Tessa's home!

[vilakins]

She's groggy and drunk and falls over every time she tries to turn a corner , and almost fell in her food bowl, poor little thing, but it's encouraging that she's hungry and eating. The surgeon gave her an 80% chance of the graft taking and her keeping the eye, and it really doesn't look as bad as I'd thought it would. He'd warned me it would look "gross" but it's nowhere near as bad as it was before he operated.

Greg said he did in fact see her on Tuesday morning in her bed. He scritched her between the ears and saw her face: she didn't open her eyes but they weren't weeping at all. We wipe all the cats' eyes if they're 'gungy' as we call it, so he'd have noticed because Tessa's the worst. This makes me feel a lot better. She must have already been infected but nothing was showing.

She's on my lap, fast asleep, and has been there for the last hour or so, purring softly while I drew a picture of her around her from an old photo. The motion of the graphics pen is much slower and smoother than me typing and I only used the one hand, but she's so settled now, I thought I'd post about her--and around her.

She has four different aggressive antibiotics to take to kill the infection--two pills, eye drops, and an eye cream five minutes after the drops--and she goes back for a check-up in 8 or 9 days. The eye treatments have to be 4 times a day but Greg's working from home tomorrow to be with her, and then it's the weekend, so she'll be well cared for. [kisses her between the ears]

Comments

[satan-pingu.livejournal.com]

Ah, I'm glad she's back with you. I hope she gets better soon!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

She's still wobbly but eating heartily which is an excellent sign. She even licked Claudia when she joined her on my lap.

[zoefruitcake.livejournal.com]

Awww, that's good. She obviously went downhill fast, so you acted as fast as you could have.

Crazy cat lady as I am, when I got home last night I told all my cats to be thinking of a catty friend far away x x

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

:-D

I just spent three hours 'catted' with Tessa, then her and Claudia who was delighted to have her friend back. She's in front of the heater now after scoffing a second supper. :-)

[trixieleitz]

I'm so relieved she's OK! *scritches Tessa*

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

She's better than I thought, but she has a way to go yet till her eye's properly healed. Heavy medication begins tomorrow; no sleeping in this weekend.

[kerravonsen]

{hugs} I hope things continue better.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

[hugs] I feel more hopeful now. :-)

[kalinda001.livejournal.com]

I'm glad she's better and can go home. Poor kitty...

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

She's had lots of cuddles and food and attention already. She'll be a spoiled little cat for a while (well, more than usual).

[glitterboy1.livejournal.com]

Oh, relief! I'm so glad that it went well, and that she's back home with you. It sounds like she's had the best treatment possible, and I know she'll the best from you at home. Fingers crossed that the medications do their stuff, and that all's well when she goes back in 8/9 days.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thank you. She has four different antibiotics in the hope they'll kill the infection. [prays they work]

[daiseechain.livejournal.com]

Ah, Tessa. Great to hear you're doing better. Keep eating!

That's great news. I'm so glad she got through it and that the chances of recovery are so high. Surgeons don't tend to sugar coat news, and that's a good number.

She'll love having you both around for cuddles over the weekend.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

He was also pretty definite that if she was to keep her eye, we'd have to give her the meds 4 times a day. We'll be getting up early and I'll come home next week at midday to treat her. We're going to do our best to ensure she has the best chance possible.

[linda-joyce.livejournal.com]

Oh I'm so glad she's back home and with a good chance of being the beautiful looking cat she always has been. I take it she's in a collar, but her 'sister' (sorry I've forgotten the other beauty's name) will probably try to lick it better I don't envy you trying to keep them apart.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

She hasn't got a collar on. I've been watching Claudia to make sure she doesn't lick Tessa's face, and they'll sleep separately at night: Claudia in their heated bed, and Tessa in ours.

[sallymn.livejournal.com]

Give her an extra cuddle from me.

And no matter what happens, a loved cat is always beautiful...

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

She is! The vet and the surgeon commented not just on how pretty she is, but also what a sweet-natured little girl she is. She'll always be our darling, as will Claudia.

[imhilien.livejournal.com]

Here's hoping she makes a full recovery soon... :-)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thanks. We're going to do our best to ensure she does: lots of cuddles and spoiling and meds every few hours.

