Tag Archives: Veterinarians

Another Year Another Trauma

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Banner, a fluffy orange long-haired cat, and Balboa, a sleek black short-haired cat, sit side by side on a wooden table in front of a television while waiting before a veterinary visit. Banner looks slightly downward, while Balboa faces the camera with bright yellow eyes.Another Annual Trauma

Well, we had our annual vet visit today.

Banner and Balboa are both 6 years old now, which makes them 42 in human years according to the cat age chart on Chewy. You’d think by now this would be routine. Well, Banner is okay with it, but not our little black diva, Balboa.

I administered the 2 ml dose of Gabapentin two hours before the vet arrived. I switched to a mobile vet years ago to avoid stressing out the little creatures and, truth be told, myself. Balboa destroys pet carriers and would never tolerate sitting in a waiting room at a vet’s office.

Our mobile vet is awesome. I highly recommend Ross Veterinary House Calls. Dr. Ross has all the patience in the world, and believe me, she needs it with Balboa.

Meet The Drama Queen

Last year, 2 ml was the right dosage. Balboa was mildly stressed but still survived the trauma of getting weighed, poked and prodded, having his teeth checked, getting his shots, and suffering the final indignity of a nail trim.

This year was a different story.

He’s put on a little weight, so we may need to increase his dosage next year.

I gave him his medicine, and while he wasn’t a happy camper, he calmed down fairly quickly. When Dr. Ross arrived, he was asleep on my bed, so I picked him up and confined him to the bathroom. Dr. Ross suggested we do his exam first so he wouldn’t have to stay cooped up for long.

Balboa, appearing sleepy and sedated after medication, is curled up on a stack of folded towels placed on an upholstered ottoman. The black cat is resting indoors under soft lighting, illustrating Balboa's groggy state before leaving for the veterinary visit.

That’s when things went south.

We opened the bathroom door to find Banner standing guard by the tub. I have no idea how he got there. He definitely wasn’t in the bathroom when I put Balboa inside. He must have slipped in as I was closing the door.

So first we had to get Banner out of the bathroom, which is tiny, to give Dr. Ross and her assistant room to work with Balboa. Meanwhile, Balboa was trying to make his escape right over Banner.

Chaos ensued.

Finally, I got Banner out and we quickly closed the door. It started with a few small, pitiful meows but quickly escalated to growls and then full-on cat screaming.

I knew exactly what was happening in there and there was absolutely no reason for the drama.

Banner was beside himself. The louder Balboa screamed, the harder Banner tried to get back into the bathroom to rescue him.

Eventually, Dr. Ross and her assistant emerged, followed by a very annoyed cat. They managed to give him his shots,Balboa's official response to the vet: puffed fur, arched back, unsheathed claws, and a look that says 'absolutely not.'" check his teeth, and complete most of the exam. They did not get a weight, and they only managed to clip the nails on one paw.

Balboa made one circuit through the living room and headed straight for his safe place behind the headboard. Once he’s back there, nobody is getting him out.

Banner’s Turn

But now Banner was all worked up.

Our usually calm and cooperative orange buddy was having his own little meltdown. In his case, it showed up as a racing heart. Dr. Ross said Banner’s heart rate was actually higher than Balboa’s.

I always knew our little drama queen was faking.

Banner, a long-haired orange cat with a thick fluffy coat, sits perched on the edge of a dark wooden surface, staring directly at the camera with alert golden eyes. The softly lit indoor setting and Banner's upright posture create the impression of a patient supervisor waiting for a turn to beginBanner wasn’t especially cooperative about getting his nails trimmed either, but the rest of his exam went well. He had actually lost a little weight. Maybe that’s because Balboa keeps stealing his food.

Unlike his brother, Banner didn’t hold a grudge. As soon as he was freed, he forgave Dr. Ross and stretched out right beside her.

We chatted for a few minutes and I paid the bill. Then I walked Dr. Ross and her assistant to the door.

The Miracle Recovery

When I turned around, there was Balboa.

Friendly. Calm. Completely recovered.

I knew he was faking.

He’s spent the afternoon sleeping off both the medication and his imagined trauma in his kitty condo.

Balboa, a black cat, rests inside a cream-colored carpeted kitty condo after a veterinary visit, lying at the entrance with bright eyes visible in the soft natural light.

So that’s it for another year.

Thank goodness it’s over.

Orange tabby cat and black cat walk side by side down a carpeted hallway, both with tails held high.

Honestly, I think the annual vet visit takes more out of me than it does them.

 

Oh The Drama!

