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Friday, July 18, 2008

No. 2 Cat


Update as of now - Am worried about the boy, his infection is back and the vet can't work out why as she removed the source. It must still be rampaging through his system. He's back to turning down his food and one pupil is blown again, apparently whatever it is, it's pressing on his optic nerve. They're giving him a stronger antibiotic. My fingers and toes are crossed that he's going to be OK.

This beautiful boy has just been subjected to 48 hours at the vet and they're not ready to let him go for another 10 hours.

When we got to Tenerife, I found that he had a very snotty nose and there was dried snot all around it. When I asked Rhona about it she denied all knowledge of it and said she hadn't noticed anything. Well, the only way you wouldn't see that is if you literally didn't see it. And she obviously hadn't looked at the boy for days. With my blood boiling I cleaned him up as best I could (and also took care of his 'brother' who had very weepy and crusty eyes).

I told her that there was clearly something wrong as a healthy cat doesn't have a runny nose (Toffee's eyes are a constant problem and just need to be cleaned every day or so) and his coat also was showing signs of him not being in top condition. He was very affectionate with Steve and I and was eating well so she said she would take him in to the vet in a day or so - I reminded her again as I was leaving.

Sunday rolled around and still no treatment had been sought. She went home that evening and found him alternating between standing staring into a corner or looking for a dark place to hide. Upon noticing that one of his pupils was totally dilated, she rushed him to the emergency vet, whereupon she was told that he had a huge infection in his gums and it had also moved up above his palate. He was, it seems, in a very critical condition. They pumped him full of antibiotics and sent him home with her, to rest. On Tuesday she took him to his usual vet, who found serious inflammation around three teeth and booked him in for surgery on Thursday to have the teeth removed. So much for regular vet's visits, she told me they had been going, so now I'm worried about their shots being up to date. Something I'll be chasing her about very soon.

When they got in there, they took out those three teeth and two others, and even though he apparently did well in the surgery, they wanted to keep him in for overnight observation. I'm hoping it's all going to be okay. I'll get him and his brother back soon and they'll be looked after properly. Rhona leaves the cats alone for very long periods of time as she has been spending nights at her boyfriend's and not even going home after work to take care of them. Probably just loads up their food dishes and disappears for a couple of days. Gggggrrrrrr!

I won't even go into the state of the apartment - MY apartment - which she's been living in rent-free for the past almost eight years. Oh well, I'll have to fix it up before I can put it on the market when she moves out but that will be a big project as it needs a total overhaul.

So much more to say about my sister, I came away from that trip feeling disappointed and downright angry, not to mention being totally embarrassed by her behaviour. She outdid herself that time and I was totally pissed off with her and her boyfriend. She chose the bottle and that obnoxious person over spending time with Steve and I. And when she did spend time with us, her behaviour was absolutely atrocious most of the time.

I was glad to leave, only sad to say goodbye to Lupo and the cats. But not for long. Now I have to prepare my life for having my babes back with me. Or rather, with US!


Update: He's home, he's eating like a demon with the remaining teeth and purring like his old self. A happy cat :)

11 comments:

Jac said...

Even with no teeth, your babes will be SO much happier to be with you. Actually, my elderly cats did fine as they lost some of those teeth in later life. clearing that up will help them live longer too. So they can spend their last 6 lives with you! Prrrrr.

Veracity said...

Awwww... Yes, it would be good for them to be back with you as soon as possible. *hugs*

Fusion said...

Hmmm, your sister vs. my daughter's boyfriend...
We could compare, and really Grrrrr.

Hope you get your cats and Lupo soon, and get your sis out too!

Fiona said...

Jac - thank you for that. Yes, Toffee has already lost ALL his teeth, but that was expected as he had some disease from birth (I got him when he was 3) which the vet told me would mean his teeth break off at the gumline - and they did, every single one of them. The good thing is that makes his 'love bites' very easy on the flesh :) I'm pissed off with her that she hasn't been taking them for their routine exams and that also means their shots are out of date for moving them here!

Veracity - like all of us, they need lovin' and that's not something they've been getting much of. They deserve that, at least.

John - soon, indeed it will be soon. She now has about 1/3 of her inheritance through and she's chomping at the bit to go and spend it!!

Constance said...

What a shame that Rhona's behavior is so disappointing.

I hope kitty will be okay, poor baby. It breaks my heart when animals are sick.

Fiona said...

I always hold out hope that Rhona will take responsibility for her own behaviour. I guess I'll be holding out hope for a while longer!

Re Sai-loh, I know, Annie, I feel so badly he's been neglected to this extent. Now I'm worried about their health certifications and innoculations to bring them back here, as we are pretty strict with quarantine unless the animal is well documented and squeaky clean. I'd hate to see ANY of them in kennels for four months. Sigh.

Anonymous said...

No matter how well intentioned (or not), no one loves your babes as much as you do.

Fiona said...

It's true, LS, and I do love them so.

Well, the plot thickens, apparently Canary Islands are now Group 3 according to our local authorities which means four months' quarantine on arrival.

I've been trying to look at ways to circumvent putting them in cages for four months, I just couldn't do that, and it seems now that with an EU passport (will take six months to get it while in Tenerife) they have free entry into the UK and then if they are resident there for six months - I'm looking at placing them with a home-stay family - I can get them direct into Hong Kong. So with a year to go and much, much expense, I might have my babes with us.

freebird said...

Hmmm, that's funny, I'm sure I left a message yesterday.... oh well.
Just to say I'm sorry to hear of your disappointments and I hope your babes will be ok soon.

patsy said...

The puppy girls and I have your boy in our thoughts... sending love to him in Tenerife xoxo

anna said...

Poor little kitty. I'll never understand why people have pets but don't give them the care they need. Boo on your sister!

 

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