Disclaimer: Garfield and all related characters are the property of Paws Inc. and ViacomCBS/Nickelodeon at the time of this story's creation.
Chapter 2: At the Vet
"Come on, Garfield!" Jon shouts as he struggles to pull Garfield out of the car. "You've been here many times before!"
"No! I don't have to go to the vet!" Garfield shouts back while holding the steering wheel as tight as he could. "I'm not getting myself neutered!"
"Garfield, if you don't let go of that steering wheel, so help me…" Jon threatens, pulling Garfield's feet even harder.
"Fat chance, Arbuckle! I'm never letting go of this...this...ah...ahhh...ACHOO!" Garfield sneezes, sending him and Jon flying into a pile of trash cans.
*BAM*
Garbage falls out of the cans, covering the two in a disgusting aroma.
"Yuck!" Jon shouts as he rubs the garbage off his clothes.
"Hey, maybe we oughta take you to the vet and get you fixed." Garfield jokes.
Later…
Jon enters the vet while carrying both of his pets on each arm.
"Ew! Yuck!" The people, and their pets, notice an awful smell in the waiting room. Covering their noses, the patients distance themselves from the smelly Arbuckle. After filling out the papers, Jon looks for a place to sit.
"Well, at least there's some empty seats." Jon points out, attempting to bring some positivity to his situation.
Garfield jumps onto Jon's hair while shivering in fear.
"Will you just relax, Garfield?" Jon asks.
"Hey, if you want me to relax, then take me to Hawaii instead." Garfield said sarcastically.
"Look, I'm only bringing you boys here for a quick checkup, then we're heading straight home." Jon reassures him.
"That's reassuring." Garfield rolls his eyes.
"See, Odie's waiting patiently like a good boy." Jon points to Odie, who is behaving rather well.
"Good for him, but certainly not good for me." Garfield said.
"I want you to behave around your new veterinarian, Garfield. I don't want another disaster like with the last one." Jon said, remembering an incident that he doesn't want to remember.
"Oh, yeah. I wonder what happened to him." Garfield ponders to himself. "Man, those were fun times."
"Jon Arbuckle!" A voice calls out.
"That's us!" Jon picks up his two pets and walks to the vet's office.
"Hi there. You must be their new veterinarian, right?" Jon asks the woman in the office.
"Yes, I am. Place them over here, please." The woman points to the desk.
"So, what's your name?" Jon asks while placing his pets on the desk.
"Liz." The woman reveals her name.
"Liz, huh? That's a nice name." Jon compliments. "Is it short for Elizabeth?"
"No, it's short for lizard." Liz snarks.
"Really? Well, nice to meet you, Lizard!" Jon happily offers to shake her hand.
"I was being sarcastic, Mr. Arbuckle!" Liz harshly confirms. "And you will refer to me as Doctor Wilson from here on out! Got it!?" She affirms.
"Ok, g-got it." Jon grins nervously.
"So, Jon Arbuckle, huh?" Liz asks.
"That's right!" Jon said. "This is my dog, Odie."
Odie happily barks.
"And this is my cat, Garfield."
"Hi, there. I'm Garfield. I'm a cat, and this is my cartoonist, Jon." Garfield said unamused.
"Well, Garfield here sure is stubborn." Liz said, trying to examine him.
"Yeah, he wasn't exactly thrilled to come over here." Jon said. "He's probably worried that you're gonna fix him or something." He shrugs.
"Well, one thing that does need to be fixed is his weight!" Liz points out. "Look at him! He's as big as a horse!" She pokes at the cat's big belly.
"Don't listen to her, Jon! She's a quack!" Garfield angrily shouts.
"You know, come to think of it, he does seem a bit fatter than before." Jon points out. "It must've been from all that candy he ate on Halloween."
"Hey! It's not my fault that ol' Gar-Halloween-Field couldn't resist all that delicious candy, candy, candy, candy, candy…"
"Whoa! Steady yourself, Mr. Hyperactive." Liz holds the cat still and continues to examine him.
"So, what do you suggest I do with him, Doctor?" Jon asks, concerned for his cat's health.
"Well, it's quite simple, Mr. Arbuckle. Garfield will have to be put on a low carbohydrate, low fat diet." Liz suggests to his owner.
"Diet"
"Diet"
"Diet"
The "D" word repeatingly rang through Garfield's head.
"Diet"
He couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Diet"
This couldn't have come at a worse time.
"Diet"
Not when Thanksgiving's tomorrow.
"Diet"
No.
"Diet"
NO!
"Diet"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Garfield screams at the top of his lungs, which could be heard from many miles away.
"THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING! FATS ARE SOME OF MY BEST FRIENDS! NO SUGAR!? NO STARCH!? WITHOUT THEM, I'LL BE LONELY! EXERCISE!? THAT'S FOR SQUIDS! FIBER!? THAT'S FOR SWEATERS! AND WATER!? THAT'S FOR BIRDBATHS! WITHOUT FOOD, THERE WOULDN'T BE LIFE AS WE KNOW IT!" Garfield begins hyperventilating, unable to handle the predicament he's in.
"I-I can't go on. This has to be a nightmare. It HAS to be! I'm...I'm…" The cat passes out from exhaustion.
"Garfield! Are you okay!? Speak to me!" Jon nudges his cat to no avail. "What do I do, Doc!?" He panics.
"Relax, Mr. Arbuckle. He's just being dramatic, that's all." Liz states. "Just make sure to feed him lots of high fiber foods and see that he drinks plenty of water, understood?"
"High fiber and water. Got it. Thanks, Doc!" Jon picks up the unconscious cat and dashes out of the office.
"Wait! Mr. Arbuckle! You forgot your dog!" Liz shouts, but realizes he's already gone.
Odie whimpers as he's now all alone with the veterinarian.
"Looks like I'm gonna have to find that idiot and take you back." Liz sighs as she picks up the dog and prepares to leave.
