I know that you are awaiting your promised cat Q & A and the answers to your questions from the president of Iams, Dan Rajczak. I am happy to advise you that most of the Iams questions were answered! And I am excited to answer some feline questions.

But folks, I am exhausted. I spent almost all of yesterday on airplanes and in airports. O’Hare International does, in theory, have internet access, but my netbook crawled along at a snail’s pace. Tonight I simply don’t have the energy to give your Iams and feline questions the time they deserve. I am running on fumes.

So let me instead tell you a brief story from my flight yesterday. In O’Hare airport, at the top of the escalators from Concourse C to Concourse B, the University of Illinois Medical Center was offering seasonal flu shots.

I was torn. The influenza vaccine can cause immune system over-stimulation. A friend of mine once went bald after receiving a vaccine. That is a horrifying prospect for a man my age.

But then I thought of the last time (in 2000) that I suffered from the flu. My immune system was in overdrive for months. I was in agony. The damage to my body was immense.

The decision wasn’t simple, but I got the shot. Today my arm is sore. Thankfully, I still appear to have my hair.

Within the next few days I will dive into your Iams and feline questions. But tonight I need sleep.