My family comes in on little cat feet
Apr. 1st, 2003 12:02 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
days_unfoldingI'm going to tackle the last couple of weeks in reverse chronological order. Sunday, I brought Squeaky Girl Nima in for her checkup and shots.
Nima's first surprise was that she was tough to catch to put her in the carrier. She got away once. Afterwards, when I put her carrier down in the living room, Random and Harlee zipped under the table ("NOT ME TOO!"), but Harlee came back out to see what was wrong with her friend and kept Nima company. I like Harlee.
The vets treat their regulars right. They whisked me out of line as soon as they saw me*, and put Nima and me in a room, which was especially nice because it was vaccine clinic day, and the place was raining cats and dogs. Noisy! Nima was brave enough to venture out of the carrier when I opened the door, but hid her face in the crook of my arm. ("I'M NOT SEEING THIS!")
The vet was new to me--the third one that I've seen. She checked Nima's ears and found no infection. (Way to go, Nima!) She gave Nima her shots rather than making us wait in line for the vaccine clinic. (Another nice touch.) Sweet, docile, cooperative Nima tried to make a run for it in the middle of a shot, with a needle sticking out of her backside.
She told me something interesting about Nima. One of Nima's ears is notched slightly, and I had thought that she was injured in a fight. The vet told me that rescue groups notch the ears of feral cats when they spay or neuter the cat. Nima probably was a feral kitten like Harlee. Before Nima came to the shelter where I adopted her, she lived at the home of a woman who had around 200 cats in cages. (Nima being one of them.) I bet that the woman was running an ad-hoc rescue group, and got in over her head.
Even though I've been spending way too much on vet bills, I decided to ask for preventative heartworm meds for the cats. Although the disease is fairly rare, there are mosquitoes around that can spread it, and there is no cure for the disease in cats. (I don't like that gamble.) Luckily, the meds are chewable tablets, unlike Random's antibiotics. Random and Harlee snarfed them down. (Random wanted another one.) Nima, who will eat just about anything, wouldn't touch it. I wound up mixing it into her favorite food.
I also asked the vet for a liquid antibiotic for Random. Last week, the vet examined his ears and found that he still had an ear infection despite the meds that we were giving him. She gave me a different set of meds with which to essentially start over. She said that if the new meds didn't work, she'd send a culture off to another lab to find out what meds the infection would respond to, and then we'd treat him again. I almost fell apart then and there. I could handle spending about $1100.00 up to that point and a lot of time if Random was getting well. But spending all that time and money with no end in sight is too much. Random thinks so too; when I try to give him pills now, he clamps his jaws firmly shut and gives me a "don't you dare" look. Sometimes he'll start to growl. I'm hoping that giving him the liquid will be a little easier. Anyway, the vet said that yes, one hazard of long-term treatment is that the cat completely stops cooperating. (I really liked her. The other vets made me feel as if I was doing something wrong.)
Then poor Nima got to go home.
I picked up a rather cool cat carrier when I was out shopping. It has two doors--one on top as well as the usual one in front. It enables you to just lift up the cat and set him or her down in the carrier. (Most cats will not willingly go through the front door of the carrier.) I intended that the carrier be for Random, but he weighs a little more than the maximum recommended weight for the carrier. The company makes a larger size, but no one seems to carry it. I'll try calling the company to find out where to get it. I'll use this carrier for Harlee. I'm especially glad to have it for her because I've wondered how I would be able to evacuate her in an emergency. (Right now, the only way that I can get her into a carrier is through generous use of tuna.) If there is a way to stuff her in a carrier, that would be a relief.
Speaking of Harlee, I've been worried about her over the last couple of weeks. She's been listless, sleeping a lot, refusing her moist food (although she was eating some dry food), and seeming depressed. I gave all three cats their second ear mite/flea treatment on Saturday, and since then, Harlee has magically perked up. She's eating with gusto now. Hope that lasts.
* The last time that I brought Random to the vet, the receptionist said "I know who you are and who you're bringing, so have a seat."
