Poorly kitty
Aug. 26th, 2007 01:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Had to take Symba to the vet on Friday morning - the reason is somewhat TMI so I won't elaborate, but there was a reoccurance of a problem and he was noticeably unhappy, so off he went. He's thirteen years old now, with an alleged heart condition, so I take no risks.
It wasn't fun getting him to the PDSA hospital down the Bay on the bus, as he whined most of the way, but he was a lot calmer on the way home. Possibly because he knew the ordeal was nearly over - he got almost frantic once he recognised the area around our flat. Gotta do it all over again after work on Wednesday, for a check-up, but there's a chance I'll be able to get a lift home again with Mam since she'll need to collect Rowan for me.
It turns out the poor love's developed colitis, so he's on meds and a restricted, bland diet. This presents something of a problem for me, as I have to try and work out what to feed him! So far I've given him a very tasty-looking mix of rice, baked haddock and scrambled eggs (though without any milk or butter as he's lactose intolerant) - I had a \O/ moment when he sniffed at it and took several bites! lol! But after a minute or two he started following me around asking where on earth his real food had gone. *chuckles* He's still whining at me right now.
It always amuses me how you can't get them into their travel box for love nor money when you're setting out and yet, when the exam's over, all you need to do is ask them to go back in and they do it straight away! And unlike my beloved Tammie, Symba never sulks after a visit to the Vee Eee Tee - he'll follow me around, rubbing against my legs and talking to me in a normal tone of voice instead of his usual whine. It's like he's saying "I didn't like that, but you really do love me don't you?" Heh.
I make no secret of the fact I loved Tammie more - I had him when I was ten, and we grew up together for the next fifteen years. Symba was brought into the family to keep him company, but at age eight, Tammie was too old really. Sym's also a rescued cat who's not all that emotionally stable, so he's hard work. But regardless of that, and all the hassle he gives me, I genuinely do love him. Always will.
It wasn't fun getting him to the PDSA hospital down the Bay on the bus, as he whined most of the way, but he was a lot calmer on the way home. Possibly because he knew the ordeal was nearly over - he got almost frantic once he recognised the area around our flat. Gotta do it all over again after work on Wednesday, for a check-up, but there's a chance I'll be able to get a lift home again with Mam since she'll need to collect Rowan for me.
It turns out the poor love's developed colitis, so he's on meds and a restricted, bland diet. This presents something of a problem for me, as I have to try and work out what to feed him! So far I've given him a very tasty-looking mix of rice, baked haddock and scrambled eggs (though without any milk or butter as he's lactose intolerant) - I had a \O/ moment when he sniffed at it and took several bites! lol! But after a minute or two he started following me around asking where on earth his real food had gone. *chuckles* He's still whining at me right now.
It always amuses me how you can't get them into their travel box for love nor money when you're setting out and yet, when the exam's over, all you need to do is ask them to go back in and they do it straight away! And unlike my beloved Tammie, Symba never sulks after a visit to the Vee Eee Tee - he'll follow me around, rubbing against my legs and talking to me in a normal tone of voice instead of his usual whine. It's like he's saying "I didn't like that, but you really do love me don't you?" Heh.
I make no secret of the fact I loved Tammie more - I had him when I was ten, and we grew up together for the next fifteen years. Symba was brought into the family to keep him company, but at age eight, Tammie was too old really. Sym's also a rescued cat who's not all that emotionally stable, so he's hard work. But regardless of that, and all the hassle he gives me, I genuinely do love him. Always will.
no subject
Date: 2007-08-26 12:38 pm (UTC)Poor kitty. I hate it so much when they're ill - they come to you to make it better, and sometimes you can't. And that's before you even start on the expense. I don't begrudge the money, I love my cats and they're worth whatever I have to spend on them, but, you know ... I don't necessarily have the money to start with. I'm sure you know the feeling.
I currently have Mintaka with her daily thyroid pills and her super-fact metabolism that means that she is hungry almost literally all the time, and now Phoebe, who is long-haired and has always moulted in clumps in the summer, is losing so much fur that she's going bald. And I'm not sure, but I think that possibly whatever's wrong with her skin she's given to me, and that's why I've been itchy and come out in this rash. Last night was dreadful - she woke me up at 3, and I don't know what she wanted. I fed her, and I gave her fresh water, but she was still teasy. I had to shut her out of my bedroom in the end, and even then she carried on fussing at the door.
As I say, I love them, but this, on top of everything else, is about the last thing I need!
no subject
Date: 2007-08-26 03:25 pm (UTC)Luckily I was able to take him to the PDSA, but yeah. I've been down the route of private vets bills. When Tammie died four and a half years ago, we took Sym in with us just incase he didn't die of having been lucky enough to reach age fifteen. After a quick exam, the Vet wanted to do a slew of tests on him 'cause he suspected a heart condition - we're talking CAT scans, MRIs, anesthesia... He was diagnosed with Feline Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, and put on medication for it. However, any time I tried to medicate him, he'd run screaming and put up one hell of a fight. And after that we'd not see hide nor hair of him for a day or two. So, I figured that since he was already a very nervous cat and had just lost his companion, if he also has a heart problem then the last thing I should be doing is chasing him around the house every day and shoving a pill down his throat! So far, he's not shown any problems, and if we hadn't taken him in that day we'd probably still be unaware of his apparent condition.
Tammie used to go patchy a lot too, at one point, though he was a shorthair. We used to resolve that by giving him Kitzyeme, which is a multivitamin you can buy in pretty much any petstore and sometimes in the pet aisle at the supermarket. I think he used to just get rundown from time to time. Best thing was that he liked the taste of them, so he thought we were giving him a treat. And oh man, I hear you about the fussing at the door - he did that too sometimes. And Tammie only ever spoke when he really wanted your attention omgrightnowthisverysecond!
Hope Phoebe's coat sorts itself out soon - and your skin too! *sympathy* Hugs to Mintaka as well - poor things never understand even short-term medication, let alone long-term.