The long Long Island trip. (with 2 updates)

It never ends.

I'm on Long Island (NY) having come here yesterday to get Spanky to our old vet (that we used to use when we lived there - and whom I have been consulting on this whole liver situation) in order to get a Protein-C test (a special blood-test that will determine if it is indeed a liver-shunt) as well as having the poor little guy neutered.
Our local vet didn't want to do it, since the liver is what processes the anesthetic, and even a simple operation like that is now very hazardous - potentially life-threatening.

However, I trust in the abilities of our L.I. vet, and drove Spanky down here to have these things done yesterday.
I, meanwhile, would go into work (my job is located here, but I now work from my home office), make an appearance and put in a day or two in person.
I spent the night at friends' here, and was glad to have the opportunity to do so, if only it wasn't for such circumstances as that which surround us.

Spanky pulled through the surgery very well, and my vet told me that he was pulling in an associate who would come the next day to run the long-sought-after sonogram / ultrasound on Spanky, that would help determine what and where his liver problem might be (and if there might be other things going on in there as well).

That was supposed to have happened by early afternoon on the 2nd day (today).
That would give me enough time to get the test done, pack Spanky up and make the drive back to PA early before the NY rush-hour traffic kicked in.

My wife has to work a late shift tonight, so there's a bit of a time-factor for all of this.
I need to get back home before too long to care for the other 3 little ones and have Spanky and Buddy together long enough before bed-time so that there won't be any rough-housing due to anyone being confined for the day.

Unfortunately... the visiting doctor hasn't arrived yet (and it's now LATE afternoon - nearly 5pm), my wife already left for her work AND to top it all off, she was taking the 2nd car, which (as I'll relate in a future post about all of our vehicular downfalls) is not quite "all that".
She wasn't 5-minutes into her work commute when the "check engine" light illuminated, and she had to pull over.

We JUST had the vehicle serviced - twice in recent months - and are still reeling from the costs of that.
She just called me to let me know that there's no oil in the car - at all, and when was the last time it was checked?

I have no idea.
I hadn't used the car in awhile. Maybe I drove it to the Post Office - a 3 minute trip - a few days back. Otherwise, it's been unused for awhile.

So, I can only hope that it's a matter of lack of upkeep (which is not the norm for us) and NOT a massive oil leak wherein all the oil poured out recently (which WOULD be our throw of the dice).

So, it's now almost time to leave work.
I have NO idea what's going on - with ANYTHING, and will probably face one of two possibilities:

1) a very late drive back to PA at night.
2) another night spent at friend's, while poor Spanky is stuck in a cage at the vet's and my wife has zero sleep having to deal with the menagerie alone tonight.

Either way; it's a losing situation.

----update----
I just called the vet and they are in the middle of the test, but I won't be able to pick up the kitty until at least 7pm (probably closer to 8pm).
Depending on traffic conditions, it's approximately a 3 to 4 hour drive home from here, so I'll be arriving home around the same time as the Mrs. after her late shift.

ugh.

----2nd update----
Well, I was able to pick up Spanky at a little after 6pm, and we made the drive back in about 3 hours. Spanky made himself comfy and slept for a good portion of the drive, only getting rambunctious for the last 15 miles or so.

However, my wife discovered, to our dismay, that the oil situation was serious; all the oil she put in while at work (4 quarts) must have poured out again, because she arrived home (barely) at 11pm with a steaming engine that was bone dry.
We can't afford to even have it LOOKED at now.
I'll have it towed to the mechanic at sometime in the future... and depending on what the situation is, this might be "the end" for that car.

And to top it all off, no one got ANY sleep.
We have to keep Spanky separated from the other cats until he heals (5 days), and this first night was a juggling act of swapping rooms, food (everyone is on different special diets), and litter boxes (Spanky is using "Yesterday's News", a recycled newspaper litter that won't infect the recent surgical area).

I'll have to re-set his "apartment" in the upstairs bathroom.
Lots of boxes to build barricades so he can't get into anything harmful.