Nima's first surprise was that she was tough to catch to put her in the carrier. She got away once. Afterwards, when I put her carrier down in the living room, Random and Harlee zipped under the table ("NOT ME TOO!"), but Harlee came back out to see what was wrong with her friend and kept Nima company. I like Harlee.
The vets treat their regulars right. They whisked me out of line as soon as they saw me*, and put Nima and me in a room, which was especially nice because it was vaccine clinic day, and the place was raining cats and dogs. Noisy! Nima was brave enough to venture out of the carrier when I opened the door, but hid her face in the crook of my arm. ("I'M NOT SEEING THIS!")
The vet was new to me--the third one that I've seen. She checked Nima's ears and found no infection. (Way to go, Nima!) She gave Nima her shots rather than making us wait in line for the vaccine clinic. (Another nice touch.) Sweet, docile, cooperative Nima tried to make a run for it in the middle of a shot, with a needle sticking out of her backside.
She told me something interesting about Nima. One of Nima's ears is notched slightly, and I had thought that she was injured in a fight. The vet told me that rescue groups notch the ears of feral cats when they spay or neuter the cat. Nima probably was a feral kitten like Harlee. Before Nima came to the shelter where I adopted her, she lived at the home of a woman who had around 200 cats in cages. (Nima being one of them.) I bet that the woman was running an ad-hoc rescue group, and got in over her head.
Even though I've been spending way too much on vet bills, I decided to ask for preventative heartworm meds for the cats. Although the disease is fairly rare, there are mosquitoes around that can spread it, and there is no cure for the disease in cats. (I don't like that gamble.) Luckily, the meds are chewable tablets, unlike Random's antibiotics. Random and Harlee snarfed them down. (Random wanted another one.) Nima, who will eat just about anything, wouldn't touch it. I wound up mixing it into her favorite food.
I also asked the vet for a liquid antibiotic for Random. Last week, the vet examined his ears and found that he still had an ear infection despite the meds that we were giving him. She gave me a different set of meds with which to essentially start over. She said that if the new meds didn't work, she'd send a culture off to another lab to find out what meds the infection would respond to, and then we'd treat him again. I almost fell apart then and there. I could handle spending about $1100.00 up to that point and a lot of time if Random was getting well. But spending all that time and money with no end in sight is too much. Random thinks so too; when I try to give him pills now, he clamps his jaws firmly shut and gives me a "don't you dare" look. Sometimes he'll start to growl. I'm hoping that giving him the liquid will be a little easier. Anyway, the vet said that yes, one hazard of long-term treatment is that the cat completely stops cooperating. (I really liked her. The other vets made me feel as if I was doing something wrong.)
Then poor Nima got to go home.
I picked up a rather cool cat carrier when I was out shopping. It has two doors--one on top as well as the usual one in front. It enables you to just lift up the cat and set him or her down in the carrier. (Most cats will not willingly go through the front door of the carrier.) I intended that the carrier be for Random, but he weighs a little more than the maximum recommended weight for the carrier. The company makes a larger size, but no one seems to carry it. I'll try calling the company to find out where to get it. I'll use this carrier for Harlee. I'm especially glad to have it for her because I've wondered how I would be able to evacuate her in an emergency. (Right now, the only way that I can get her into a carrier is through generous use of tuna.) If there is a way to stuff her in a carrier, that would be a relief.
Speaking of Harlee, I've been worried about her over the last couple of weeks. She's been listless, sleeping a lot, refusing her moist food (although she was eating some dry food), and seeming depressed. I gave all three cats their second ear mite/flea treatment on Saturday, and since then, Harlee has magically perked up. She's eating with gusto now. Hope that lasts.
* The last time that I brought Random to the vet, the receptionist said "I know who you are and who you're bringing, so have a seat."
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no subject
Date: 2003-04-01 10:08 am (UTC)One of the things I like to do is keep the carriers out with the doors open for the kidz to play in and around. Then when I want to get them inside, it isn't a big deal. I'm sneaky ;)
no subject
Date: 2003-04-02 01:18 am (UTC)I leave the carriers out all the time too so that the cats don't run and hide as soon as they see them. Harlee likes to sleep in Random's carrier. However, leaving them out doesn't seem to help much when I need to put the cats in the carriers.