No Monday Night Zazen tonight. Instead, I spent the time at the 24-Hour Veterinarian Hospital. Izzy the cat got bit in the face today. By a snake.

I came home from work this evening thinking I would go through my usual routine - quickly feed the cats, change my clothes, and then run off to the zendo without any supper. But my routine was thrown off balance when, although Eliot the cat was waiting on the porch for me as usual, Izzy was no where to be seen.

I called for him out the door as I changed into my meditation clothes (loose, comfortable, and black), and when he finally slinked in through the back door, I saw that his face was bloody and swollen. There were two large scratches across his face, about the distance apart of an adult copperhead's fangs. He could barely keep his eyes open they were so swollen, and his face looked like it had been kicked in, like that of a pug.

I quickly called Sensei to see if he could open for me tonight, and I was lucky to have caught him and that he was able to fill in on such short notice. That taken care of, I got the cat into his carrier and drove to the all-night vet.

As soon as they saw him, a doctor came out from the back and took Izzy back with her. They're going to keep him for the night for observations, but the good news is that his prognosis looks pretty good.

The bad news is the minimum cost for his treatment will be $1,250. The high-end estimate is over $3,200. He's going to owe me big time, that little rascal, and he and Eliot just became indoor cats.

After paying the deposit (50% of the low-end cost - they wanted 50% of the high-end, but I negotiated), I had enough time to still catch most of the second sitting period at the zendo, and was able to share my experience with the group during the discussion group after zazen.

There's nothing like a group of Buddhists after meditation to provide a little compassion.