Cat update

[vilakins]

The girls are back! The vet said that Tessa wanted cuddles every time a nurse went past, and that she was a real little character; I suppose Claudia was too drugged to be her usual friendly self too. In their cage on the way back, they were winding around and over and under each other like two otters; very cute. Once home, they were (and are) extremely cuddly, even more so than usual.

Claudia had one tooth out, and has a course of antibiotics and painkillers, the same ones she had for her gingivitis. She responds well to them and they're liquid so it's pretty easy to dose her. She ate her supper with gusto and is doing an Emperor Palpatine right now, skulking under a blue rug with just her grey nose poking out of a hood-like fold. I think it's catching up with her.

Tessa was so zonked out by the sedative, she didn't need an anaesthetic for her x-rays after all. She has a lung inflammation and was prescribed a different antibiotic they hope might clear it up, but they also observed that her heart rate is high and tested her for thyroid problems; results in a few days. If it's her thyroid, she'll need either pills (which she doesn't do well with) or a brief radiation treatment (iodine isotope, I suppose). :-( She's on the couch waiting for me to come back and give her more cuddles.

While I'm at it, my toe wasn't hurting so I haven't bothered with strapping it to the next one for a few days, but it's become painful again so I'll have to. I doubt the humidity's helping much there. Still, I can walk without limping.

Comments

[glitterboy1.livejournal.com]

Hurrah, I'm glad that they're back! It sounds like Claudia is going to be fine. And I hope that the antibiotics sort Tessa out. Fingers crossed that there aren't any thyroid problems, but at least there will be ways of dealing with them, if there are.

I'm sory about your toe; I hope that strapping it up again will help. Though I don't suppose humidity makes having it strapped up very comfortable, either...

[trixieleitz]

Oh, that's a relief! I was just thinking about you, then I refreshed the page, and hooray!

I hope the various ailments get sorted out with a minimum of stress to you all.

[kerravonsen]

Yay!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I'm hoping the antibiotics will help Tessa; if it's her thyroid, we'll decide what to do when we've heard the pros and cons of the options. They both look fine; Claudia is all uncoordinated, floppy and cuddly. :-)

I bought some new tape today for my toe which I hope will be more comfortable; it's a light one and not too sticky so it won't pull when I take it off.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Me too, but I suppose as cats get older, you have to expect things like this. The vet did say though that chronic ailments like Claudia's kidneys can be treated to give several more years of enjoyable life. These two certainly enjoy themselves and I want to keep it that way. :-)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

:-)

[peladonww.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear they are both safely back home. If they get depressed or anxious about it..... well it seems that vets in the US are now giving animals Prozac!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

!!! They're fine; very happy and almost too relaxed.

[hafren.livejournal.com]

Oh, good news about the cats. Losing that tooth should help a lot - one of ours, also elderly, perked up no end when her bad tooth came out.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Claudia's all relaxed and floppy and cuddly with her little pink tongue out at the moment, but I think that might be a side-effect of the anaesthetic. Time for bed for all of us. I think they'll sleep well tonight, and so will we. :-)

[zoefruitcake.livejournal.com]

I'm glad they are back, catty hugs to them

[snowgrouse.livejournal.com]

Phew, glad you have the kitties back. Poor little buggers... *huggles to you all*

[vjezkova.livejournal.com]

A very cordial miaw (mňau in Czech) to your cats and to you!

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

I'm glad the girls are home, and reasonably comfortable; I hope the toe's reasonably comfortable too with the new tape. Our cats did survive some years after a serious kidney problem (they caught an infection from a local stray), and seemed quite happy.

[communicator.livejournal.com]

Good news. It must be nice to have them back home in your loving care

[entropy-house.livejournal.com]

I'm glad the kitties are back and doing well. *purrs and rubs*

And looking on the bright side, you apparently now have a 'weather toe' and will be able to predict changes in the weather! ummm...no, it's not all that helpful, I know.

[daiseechain.livejournal.com]

Poor Claudia and Tessa. I hope they both get better quickly, and that Tessa's results come back fine.

It wouldn't be a slight case of rheumatism making your broken toe feel worse would it?

[redstarrobot.livejournal.com]

Your icon makes me happy.

[pinkdormouse.livejournal.com]

Yay for the cats being unbothered by it all.

Hope your toe feels better soon.

[jaxomsride.livejournal.com]

Yay for the cats being back and hope they respond well to treatment. Thanks to two of our cats I'm getting quite expert at pilling cats!
need any hints?

[sallymn.livejournal.com]

So glad to hear they're better :)

[linda-joyce.livejournal.com]

I'm very glad the girls are back safe and sound and very happy to be home again. I hope all the meds get them both well soon.

