The Saga of the Sick Cat Part 4: The Road to Recovery
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So they sent us home. When Linus emerged from his carrying case, my mom, dad, and I all just looked at him in shock. To say he was in rough shape is an understatement.
He stepped out of the carrier. Cone of shame strapped around his neck, front legs shaved from being pumped full of fluids, his face was sticky with medications gone arry, and he smelled awful. He immediately started running into everything in the kitchen, struggling to get his balance with the cone. I’m sure the drugs did not help his depth perception.
I was told he needed to keep his cone on for 3-4 days, he was licking his wounds and that could interfere with his healing. But he also really hated the cone and did whatever he could to get it off his head.
Those next four days resulted in little sleep and constant worry and prayers.
With the cone he couldn’t reach is food or water dish. Every morning and evening I spoon fed him his new urinary tract wet food. It was a messy challenge to feed a very food motivated, excited cat in a plastic cone.
In addition to wearing his cone, he had to receive two liquid oral medications every day. The first one every 8 hours, the second every 12 hours. I set an alarm, I fill a syringe full of an exact measurement of liquid medicine, removed the cone (because it was the only way to get the medicine successfully into his mouth) and shoot the medicine in. I had to watch youtube videos on how to successfully administer liquid medicine to a difficult cat. The key is to get it past their tongue, so it goes directly down their throat. You put the syringe in, shoot medicine in, remove syringe, and hold their mouth shut and count to ten.
He hated this medication and began to anticipate when it was time to receive it. He would hide and when caught he would fight. It was a miserable experience that required two people most times. The one medication made him really drowsiey and the other made him wired but also off balance. Either way, both made me worry because he wasn’t his normal self.
I am not good at the “tough love” for Linus. I baby him for sure, but in this situation, I constantly had to remind myself that this is what Linus needed in order to get better. It was so hard for me because I knew he hated me at the moment.
He made me so nervous as he was persistent about doing things as he normally does in our home. He wanted to sit at the top of his cat tree, but the cone got stuck a few times and he almost fell. He wanted to walk behind the couch, but again the cone would get stuck and I’d have to set him free.
Four days passed and I was terrified to remove the cone. I did not want to have to go through this whole process again, I did not want him to get sick again.
My mom reassured me that enough time had passed, that it was time. So we removed the cone. Linus was ecstatic. Resentfully, he finished his medicine within the next two days.
After he finished his medication, the final step was to make sure his urinary health returned to normal. Throughout this span of facilitating the medication and wearing the cone, Linus was going to the bathroom, but very small amounts frequently.
For the next few days, I monitored the litter box far too closely. I called the vet, and they reassured me to give it time. Within a week, I scooped the largest clump from Linus’s litter box, confirming a successful amount of urine, that I had in months. I danced around, praised Linus for his successful improvement.
Since then, he has continued to make a full recovery. I have him on a strict prescription, urinary tract health diet, once again a Chewy.com purchase. I have three Feliway diffusers throughout the house. We are taking precautionary action to make sure this never happens again.
If you have a male cat that is very stressed and anxious, this post is your warning sign. Even slight changes to your home, like rearranging furniture, taking vacations, or introducing a new pet, while exciting for you, can be overwhelming for your kitty.
Learn from me, see the warning signs and keep your furry friend healthy.
Since his hospital visit, Linus has attachment issues. He is very high maintenance because of how pampered he was while he was sick. While I have no doubt that my overbearing mothering has contributed to his neediness, I can’t complain, I’m so happy he is healthy safe and back by my side.