The Cat’s Comeback

Cuddles is in his 18th year. We’ve had him for more than five years. His original owner was forced to give him up to move in with her daughter. She didn’t want to part with him. We read the notes from when she surrendered him and it broke our hearts. But her daughter is allergic and that left her no choice.

He’s been getting a little skinny but that’s not unusual for an older cat. Even a healthy one. He eats like a champ and loves his food more like a dog than a finicky feline. Everything seemed normal until I checked his litterbox one morning and he hadn’t used it overnight. I didn’t want to panic but we also knew that older cats can get sick fast. When I saw him sitting and looking at the litterbox before just walking away, I called the vet.

Disappointment Justified?

Our regular vet’s office had no appointments until the next day but referred to Cuddles’ situation a “medical emergency.” I said, “Don’t you keep slots open for emergencies?” They said yes, but those were filled, too. I understand how things can get but it still felt like a snub. (You’ll soon see why.)

I called the nearest emergency clinic and they said they were wide open, come on in. Cuddles felt so light in the carrier. There was a time when only Derek toted him because he was too heavy for my twice-injured neck. That day, I had no problem on my own.

Thirty minutes later, we arrived at the London clinic only to be told that a life-saving operation had just started on a pet that had been rushed in. They couldn’t take us for several hours and maybe not at all. That was totally understandable. That’s what the clinic is there for.

The Vet Tech gave me the name of a nearby vet clinic. I called and they were booked to the rafters BUT they said I could come in and they’d check Cuddles out between patients. It might take several hours, but they’d figure out what was going on. This is how I hoped our regular vet would have responded. I can’t possibly know everything going on behind the scenes, but that’s how I felt.

A Whole New Vet Experience

I lived in London twice for a total of about 15 years. I’ve driven on Wellington Road South about a million times. Never did I notice Firth Veterinary Hospital there. It’s only been in business for 53 years!

The place was bustling with activity. They took our information and as much detail as I could offer about Cuddles’ condition. By now it was about 1:30 pm and I was told to leave him there and come back around 4 o’clock. They would do a thorough exam between appointments and recommend next steps, if needed. I told him I loved him, left him in his crate in exam room #2, got into my car and promptly burst into tears. It’s not knowing that’s the worst.

There’s a wonderful, giant store nearby called Cobbletogs. Derek and I have always been fans of its eclectic mix of antique, new, and offbeat stuff. I wandered around there for a long while, even chatting (quietly, with sound through my hearing aids) to my brother on the phone. (There weren’t many people there and it’s a huge place. I whispered!)

Killing Too Little Time

Later, after filling the car with gas I was out of ideas. I returned to the clinic 20 minutes early and told them I was perfectly fine just sitting and waiting. Instead, they ushered me right into exam room #2 where Cuddles was huddled in his crate. The physical exam showed that his bladder was empty. Cats can develop crystals that bock the urethra but he had no such thing. He was badly dehydrated and something else was going on.

They did bloodwork and a urinalysis and ultimately we learned that he had an infection in his bladder. How did he get it? It’s just one of those things. The good news is, we went from considering a worst case scenario (going home without him) to treatment ideas. Once again, I burst into tears, but this time with relief.

I’m No Nurse (But I’ll Play One For My Cat)

Liquid painkiller/sedative by mouth? No worries. Watching input and output to report to the vet? On it. Pushing a huge needle into his skin to administer fluids? Well, I watched the Vet Tech do it and it seemed easy enough. But it’s a world away when the needle meets resistance and you have to shove it through his skin. The first night, I got liquid all over the place but none inside his body. How did I respond? Oh yeah, more personal waterworks. (Are you sensing a theme?)

Firth said I was welcome to bring Cuddles back for another tutorial. In fact, they said I could bring him every day and they’d do the task. But I wasn’t about to traumatize him with another road trip just because of my shortcomings. It wasn’t Firth’s fault. By the time they showed me, it was more than four hours since I brought Cuddles in. The day had emotionally exhausted me. Plus, their A/C had died and it was a sauna in there. I wasn’t at my most receptive for learning new things.

The Amazing Lindsay

I found Lindsay, a Registered Vet Tech who works in Aylmer, on Facebook. She does in-home visits for nail trims and other things that an anxious pet might need. She agreed to come the following night and demonstrate the hydrating technique. Lindsay was beyond amazing. She answered all of our questions and just has a positive, warm spirit that comforted us. I didn’t have another issue with the needle. She set us up for success.

It’s new to us but it’s not so unusual to do this kind of treatment. Many people I know have also done the needle hydration on their cats and once you get past the idea of it, it’s not so bad. Plus, the benefits are obvious. Every day, Cuddles is more active and returning to normal. His skin no longer hangs loose on his body. He may never get his weight back, but that’s okay. He’s eating like Joey Chestnut on the 4th of July and forgives us quickly for the pick-ups and jabs and icky medication.

When we adopted our first senior, Spice, we agreed that there would be no heroics. We wouldn’t put an 18-year-old cat on chemo, for example, or allow surgery to remove part of its jaw (Miss Sugar had jaw cancer) when it would only buy a little time. It’s about quality of life. We hope Cuddles has many years left. He’s giving us every reason to be optimistic. And we will all be relieved when our hydrating days are over.