Chico and the Vet

This has been a very long week for me, as my Chico (that adorable cat face above) has been at the vet's office since early Wednesday afternoon. Out of nowhere he began walking around the house meowing, not unusual for him as he's a very vocal kitty. But then the meows became howls and I noticed him squatting around the house. Needless to say, I called the vet as I scooped him in to the carrier and prepared to get in the car.

Chico's had some health issues of the urinary tract infection type before, so I thought it was probably that again and prepared to have his usual pee sample and antibiotics. But when the vet touched his abdomen, my usual belly rub loving cat hissed and clawed at him as the vet pronounced he was full of feces. I scratched my head as they took him off to be x-rayed, thinking he had just eaten so that was probably why he was so full.

But when the x-rays came back, I was horrified to see that my poor kitty's colon was stretched in to an unearthly shape and his 2.5 pounds of weight gain was not the good kind. The vet discussed our options for clearing him out but also warned me that while this could be a one time thing where he had a blockage someplace, it could cause permanent damage or be a recurring issue. In either event, the first course of action would be a dietary change and medications and the second, last ditch effort, would be a surgery to reconstruct his digestive system. Which, my non-bullshit vet told me, is an awful procedure for both him and the patient and is something that may not work in the long run anyway, leading to future discomfort and prolonging the inevitable.

Needless to say as I left the office that day with my empty cat carrier, I was upset. And have been upset since. I've been wondering what will happen to him, but also noting the behaviors of Luna and our other kitty, Mister Molly. Luna has been moping and Molly has been extra needy in between bouts of wandering around the house calling for Chico while opening closet doors and looking under beds... as if he were hiding.

After several conversations with the vet the past few days, today he said things looked optimistic and that I could bring Chico home for the weekend to be started on a new diet and monitored for sufficient potty breaks. However, if he isn't eating or doing his business properly, he has to go back to the doctors on Monday and we'll need to go from there.

We've all got our fingers, toes and furry tails crossed that he'll be just fine over the weekend and that this will be a one time thing caused by stress, eating something he shouldn't have or dehydration. Any other crossed fingers, toes and tails are greatly appreciated.

xox