We Hate The Sickies!

Oh what a time we've had since the middle of last week...

It started with Glitter. She sneezed and sneezed and sneezed. But that was all so we just kept out eye on her and she seemed fine.

Then suddenly Cashmere came up with a goopy half closed eye and we ran her to the vet. At first he said antibiotics for at least three weeks, eye ointment and because they've all been having on and off ear issues, more drops for that. And they were all to get the ear drops.

Cashmere perked up within days and both girls ears looked great, finally. Leo's ears continued to look bad, but otherwise he was fine. We called the vet when it was time for an antibiotic refill and he said since she was doing so well, just one more bottle would do for her.

Friday Leo suddenly came down with a seriously goopy eye that hardly opened and you could see red behind the third eyelid! On top of that, he was wheezing and looking pretty lethargic. A call to the vet revealed that they would not be in until Monday.. Wonderful.

Well, it might not be the right thing to do, but we did have that antibiotic that Cashmere didn't seem to need.. so we gave it to him (and a few more doses to her, just to be sure). He perked up for a bit, thank goodness!

But by late Saturday night, he was sitting up with his mouth open, looking so tired but like he couldn't lay down. We said that's it, bundled him up and Greg ran him to the emergency vet. All we have at the moment, (hello twin 2!) is our smallish cloth kitty carrier.. A bit too small for a large active mancat. Luckily he was in no mood to fight and was put in with minimal fuss.

I sat home and worried and waited. I started wondering when was the last time I saw him get off the cat tree to use the litter. When did I last see him drink, or eat. I'm very good at worry..

Greg called after Leo's initial check by the tech. Greg said he was told Leo had a slight fever and could have pneumonia or an upper respiratory infection.

I was on speaker phone when the vet came in. And no offence to the tech or nurse or whoever, but 106.3 is NOT a slight fever! I hope they said that so as not to panic the 'parent' before the vet shows up.. I, however, do not find it comforting to have something downplayed only to learn later it's worse.

The vet said he needed fluids and antibiotics, and it would be good to keep him over night. Now, please don't think I'm unfeeling or don't have my baby's best interest at heart, but nearly $600 for an overnight stay was just too much for us. Especially after all of my recent, and on going, issues. Knowing that he'd already had the antibiotic shot and that they were going to give him fluids, I didn't see why he'd have to stay. If it's to keep an eye on him, I can do that myself at home. Not like I'm going anywhere and I know his moods and behaviors better than anyone else and can tell when or if he improves or gets worse.

They said that was fine, but take him to the vet tomorrow (Saturday). Uh oh, vet won't be in! So they said he could come back there for a free recheck within 24 hours. Whew! Home he came, and he proceeded to sleep sleep sleep. And of course I worried worried worried. When he was awake, he did seem like he was feeling a little better and his body didn't seem so hot any more.

We weren't waiting for the full 24 hours to pass before taking him back. Early evening we got out the cleaned carrier (still waiting for the return of the big plastic one, twin 2!) but this time Leo was not going in easily! A sign he was feeling better I hoped!

His fever was down to 103.4. Thank you to Spitty's mom for letting me know that a temp between 99.5 and 102.5 is normal, so that meant that he' only had a slight temperature. I had still been worried that I didn't think he was peeing, but he settled that by going in the cloth carrier while waiting for the vet! One more worry down!

He had another antibiotic injection and more fluids and then he came back home. He does seem much better now, but he's still a sick boy. He's sleeping a lot, but at least he's eating and drinking and using the litter box. He'll get to see our regular vet on Wednesday and hopefully he'll be all better by then!

Thank you to everyone for the purrs and prayers as I've been sharing this on facebook over the weekend. I know I probably should have posted about it here, but I was too worried to think about that, can you believe it?

A quick aside here.. Can I complain about the flavored antibiotics?? What cat in this world wants bubblegum flavored anything?!? Ok, I know this antibiotic is also used for babies and toddlers.. but let me tell you, drug companies, they don't like bubblegum flavor either! Any flavor you put in medicine they will hate, trust me! When I was a kid, most medicines were grape flavored. To this day I cannot stand grape anything. Just the thought of it makes me shudder! Honestly, I would think that enough vets use this antibiotic for the drug companies to make something more palatable to kitties, or even doggies. Vets, you need to start demanding it! Bubblegum flavor makes Leo drool...

That's all I have to say today. Thank you for indulging me. and thank you for your continued support!
Oh, and a huge thank you to those who have offered financial help for Leo's medical bills. We're ok right now but we appreciate so much the offers!

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Someone who does need a little financial help is Winnie's Wish! Chrystal has taken in several new kitties recently and money is tight. New kitties means new vet bills, spays and neuters, not to mention more food and litter and cleaning supplies!

You can help in several ways. There's a wish list on amazon. There's the wonderful book Chrystal wrote, and if you already have it, remember it makes a great Christmas gift for your animal loving friends! Direct donations can be made straight to them through paypal. There are links to all of these near the top of sidebar on the Daily Dose page.

Another great way to help them AND get something for your kitties is by joining in on the Cozy Kitty FUNdraiser! Your kitties get a cozy bed and those kitties get needed funds!

If I bed is not something you think your kitties would like right now, please remember that all previous FUNdraisers are still available! There are links to the original FUN FUN FUNdraiser, the Summer FUNdraiser, the Spread the Love FUNdraiser and last years Christmas FUNdraiser on my sidebar! Please feel free to check them all out and remember, Winnie's Wish gets everything above postage and our small materials cost! (international mail rates may be out of date, please email me for all international orders!)