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Our Little Friday the 13th Drama

It was annual physical day for my little fur family. Its also Friday the 13th. That should have told me how it would go. The never ending fur drama thanks to  Balboa. No getting around it. They have to see the Vet. In an effort to relieve stress for the little guys I use a mobile vet who comes to our home. Dr. Ross is wonderful. She is a soft spoken, gentle woman as good with stressed out owners (me) as she is with the little fur babies.

 

the dog hugs a cat. isolated on white ba

ROSS VETERINARY HOUSE CALLS

The Check up Last Year

We should learn from experience right? Last year Balboa ran and hid. It took all of us to round him up. With that in mind Dr. Ross suggested that I put him in a carrier before she arrived.  The appointment was for 11:45. I started to try to put Balboa in his carrier at 11:30. I figured it would be easy. Boy was I wrong! It took all of that 15 minutes and then some. Once I finally got him in the carrier I put it on the floor. I figured he’d scrunch down and calm down. I went outside to wait for Dr. Ross so she wouldn’t have to ring the doorbell and set them off again. We were back inside within 5 minutes but poor Balboa had managed to roll the whole carrier across the room and was upside down with the floor cushion on top of him. He wasn’t a happy camper.

Balboa – Photo credit Deb Neumann

Balboa

Since Balboa was so stressed we decided to give him his check up first. I let Dr. Ross extract him from the carrier so if he got away it would be her fault- not mine. She expertly moved him from carrier to a grooming blanket making a kitty burrito. He growled and hissed the whole time. This got Banner all wound up. My usually friendly Banner started to growl and hiss too. He didn’t run or back away. If anything he appeared to be planning to come to Balboa’s rescue. 

Balboa on his cat tree- photo credit Deb Neumann

With Balboa secure in the grooming bag he got his shots and nail trim and was soon ready to be released. Of course he was off like a shot to hide. Now it was Banner’s turn. 

Banner

Banner is usually friendly and into everything but Balboa had him all worked up too. We didn’t need the grooming bag but his check up wasn’t without resistance either.  He hissed 3 times! very unusual. But finally we got him weighed and nails trimmed. He didn’t even notice the shot he got. Snuck that one right by him!

Banner- Photo credit Deb Neumann

The Results

In the end Banner kept his weight right where it was last year. In fact he may have lost an ounce or two. He was 15.10 lbs. last year and this year he weighed in at  15.07 lbs. We’re very pleased. He was back to his calm, normal self as soon as Dr. Ross let him go.

Balboa also maintained. He was 11.02 lbs. last year and this year he weighed in at 11.04. And here’s the thing- after all that kitty drama he was out of hiding and exploring his carrier almost before Dr. Ross was out the door.  She hadn’t even gotten to her car! The big faker wouldn’t have come out so quick if he’d even been half as traumatized as he let on. Dr. Ross said his heart rate was not as high as she expected for the tantrum he was throwing! 

 

Banner & Balboa- Photo credit Deb Neumann

At least that’s done for another year. See you in 2024, Dr, Ross

One More Thing

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One more Thing

I forgot one other noteworthy accomplishment from that memorable week. Banner and Balboa had their annual check ups. No surprises. Both are healthy and happy. Banner was his normal inquisitive and friendly self. Balboa hid and refused to come out. Of course being black he was really hard to find because he blended in the shadows behind the furniture and under the bed.

The Vet

Our Vet is Dr. Ross from Ross Veterinary House Calls. She is wonderful and I am so happy to have found her. I love that she comes to the house so the cats don’t get stressed out. Of course Balboa stresses out over everything and anything out of the ordinary. But we try. She was so calm and quiet when we were all trying to get him out from behind the computers. When he finally did come out I had taken myself out of the search to limit the number of people chasing him so he went to her.

Banner

Banner is my big guy and not surprising he was overweigh but not by much. Dr. Ross said to make sure he maintained and didn’t gain any more. Easier said than done with Banner. His idea of a strenuous play session is to lie on his side and bat at any toy that manages to roll his way. Chase it? What’s that? Hunt it? I don’t think so! And he certainly won’t jump and grab. Banner weighted in at a whopping 15.1  lbs! Carrying him around is like lifting weights.

My little helper

 

Balboa

Balboa, once we caught him, was the surprise. I always think of him as my shiny, sleek house panther. I knew he wasn’t anywhere near as heavy as Banner.  Where Banner is a lump on the floor, Balboa  is always up high on the back of a chair or the top of the wardrobe. When we play Balboa is like a Flying Wallenda! You can imagine my surprise when my high flying super cat turned out to be overweight too! For his slender body type Dr. Ross said he should weigh no more than 10 lbs. OOPS! Balboa weighed 11.2 lbs.

