Lucius's bum

Did you expect choice observations on Lucius Malfoy's gluteus maximus?
You're going to be sorely disappointed, me darlingses.
This is about cat!Lucius, who's being such a poor, poor boy right now, because one of his anal glands is swollen and inflamed. This happens about once a year or so -- Cornelius was the first, then came Lucius, then Cornelius again, and now it's Lucius's turn -- and there really isn't much I can do about it. While Cornelius, the old cuddlebag, may occasionally allow me to have a look at or dab the swelling with camomile infusion (or cream, once the abscess has broken), Lucius stubbornly keeps his tail down and merely makes plaintive noises as soon as my hand gets anywhere near his hindquarters.
To judge by the look of it, he'll have to suffer till tomorrow -- once the thing is open, he'll be feeling much better. He hasn't got a fever, though, and he's eating and drinking nomally. So no need to worry overly much. Fortunately cats are perfectly capable of treating themselves and, more importantly, keeping the wound clean once the abscess is open, i.e. I merely have to sneak the occasional peek to make sure everything is ok.
I'd take him to the vet, if there was any point to stressing the poor boy, considering that alle the vet could do is squeeze out the fluids, which would be more painful than Lucius's self-treatment. Plus, I'm not exactly brimming with confidence as far as hygiene at the vet's is concerned.
Funny, though, how Lucius suddenly being meek and suffering influences the dynamics of the trio -- Lola isn't being nearly as obnoxious as usual, which is good, because I wouldn't want her to take advantage of the old drama queen Lucius, when he wants to be left in peace.

On a side note, I really do need to get a bigger couch. Just look at this:


If the muse is in the mood today, I'll do the fourth and last warm-up exercise. The HGLM prompts ought to be sent out the day after tomorrow, and I'm starting to wibble. In a good way.