Cat Scratch Fever

There has a been a stray cat in the neighborhood and Mason and his friends have been playing with this cat without an address.  Like any good mother I have told him half a trillion times not to touch or play with strange animals.  And like any 8 year old boy he doesn't listen unless the mood strikes him, which rarely happens.  Sunday afternoon he comes in with a big scratch on his arm.  Since I use scare tactics to parent my children, I say "I told you not to play with that cat, now you are gonna get cat scratch fever!"  He immediately starts crying and saying he doesn't want to die.  Here we go.  I calmly explain that he is not going to die that he just needs to stay away from strange animals.  Although, at this point the cat isn't necessarily strange, he has been hanging out in the neighborhood for a couple of months.  The rest of the night and the next morning he is his usual sweet self.
At about 10 am I get a call at work from his school nurse.  Mason is in the clinic and he says he doesn't feel good and that he has cat scratch fever.  Uh-oh.  The nurse was laughing and said she took his temperature and he doesn't have one.  I told her the story and all about what an awesome mom I am and she's still laughing.   After talking for a minute we agree that he is fine and she sends him back to class.
It's noon and Mason's teacher calls on my cell.  She said Mason was not happy, is convinced he has a fever and that it is cat scratch fever.  Fortunately, Ms. Wells has a very good sense of humor and says that she did notice some whiskers growing :)  Then Mason gets on the phone and I tell him that he is fine, the nurse said he doesn't have a fever and he can relax.  He says his body feels warm and he doesn't feel good.  Hearing how dramatic he was on the phone, and imagining how crazy he must be driving Ms. Wells, I tell him that I will be there to get him when I get off work....which was in an hour and a half.
When I picked him up from school early, he came home and willingly laid on the couch and watched movies all day.  When his friends came over to ask him to play, he told them "I can't.  I have cat scratch fever."  This kid is too much!