Balboa reaches new Heights

 

TOYS, TOYS and MORE TOYS

When we pulled the old stove out I found out where all of the missing toys had gone. Before the new stove was delivered I filled a box with all of the balls and toys from under the old stove. No need to buy any more for awhile!

 

Rocky News

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Rocky News

Anyone who has followed this blog for any length of time knows that Rocky is an important part of my life. He even wrote some posts and acted as Editor in Chief cat for awhile whenever I had writer’s block. Rocky retired a few years ago and has been living a quiet life but he remains very involved in my life. He has reached the ripe old age (for a cat) of 18.5 years. He’ll be 19 in May.

Rocky isn’t feeling well

Rocky stopped eating and drinking on Monday this week. That is not good for a cat but Rocky can be finicky. He could give Morris a run for his money but he continued his hunger strike on Tuesday and didn’t poop or pee in his litter box. Time for an emergency call to our vet, Taunton Cat Hospital. Rocky showed lots of life when we got there . He proved he still had a good set of lungs too! Because he hadn’t drank any water for two days the Vet couldn’t get a urine sample so her best guess is that he has a kidney infection.  The Vet staff administered fluids because he was dehydrated. They drew blood and sent it out for a senior panel and Rocky got to come home.

Rocky my catRocky’s Blood Tests

Rocky’s blood tests came back and didn’t show any fatal or end of life numbers. That was a big relief but he still wasn’t eating or drinking or using his litter box. So I went in without him and they gave me a lesson in administering fluids. They used a stuffed cat to demonstrate. I left with antibiotics, iron supplements and an IV bag of fluids. Rocky finally ate some dinner so that was a good sign.  I started  Rocky on his meds as soon as I got home and I was joined by my pet sitter this morning to administer the fluids. He was such a good boy. He just lay still and purred while the fluids went into him, so relaxed and calm. He used his litter box too! Who knew I would get so excited over cat pee! But I was. It made me sooo happy.

So time will tell

Rocky is sleeping now. I guess time will tell if he can shake off this infection. I know one thing, if he recovers he will be even more spoiled than he was before. I was carrying him around on a pillow this morning! All Hail King Rocky. Long live the King!Rocky's happy to see me

 

 

In Sickness and in Health

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Hi Everyone: wave Just a quick update. Buddy is on the mend I think. Buddy2014 005a copy   I was amazed at the number of people who reached out to me about Buddy. He’s certainly been going through his health challenges. At his annual physical the Vet detected a fairly prominent heart murmur so we ran a series of blood tests to see if the problem could be isolated. The last test was a cardiac series and we wanted to avoid that if possible as it was expensive. The first panels showed an elevated thyroid so we started Bud-man on .3 ML of  methimazole with monthly follow ups. IMG_20150808_122205 It seemed that each month we got closer but not close enough so up went the dosage. By the time I took him in Thursday for his follow up we were at .7 ML but this time the result was different. The heart murmur was gone and his thyroid numbers were in the low normal range. That bought us a reprieve of sorts. Instead of following up in 30 days we could wait for 60! Buddy 004a     That’s when Buddy decided to upset the plan. By Saturday he was throwing up clear fluid every 30 minutes. The poor thing was shaking. I know cats throw up everything from hairballs to half digested food from eating too fast but this was nothing like I’d ever seen. Of course this all took place after my Vet closed at noon. I considered taking him to an emergency vet but then he seemed to get  a bit better. He ate some chicken broth and kept it down and even went to sleep. more cats 001a Sunday morning he ate his breakfast and I thought we’d gotten over the worse but then in the afternoon it all started again. My pet sitter recommended  Pepcid AC but I hated to try to “pill him”. I tried hairball remedy and more broth but he had no interest. I was really getting concerned but Monday morning he was up bright and early and teasing for breakfast. Kats 004 copy   Again things seemed good until Monday evening. Right after dinner Buddy delivered his half digested food right back up. Tuesday morning Buddy seemed fine but he only picked at breakfast. He didn’t gobble it down like he usually did. I had to go to work so I crossed my fingers and left some dry food out for him to nibble on and lots of fresh water. On my way home I stopped at the Vet’s office and picked up some pill pockets. As soon as I came in both Rocky and Buddy met me at the door. I slipped 1/4 tab of pepcid AC into a pill pocket and offered it to Buddy. Gone in 2 seconds flat! Success! And so far it’s worked.

CATS2014 023 copy

He ate his dinner with some of his old appetite and so far it has stayed inside , not outside his little cat body. I’m really hoping we’ve turned the corner!