[jecono.livejournal.com]

Yay - I'm glad things went good so far! Oh, I wish I could cuddle a cat now.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

That sounds like one of Claudia's words! She says wow, nyow, ngau (which I reckon is Burmese) and other variations.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thanks for that reassurance about the cats. They should do well with the diets and drugs they have these days.

I think the toe feels better strapped again.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

It's a huge relief, and they were so sweet and extra-cuddly, so they were obviously delighted to be back.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I don't want a weather toe! I'm happy with my electronic barometer!

Greg broke his big toe a couple of years ago and he said it did the same thing: stopped hurting, then started again about a week later. It doesn't bother him now, and none of the ones I broke in the past do, so I'm sure mine will be fine once it's healed.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

??? I'm not that old! I've broken several bones at different times and they don't ever hurt. I only broke the toe last weekend so I'm not surprised it's still sore. It feels better now it's strapped anyway.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Claudia was weird: really, really smoochy and floppy, and writhing around in pleasure whenever we touched her, as if she was drunk. It must be a side-effect of what they gave her because she's her normal admittedly affectionate and purry self today.

The toe feels better now it's strapped again. :-)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

They have liquid and paste this time so that's not hard, but I can't pill any of them. Greg manages quite well with the girls (Vic's impossible), but I'm hopeless. So yes, I'd like some hints. Tickling their throats doesn't work; they just hang onto the pills till they foam up. :-(

[entropy-house.livejournal.com]

I hope you don't wind up with a weather toe.

I think mine have finally healed up past it, but for years my left little toe signalled temperature drop coming, and my right little toe signalled rain coming. :^)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thanks! [looks at your icon] I told the cats they pay for their own phone as soon as hey start getting calls. It's bad enough that they get postcards and e-mails addressed to them from the vet and cat websites. :-P

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

So do I, esp Tessa. I'm hoping she doesn't have to have thyroid treatment.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I've mislaid your address, but I was planning on sending you a custom cat card!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

As long as it's not humidity - the bloody thing will hurt all the time. Since none of my other once-broken bones ever give me twinges, I doubt it though.

[daiseechain.livejournal.com]

Sorry. Didn't mean to insult you, it's just that I know several people who now get rheumatic type pains during damp weather, in areas bones had been broken.

Good to hear that the soreness is easing.

[daiseechain.livejournal.com]

Oh crap. That was the wrong icon. I really shouldn't be commenting at past 2 in the morning. I'll quite now, while I'm behind.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Well, I never have and I hope I don't! It'd be hell, living in Auckland.

[jaxomsride.livejournal.com]

hint one - kneel on floor and position cat so they are sitting between your legs facin out. This restricts their ability to back up.

hint two - when taking hold of top jaw make sure your hand also covers the eyes. They then can't see the pill coming and don't know when to start the usual pro-active tongue movements to eject pill.

hint three angle the head so it is pretty vertical and throw the pill to the back of the mouth - aim for the throat above the tongue (this takes practice I know)

have a small oral syringe filled with water ready. So that once you have popped pill in back of the mouth and clamped their jaws shut to stop them spitting it out. squirt a small amount of water in to the mouth from the side. If they haven't swallowed already - rub throat. (I ended up evolving this bit as we have a cat that refused to swallow). Just try not to overdo the water!

hint three if there are two of you doing this if the cat raises paw in threat the one not holding the cat taps the top of the raised paw and says down with enough menace in the voice to know you mean business!

If you have a cat that won't stay still or seriously tries to shred mummify it in a towel so it can't bring its claws in to play. This is stressful though so don't do it unless the cat REALLY fights being pilled.

The main trick though is to be calm yourself and take steady aim a good shot is quicker done with than if you miss and have to go through it all again - don't hurry it!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Memming; that sounds really useful!

[imhilien.livejournal.com]

I hope Tessa (and your toe!) will be all right soon...

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Tessa's fine, except for hurking up her breakfast on the couch a couple of hours ago. Eww. Lucky the cushion covers zip off for washing. She's not coughing any more though, so the antibiotics must be working.

My toe's achy but bearable. The sun's out and the cicadas are singing! I should do muck more laundry!

[imhilien.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry to hear that about Tessa...

Yes, it's good the sun was out. I was out before and it started feeling really hot (it's been a while since it's been like that!).

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Greg has a weather station on our roof (he's a weather geek - and several other kinds too) and he says it's the hottest day so far.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I said "muck more laundry"??? That's what Tessa does. I meant "do". [goes off to do so]

[imhilien.livejournal.com]

I can believe that! I've had a short-sleeved t-shirt on all this weekend, so that means it really is summer. ;-)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Greg finally took his sweatshirt off today.