Remember when I posted about how Fluffy always pooped everywhere and how horrible it was? Or that she was just a walking puke bag? Or just how generally moody she is? I found out there was a for reals reason for all this.
Back in March that cat's bowel movements and puking were getting to the point that all I was doing was cleaning the floor and lighting candles. It was annoying. But what was making it scary was the fact that Fluffy was constantly eating, like, maniacally eating, but not putting on any weight. In fact, she was losing it and became emaciated. Her fur was matting up so badly I had to cut it off- she started to look mangy. Her mood was worse, she was just so hungry all the time she became a bitch- never sitting with me, never purring. I was really scared. So I sucked it up and took her to the vet.
After a stool sample and blood work, the vet told me ever so calmly that Fluffy had such terrible hyper-thyroidism that her blood levels were off the chart. She has a growth on her thyroid that I noticed but since she didn't wince when I touched it and she seemed ok, until recently that is, that I pushed it out of my head as me being a big baby. Nope. It was real. And it was really not good for Fluffy.
The vet assured me that there are pills that have a great success rate for kitties with this condition. I just have to hog tie her twice a day and shove a pill down her throat. Daunting? Yes. But after a week of doing it there was marked improvement. She was pooping solidly- and in the litter box. She was eating a few times a day and wasn't a manic freak whenever I went into the fridge. She began cuddling with me again. She's the cat I took home with me seven years ago.
I'm just upset that I didn't act sooner. I was afraid of the bill. The only reason I could go this time was because my mother insisted on helping me pay. I hate to admit all of that. She deserved better than that and I couldn't face the music. What's money when a living creature, that is my sole responsibility, needs to be okay? If anything happens like this with her again I'm not waiting. I'm sorry, Fluffy.
4 comments:
I guess I should have Hobbes' growth removed...
That growth is legit! Yikes!
It's tough with pets these days as a lot more can be done with them than a few years ago--for a conscientious pet owner you may as well have a child. Care can be astronomical.
I dunno. I think you did the right thing but as my dad (who loves his cats like whoa) always used to say, "It is just an animal." Which does not mean to say we shouldn't be loving and sympathetic and kind, but that sometimes it is better to be merciful than to spend a lot on a bill. I think you were right to be afraid of the vet bill. We were told, when Ai had blood coming from her nose, that they would have to do a full workup to find out what was wrong, including a brain tumor. (A $1000 value!) When I told the vet that wasn't necessary, and could we just pull the tooth and find out if it was related, she acted like I was insane. She kicked me out of her office when I told her that if my cat has a brain tumor I am going to euthanize her. We then went to a farm vet who pulled two teeth and fixed the problem for a fraction of the price. It is very hard to judge sometimes.
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