Vet Bills Past

One of my ten-year-old kitties, Patch the Pirate, has been a cause for concern on and off throughout her time with us. She occasionally has a dry, hacking cough, which the vet says may be chronic bronchitis or asthma. Twice she has had to have several teeth removed because they developed “cervical neck lesions,” also called “dental resorption lesions.” The lesions, which are NOT cavities, begin as a loss of tooth enamel, usually at or below the gumline, and can eventually spread to the dentin and then the pulp canal, which contains the blood vessels and nerves to the tooth. The lesions ultimately cause a great deal of pain.

Vet Bills Present

Earlier this year, Patch seemed to develop symptoms of a cold: a bit of sneezing and runny eyes. I obtained a prescription from the vet for azithromycin, which has twice worked wonders on my mom’s cat, Toshi Purrs-a-Lot. The human version has a cherry taste, which Patch refused to take when mixed with food. I know better than to try to medicate her myself, so I asked the vet for a compounded version of the antibiotic with chicken flavoring. That worked no better than the cherry-flavored one. The condition subsided, then returned, then seemed to subside again…until I noticed a strange sound.

Three days ago, when I first heard the sound, I thought my oldest cat, Googlie Girl, was snoring in her sleep. The next day I realized that it was Patch the Pirate, and she was wheezing with every breath she took. My major dilemma: how to get Patch to the vet for treatment. She had been a stray for too long to be fully socialized, although she allows petting at her own discretion. She has been known to draw blood (mine) with teeth and claws (hers).

Yesterday, I began to feel desperate. Patch was clearly miserable. I had to work from 1:30 to 8:00 PM. I asked my mother to join me in praying for God to put Patch in the cat carrier. We keep a couple of them sitting open in our living area so the cats will not be alarmed by them. In the classes I taught last night, I asked my students to pray, too.

When I arrived home, Patch was not in the carrier. She and her buddy C. P. Pirate were sleeping on the table, keeping warm under the lamp. I approached Patch, startling her a bit when I petted her. Suddenly the idea popped into my head: grab her (gently) and rush her into the carrier across the room. Immediately I did just that. Patch made one feeble attempt to bite me, but she “gummed” me instead. Into the carrier she went, and I slammed the door closed. Off to the vet we both went. Thank you, God, for speedily answered prayer!

Vet Bills Future

After a 45-minute wait we saw Dr. L., who had treated Revelly during her finally illness late last month. Dr. L. was very patient with Patch, and eventually was able to listen carefully to her lungs. The good news was that Patch’s lungs are clear. Patch has a very bad upper respiratory infection. I already knew what the bad news would be: Patch would need to be hospitalized (remember my utter failure with the azithromycin?).

I have to admit that I am relieved that Patch is finally getting some care. She is on antibiotics and IV fluids. When I visited today, her wheezing was greatly reduced, although I could see her runny eyes and tiny, congested nose. She even let me pet her–after a few half-hearted hisses–if I went slowly and talked sweetly to her.

After two previous feline hospitalizations in the last month–Revelly’s final illness and Pawscar Awesome’s two-day stay–I know I will not enjoy another hefty vet bill. Far more important, though, is the restoration of my little Patch the Pirate to health. Please pray for healing!

Only eight days after Revelly crossed the Rainbow Bridge, I got another awful scare. Pawscar Awesome, my orange polydactyl “michikitty” (for the shape of his front paws), refused to eat his supper and his breakfast the next morning. He was not as active or as talkative (is “howlative” a word?) as usual either. These symptoms were eerily similar to the ones Revelly displayed before her final hospitalization.

I was due at my Wayne State job Monday afternoon, but managed to squeeze in what turned out to be a rather lengthy visit to the vet before I drove to Detroit. Pawscar was dehydrated, and an x-ray revealed that he was also constipated. Dr. C. admitted him to the hospital for IV fluids and an enema. She ran some bloodwork, which hinted at the possibility of pancreatitis and low potassium. Neither of these turned out to be what ailed Pawscar. In fact, nothing in the testing revealed a definitive cause for his dehydration or constipation.

Dr. C. let me take Pawscar home today. I am grateful that he seems better and is acting more like his usual self. A nagging concern remains: if we do not know what caused his problems this time, how can I feel any measure of confidence that they will not recur.

Scare produces prayer (or at least, it should).

My walk today was through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23:4). Dr. L. from Gasow awakened me with a telephone call this morning to tell me that Revelly had now shown definite symptoms of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: fluid on the lungs, galloping heartbeat, a strange little “meow” or breath noise. She suggested that I could take Revelly to the emergency veterinary hospital for an echocardiogram, but said that there most likely would not be much that could be done to help my kitty. I opted instead for a final visit and a very mournful goodbye. I know that the Lord is with me, even in these sad circumstances (Psalm 23:6). I would like to believe that I will one day be reunited with all the felines I have loved.

 

We did not have Revelly for long. She was dumped at Gasow Veterinary Hospital  by her former owner, who insisted on being shown to an office without providing any information on herself or her cat (except maybe that she was 10) and then left Revelly in an exam room. When I met her, Revelly was named Rosalita. She had had elevated kidney values as a result of several bad teeth that were removed before I adopted her in May 2012. I was told she got along with other cats, or at least ignored them; this turned out not to be the case. Eventually, Revelly adjusted to her multi-cat surroundings, but she always had growls and swats for Gobblin’ Goopuss (whether he was up to no good or minding his own business). Revelly had a number of interesting traits, the most noteworthy of which was her energetic tail swishing (hence the nickname “Webelly Whacky Tail”). She also had a tendency to suffer from an upset stomach; periodic B12 injections helped with that. I will miss her feisty tortitude.