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Tuesday, December 13, 2011

What a week

Probably the worst week I've had ever.  Last week my cat got into a serious fight with some other cat.  He had a bunch of scratches on him but he seemed just fine.  Later the day though he was totally out of it.  But sometimes after a big fight he just wants to sit and do nothing for a day or so, not eating or anything.  So I figured thats how he was again.  None of his wounds looked infected so I thought he'd gotten lucky this time.

Come the night of the second day I realized he was not ok.  He wasnt eating, he wasnt talking, he'd hardly move, his eyes were glazed over and not focusing on anything.  I'd try to coax him into eating something or drinking something.  He'd have a sip of water and then just drop back to the floor like he had no energy in his legs.  That was when I noticed one of the wounds he got on his upper chest had swollen with infection.  To me it looked like he was just waiting to die, he was that bad.

Took him to the vet the next morning.  He'd been the same guy who had been looking after my cat for the past 10 years.  He wasnt too hopeful when he saw him.  He told me theres probably a good chance he wont make it through the night.  That was like a punch to the face.It really did look like he wouldnt make it.  Taking into account the infection, he'd also gotten a really bad fever, and of course he's 16.  Cats are usually like 11-13 or something.  I thought this is it.  My cats been so lucky over the years that his luck has finally run out.  He should of lost his tail long ago, he should of lost an ear, he should of gotten cancer from an infection in his cheek, I mean the list goes on.  But he kept bouncing back to the surprise of the vet each time.

The last 4 days he's been at the vets.  I've been an absolute mess.  Slept maybe twice at best for a few ours each during those 4 days.  I couldnt stand the thought of him dying in this way.  Totally heartbreaking.  But today is the 5th day and I'm happy to say he's mostly better now.  His fevers gone, the infection is gone, he's bright, eating, chatting heaps with us, he's just really happy.  So glad he's alright.    The vet bill however was fairly brutal.  $1350.  Lets ignore the almost 2 grand I've spent over the last 4 months as well from a previous infection he got in his ear.  As of right now I cant afford shit.  I need to get a job quickly and hopefully in the next couple months I find one I'm happy to go to.  We'll see.  At the moment though, ignoring how broke I am, my cat is fine.  And thats all that matters to me.  The vet said his blood test levels all looed like those of a much younger cat.  He's so healthy.  Heres a picture of him finally at home on this 5th day.  Happily relaxed after eating a plate of grilled fish.



8 comments:

  1. Hey con best wishes with your cat i have a cat too and mine has a problem with ticks ive bought some medicine for it its so sad seeing a cat that just wants to be left alone and die,it just breaks your heart and i love cats so much

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  2. Screw the money, as long as he's alright. You obviously love him more than anything, so of course you'll spend whatever amount to fix him.

    My cat (Jetta) is an indoor cat, so he doesnt get the freedom of a normal cat lol, but he still has fun inside. I usually play tag or hide and seek with him. He's a European Burmese, absolutely beautiful.


    It's kind of hard to explain how it feels when your cat has been injured, and you don't know if they will pull through or not. It's kind of like being really drunk..except in a sad and scared way.

    I still think of my old cat Sammy. One day he was fine, the next he was in a lot of pain, seemingly out of nowhere. Sadly we had to make the choice :(


    Anyway, i'm rambling. I really hope he makes a full recovery, and that you can finally rest easy for a while. I would say keep him inside for a while, but I don't know if he's toilet trained?

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  3. Raven, you should grab Advocate. Its the best thing for fleas. Put it on and within 2 days they are all dead. It also kills the eggs and latches onto carpet/furniture in case fleas are living in there. Keeps them good for 3 months. I think it goes by a different name in some countries, Frontline Plus.

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  4. I've been using Frontline for a few years now, and it has not let me down yet. It works really good. :)

    I'm glad your kitty is feeling better. I'm an animal lover, so it breaks my heart if an animal is hurt, even if it's not my own.

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  5. Glad to hear that man, your kitty is a survivor!

    I had to make the choice of putting down mine when it got hurt pretty bad - I couldnt afford the vet bills with a baby on the way and I can honestly say I have regretted it ever since.

    Good on you man.

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  6. He looks so much like my cat Wiley, who got into some amazingly horrible fights and somehow recovered gashes so deep into his neck you could see his throat muscles...

    Honestly, though I hate to say it because I don't feel it right, it might be best you try and keep him inside. He has the look of age. He might miss the outdoors but he's gotten more than his fill, and...gotta be a realist about the cat fights. :/

    It's now more of a choice of, let him risk another brush with death that might force being put down, or keep him inside so you don't lose him, because he's used up most of his nine lives.

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  7. Back in March earlier this year, we were renovating a bathroom in my basement, we had a 21 year old cat who was healthy as can be, obviously if he's 21 he's gotta be pretty damn healthy right? While renovating, he tried to get up one morning and his back legs gave in and he seemed like he was crippled so we put him back on his cat bed, he kept trying to get to his food/water dish but no luck so we moved it right beside him so he could do so. This continued for 2 days until we finally smartened up and took him to the vet to see what could be done. The vet, whom has been our vet for the past years said that infact he was healthy, nothing wrong with him, he was just very very old. We had no other choice, we had to do the right thing instead of let him suffer and die on his own. I'm 18, and I've only had him 18 years of my life, my parents 21 years, he was our family cat. And just to sit in the room and watch him leave like he did is really dramatizing, that scene never leaves my mind. We're missing one little ornament on our Christmas tree this year. R.I.P

    I'm also glad your little guy made it out. I love the dog water dish.

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  8. Sorry about your cat. But 21 is pretty damn impressive.

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