly got out of the vet's reach and jumped into a surprised Ria's arms. **That butcher is not getting anywhere near me!**

"Um, I think that's a definite no for neutering," Ria said. She looked down at the shaking Jay. "It's alright," she said soothingly, "he's not going to hurt you."

**That's what you think,** Jareth thought. **This man has sadist written all over him.**

Ria gently set him back on the examination table. Dr. Rudersdorf checked his eyes, ears, and throat, then said that he should take Jay's temperature.

"You're going to stick a thermometer in his mouth?" Ria asked.

"No, the other end," the vet said. He pulled a six-inch long thermometer out of his pocket.

**I don't *think* so! He is *not* going to stick that thing in me!**

Dr. Rudersdorf reached for Jareth, but Jareth decided it was time to fight back. He extended his claws and gave the vet a long, bloody scratch on the back of his hand.

"Ow!" The vet cradled his injured hand. "Damn cat," he muttered.

"He was just defending himself," Ria said protectively. She picked him up and cuddled him.

Jareth purred in her arms and watched as Dr. Rudersdorf excused himself to take care of his hand. **Serves him right. The next time he does something like that, I'm biting off a finger.**