Remember Eli?
Eli has taken to chasing his tail (and catching it) again, an activity that apparently became an obsession when I was in London (he doesn't have to like me, apparently to miss my presence in the house during the day). Upon my return, it became routine for us to wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of a hissing, spitting cat fight taking place at the foot of the bed (and we only have the one cat).
Last Monday morning, I was sitting in the living room when I heard ear-splitting yowling coming from the kitchen. I ran into a scene straight out of a horror movie, as blood gushed from a three-inch gash at the end of Eli's tail. I simultaneously applied pressure and called the vet.
It turns out that he also had severely impacted anal glands (sorry if this grosses you out, I did warn you, though the blog is "Not Just About Cancer") and is hyperthyroid (this will mean medication for the rest of his life.
Every morning, I now find myself administering antibiotics and thyroid meds, then feeding wet food that has been sprinkled with metamucil to the cat, even before I have had coffee or breakfast.
And we haven't even begun to deal with the crazy (because although the anal glands and the thyroid problem may have made things worse, they aren't really the root of the problem).
OK, so maybe I feel a little sorry for him.
After fourteen years, it's hard not to be a little attached.
And he's always had a certain sociopathic charm.
I've got to go hold him down now, so that my spouse can change his bandages.
12 comments:
LOL!
aa.
I am soooo not a pet person. So this is completely lost on me! But you have an amazingly big heart. God bless you for takin gon this cat. Let me tell you I would have ....by now! Sorry I am not trying ot be insensitive...Oye Vey!
Ok good luck with the cat!
sounds strangely familiar. Are you sure our cats aren't related? Mine is the son of a French floozy and (presumably) a stray father.He is lurking around coners, waiting to jump when another living thing comes around it. He is always trying to seduce us to cuddle and pet him (lying at your feet on his back purring and wriggling), but as soon as we do scratches or bites. Trips to ythe vet are a total disaster: we now pick up a shrinking cage beforehand and bring him to the vet in that for as soon as we enter the vet's buiding he starts to roar etc etc etc. I guess we both have a wild one,eh?
Your cat makes mine seem...normal. ;-)
Maybe he was blaming his anal gland pain on his tail? Poor kitty.
In some ways, I feel the same way about pet ownership as I do about parenthood. I truly don't believe that everyone needs to have pets or kids in order for their life to be complete. However, if you do choose these things, then you make a true long term commitment, no matter what (unless a pet puts a child's safety at risk, then the pet needs a new home. I feel that my pets (and my kids) mostly give back more than I give to them. Eli does put me to the test, though...
And the anal glands problem did contribute to the tail problem, as did the thyroid condition. However, he didn't have either of those conditions when he had a checkup last fall and he was already chasing his tail long before that.
When he left the vet, I did say to my spouse, "So maybe he was just been acting out because of his anal glands!". My spouse replied, "For fourteen years?"
"the sound of a hissing, spitting cat fight taking place at the foot of the bed (and we only have the one cat)"
HAHAHAHAHA
Two things to consider:
1. Pill pockets (available at most pet supply stores; this is how we were able to deliver "atenolol treats" to Sam when he was recovering from hyperthyroidism)
2. Radioactive iodine treatment for the hyperthyroidism (yes, it's the same treatment given humans; and yes, it's very expensive, though probably not more expensive than a lifetime of medication, and not available everywhere (thought it is available in Canada), but it's a one shot treatment with little stress to the animal and no side effects (unlike the medication, which is quite toxic) and cured two of the three cats we got this for, including Sam; the one who went uncured also had intestinal lymphoma, so we didn't see much improvement in most of his symptoms)
Incidentally, we have not put Sam on Paxil yet, but we have the prescription. What we do not have anymore is a couch. (sigh)
Gotta love the little beasties.
We've had our cat for about a year and we adopted her from the local humane society. It took her a few weeks to get used to her new home . . . she tended to pee or poop on the floor (thank god it wasn't the carpet) and three times, she peeed in the bathtub and once she pooped there. Antibacterial soap was quickly administered! But to stop her from going in the bathtub, I filled it with an inch of water. A couple of hours later, I heard a splash and then a loud "meow" and she's never gone again. She's an outdoor cat and I haven't had to worry about indoor cat toileting for months now. Thank goodness!
My cat has recently ruines two inflatable swimming pools. Th e first was just because he was thirsty and tried to lean onto the edge. Since it then moved het took out his claws... The second was a much larger pool with a cover. He apperently jumoed onto it, started to sink and panicked. Again, clawiung for support. So much for an inflatable pool...
We are administering the thyroid meds in his ear, which is actually pretty easy (I do it while he's eating). I hadn't heard of any alternatives.
It is extremely handy to know about pill pockets, too, as I am sure I will be administering many more pills to animals in my lifetime.
I had never heard of Paxil for kitties (although it makes sense). I do think that some kind of kitty anti-anxiety meds are in Eli's future.
Oh poor kitty :(
Oh dear. Poor thing!
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