I had to get him to the emergency vet ASAP.  But I had no business driving.  I was crying so hard I could barely see or talk.  I called a friend to drive us to the clinic.  He told me later that he couldn’t understand a word I said, he only knew it was my voice and drove to my house to find out what in the hell had happened.  When he got there and discovered that I hadn’t been attacked and my house hadn’t been robbed, he was relieved.  It was a only cat accident.  He was more than happy to chauffeur us.

I was somehow able to separate Aubrey from the water heater and put him into the cat carrier.  All of this was accompanied by growling and some pretty hefty meowing which made me feel a little better.  Maybe he wasn’t hurt too badly.  But a 14 pound cat versus a 4000 pound vehicle was not a positive scenario.

The vets examined Aubrey carefully for any internal injuries and took multiple x-rays.  They said that there didn’t seem to be any internal damage, only some external bruising that would take a few weeks to go away.  They kept him overnight for observation.  He was resting comfortably in a cage when I told him goodnight and went home.

I didn’t sleep well at all that night. 

When I called early the next day, the vet said that Aub was just fine and would have a full recovery.  After another crying session (relief!), I went to pick him up.  I asked the vet why he did so well after suffering such a major trauma.  They said, in so many words, that his fat had saved him.  I kept the x-rays for proof.

After Aubrey came home, I also learned that the black tire tracks on the Road Runner (when he’s run over) are real.  Aubrey carried black tire tracks right across the middle of his big white belly until they finally wore off.  To this day, I have a new respect for the Road Runner.