Cat Roller Coaster
My ’98 Dodge Intrepid broke down in the parking lot of a Staples out near my college. I had decided at the last minute to stop there for some supplies for the parade on Tuesday to save myself the bother of making a special trip to the store out in my area. When I went to pull into a parking space, my car failed on me. It just up and died. I was able to avoid hitting the nearby parked cars even though the power steering and brakes were not working all that well when the car died. I got it started again and pulled completely into a space so that my car was not still halfway out in an aisle and then I called AAA to reinstate my membership. The break down happened around 2:35pm and it would have been the perfect time to contact Chris because he was just getting out of work at a nearby school. He was just 10 minutes away from where my car broke down, but because he doesn’t believe in owning a cell phone, I had no way of contacting him and had to wait for him to get back to our house around 4pm.
Once I got in contact with him and knew that he was coming out to rescue me, I arranged for a tow to a nearby garage. He brought out Gilligan and we stayed the night at his parents’ extra house in Galloway. My car wasn’t ready until Thursday, though. It sucked being away from home for so long, especially when I had parade related tasks that I needed to be doing at home. It was becoming quite frustrating.
We finally got home Thursday evening. I immediately looked for my dear cat, Claws. She’s usually pretty independent and can be left alone for a few days because she has her litter box, automatic feeder and self watering device. I couldn’t find her right away, but eventually located her under the dining room table. I got down and stroked her side and she complained, so all seemed well. We thought that it was a bit odd that she never came out to greet us that evening, but she’s a cat...and we assumed that she was just being aloof.
Friday when I checked on her, it looked as though she hadn’t moved from the spot under the table. Still, it was hard to be certain that anything was amiss. The spot may have become her favorite place to hang. It wasn’t until my suspicions drove me nuts enough later to feel the carpet under her for wetness. It was wet and confirmed my suspicion that perhaps she had not been able to move from the spot to get to the litter box. I gave her food and water while she was under the table while I worried about what to do with her. I was alone at the time and a little upset.
She ate and drank heartily. I called the vet’s office and the nurse/receptionist felt that was a good sign. I asked how late they were open that day and if they had Saturday hours. When Chris got home and the cat’s condition was still worrisome, I tried calling to see if we could take her in before the vet left, but the phone was busy and we couldn’t get through. We loaded Claws up into the car anyway and started driving to the vet’s office. On the way, Chris tried calling on the cell phone and finally got through. It wasn’t 5pm yet and the vet had already left for the day. Dammit.
We brought Claws home and continued to care for her. I tried making an appointment for Saturday, but couldn’t. They were already double booked as it was. The best that they could do was 2:15pm on Monday. I had to take that time. There was no other choice, although I had really wanted Chris with me in case I did have to have the cat put down. I would have been a blubbering idiot and could have used the comfort.
This morning, I put in a few hours at my internship and came home feeling prepared for the worse, even if I did cry myself silly driving back to my house. While I waited for it to be time to take Claws in, I changed the towel in the storage container that she’s been living in and gave her a warm sponge bath with a washcloth. I gave her some more of the nice wet food that she enjoys, thinking that I was giving my cat her last meal. Then, we headed for the vet’s office. I cried on the way in.
The vet checked her out and couldn’t find any reason for her to not be walking. He never mentioned the option of putting her down. She was in really good spirits and was feisty. He tested her leg strength and it was fine. A blood sample was taken from her and the results should be back by Wednesday. Her main issue was a bad case of fleas, but nothing was obviously wrong with her. It was frustrating. He gave her a shot of steroids and I have a packet of steroid pills to give her over the course of the next few days. She had been constipated up until this afternoon and the vet gave me little kitty enemas in case the constipation doesn’t clear up enough.
Since Chris has come home, we’ve put Claws down on the floor for kitty rehabilitation. We’ve let her flop around and try to walk. She has not complained of any pain and seemed to be enjoying receiving attention from us. She still seems unable to walk or sit up. It’s odd.
The vet didn’t offer any suggestions of what the issue might be. We are wondering if she might have had a stroke or something. I guess that we might know a little more in a day or two. She’s finally doing some pooping on her own. Perhaps the threat of an enema was enough to get her bowels moving again, or the water that she’s been drinking has helped. We’ve also been giving her wet food to help with things.
Once I got in contact with him and knew that he was coming out to rescue me, I arranged for a tow to a nearby garage. He brought out Gilligan and we stayed the night at his parents’ extra house in Galloway. My car wasn’t ready until Thursday, though. It sucked being away from home for so long, especially when I had parade related tasks that I needed to be doing at home. It was becoming quite frustrating.
We finally got home Thursday evening. I immediately looked for my dear cat, Claws. She’s usually pretty independent and can be left alone for a few days because she has her litter box, automatic feeder and self watering device. I couldn’t find her right away, but eventually located her under the dining room table. I got down and stroked her side and she complained, so all seemed well. We thought that it was a bit odd that she never came out to greet us that evening, but she’s a cat...and we assumed that she was just being aloof.
Friday when I checked on her, it looked as though she hadn’t moved from the spot under the table. Still, it was hard to be certain that anything was amiss. The spot may have become her favorite place to hang. It wasn’t until my suspicions drove me nuts enough later to feel the carpet under her for wetness. It was wet and confirmed my suspicion that perhaps she had not been able to move from the spot to get to the litter box. I gave her food and water while she was under the table while I worried about what to do with her. I was alone at the time and a little upset.
She ate and drank heartily. I called the vet’s office and the nurse/receptionist felt that was a good sign. I asked how late they were open that day and if they had Saturday hours. When Chris got home and the cat’s condition was still worrisome, I tried calling to see if we could take her in before the vet left, but the phone was busy and we couldn’t get through. We loaded Claws up into the car anyway and started driving to the vet’s office. On the way, Chris tried calling on the cell phone and finally got through. It wasn’t 5pm yet and the vet had already left for the day. Dammit.
We brought Claws home and continued to care for her. I tried making an appointment for Saturday, but couldn’t. They were already double booked as it was. The best that they could do was 2:15pm on Monday. I had to take that time. There was no other choice, although I had really wanted Chris with me in case I did have to have the cat put down. I would have been a blubbering idiot and could have used the comfort.
This morning, I put in a few hours at my internship and came home feeling prepared for the worse, even if I did cry myself silly driving back to my house. While I waited for it to be time to take Claws in, I changed the towel in the storage container that she’s been living in and gave her a warm sponge bath with a washcloth. I gave her some more of the nice wet food that she enjoys, thinking that I was giving my cat her last meal. Then, we headed for the vet’s office. I cried on the way in.
The vet checked her out and couldn’t find any reason for her to not be walking. He never mentioned the option of putting her down. She was in really good spirits and was feisty. He tested her leg strength and it was fine. A blood sample was taken from her and the results should be back by Wednesday. Her main issue was a bad case of fleas, but nothing was obviously wrong with her. It was frustrating. He gave her a shot of steroids and I have a packet of steroid pills to give her over the course of the next few days. She had been constipated up until this afternoon and the vet gave me little kitty enemas in case the constipation doesn’t clear up enough.
Since Chris has come home, we’ve put Claws down on the floor for kitty rehabilitation. We’ve let her flop around and try to walk. She has not complained of any pain and seemed to be enjoying receiving attention from us. She still seems unable to walk or sit up. It’s odd.
The vet didn’t offer any suggestions of what the issue might be. We are wondering if she might have had a stroke or something. I guess that we might know a little more in a day or two. She’s finally doing some pooping on her own. Perhaps the threat of an enema was enough to get her bowels moving again, or the water that she’s been drinking has helped. We’ve also been giving her wet food to help with things.