[jomacmouse.livejournal.com]

Well done, vet! Well done, Tessa, for showing encouraging signs! Yay, Greg, for working from home tomorrow! Yay, vilakins, just for good measure! :-)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Yay me for doing all the transport and having her on my lap for so long, my legs went stiff. :-P I was so pleased she was purring and happy though.

I'd so work from home if I could.

[jhall1.livejournal.com]

That sounds very hopeful. It's amazing what vetinary surgeons can do nowadays, more than could be done for human patients with eye problems just a few decades ago.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

This guy is amazing. He does just the same sort of surgery, and the meds for animal eyes are usually exactly the same as for humans. He covers the top half of the North Island and I'm so lucky he's right in the next suburb.

Mind you I'd be luckier still not to have to use his expertise.

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

Welcome home Tessa! I'm very glad to hear the operation's gone well so far, and I hope your devoted care will do the rest. How long does the four-times-a-day treatment go on?

It's a comfort, too, to know there's nothing you could have noticed on Tuesday morning. We all know you'd never leave anything undone to take proper care of your girls.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

For as long as they last, being antibiotics. I'm not sure how long that is for the eye meds (the pills are just once and twice a day respectively) but at least five days which is the critical time. I'll take her back to be checked next Friday.

Thank you. I do feel better knowing she had no visible signs of trouble at that stage.

Your Thomas is such a dignified and wise looking gentleman.

[reapermum.livejournal.com]

Glad she's home with you, it'll make her feel better knowing where she is.

And those aggressive bacteria work very fast so I'm not surprised nothing was visible on Tuesday morning.

You're obviously feeling better yourself being able to see how she is and do something to help her.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I do; I so do.

She hasn't wanted to get off my lap! We're off to bed with her now. :-)

[sorsha-khan.livejournal.com]

Heya. Glad she's back home & being nursed by mummy & daddy. Probably being really thick, but what caused the prob in the first place? *Cuddles Tessa* Hope she's back to full cat soon. x

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

She's happy to be back and we're delighted to have her.

It was a little scratch on her cornea which somehow got infected by a very aggressive bacteria; sheer and unusual bad luck, they said. :-(

[redstarrobot.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad she's back, and that it's looking so good for her! (I haven't been commenting much lately, but I have been following her news.)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

She slept all night and we've given her her first meds. She's still sleepy and groggy but she's eating and drinking well, and her eye looks pretty good; a lot better than I thought it would. :-)

[astrogirl2.livejournal.com]

Oh, that all sounds very encouraging. I'm glad to hear it. Good luck to her!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'm hopeful she'll recover well and keep most of her sight. She's still very sleepy; it was a long op so she must have had a lot of anaesthetic. Her eye looks heaps better than it was when I took her in.

[san-valentine.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad she's home and doing well. I remember when Bishop came back from the vet after an op. He was a huge dignified black cat and it was so funny to see him trying to walk with one end doing different things to the other while he was still slightly woozy. (Bishop's the cat in the icon)

I hope Tessa makes the best possible recovery.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

She's still wobbly and dopey; it was a long op.

Bishop is an excellent name for a cat of size and dignity. :-)

[jaxomsride.livejournal.com]

Oh poor Tessa, hope she gets better soon and there are no complications.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thanks. She has a very good chance.

[entropy-house.livejournal.com]

Hurrah! I was worried about the little sweetheart. I'm glad she's home and feeling better. No matter what her eye looks like, she'll always be gorgeous.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

It looks a lot better than I thought it would, though I can't see that much of it. And she will. She's the dearest little thing.

[nautile26.livejournal.com]

Poor Tessa. You'll soon have all weekend to lavish her with lots of TLC which should make all of you much happier.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Greg's home with her today, working from there, but yes, she will get lots of attention in the weekend. :-)

That's a gorgeous cat mask icon!

[pinkdormouse.livejournal.com]

Excellent news.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

It is! I won't quite relax though till I take her back for the check up and know her eye's healed.

[snowgrouse.livejournal.com]

Phew. That's good news.

*Hugs to you and Tessa from me and Noki*

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

She's a lot better now and her eye's open more; I'm very hopeful. She doesn't mind the eye stuff at all, but she's an expert at rejecting pills. :-P