Hello Wendy,
I'm sorry Cricket is so sick. You sound like a wonderful cat mom and
Cricket is blessed to have you taking care of him. What a horrendous
experience the two of you had during the first vet visit. I don't blame
you for wanting to avoid that kind of stress again. If I understand you
correctly, this is a different vet, try not to expect the worst from
this visit. It's possible that the new vet will be more experienced in
dealing with reluctant patients like Cricket. I have a semi-feral that
is really hard to treat too. I do use Rescue Remedy, (a drop on my
finger applied to the inside tip of the ear), and spray the heck out of
the bedding and crate with Feliway 20 minutes or so before you have to
leave for the vet. Also, cover the crate with a towel or blanket. When
you get to the vet, tell the techs that you prefer only having him
handled once and wait for the vet. Tell them he bites, if they try to
give you an argument, that usually sends them scurrying from the room.
What I do, is instead of taking the kitty from the crate, I remove the
top of the crate and cover the cat with the towel that was covering the
crate, (let him stayed buried under the towel as much as possible).
Keep your hands on him and talk to him the whole time. I think an
animal communicator is a good idea, but if you don't have time, or don't
believe in that sort of thing, you can talk to him yourself. Tell him
this is not going to be the same as last time. Things are going to go
smooth and easy. Tell him what you expect the vet will do, you know,
he's going to touch your body, look in your mouth, etc. Tell him they
are going to draw his blood to better understand what's going on in his
body. Tell him the quieter he stays, the easier it will be to do.
Plead with them to do everything in the exam room, or at least to allow
you to come back with him when they draw his blood. It will be
reassuring to him to hear your voice and have you present. Be as calm
as you possibly can, he'll pick up on that and it will help him relax.
Leave Cricket in the crate in the car when you get there. Tell them to
come and get you in the parking lot when they are ready to bring you to
the exam room. That way you can avoid the sounds and smells of the
waiting room.
From what you describe it sounds as if he's suffering from some sort of
anemia. There are different causes, and therefore different
treatments. Blood transfusions have been known to stabilize kittys in
dire straights and buy time for remedies to work. We just heard from a
member that has had success using Immuno-Regulin subq, insead of IV, if
you decide to go that route, I'm sure it would be easier on Cricket.
This could have been brought on by the stress of your visitors, but
there's no way to know. I detected a hint of guilt between the lines
about possibly having brought on this bout of illness. I just want you
to know, that's just not so. We can't keep them in a bubble, and even
if we could, it doesn't mean they would remain safe and healthy. This
disease sucks and sometimes no matter what you do, no matter how hard
you try, no matter how much you research, it still claims the lives of
our sweet angels. It's a sad sad fact, but it's true. Please don't
blame yourself for Cricket's condition. All we can do, is all we can do.
Prayers for you and Cricket,
Nina
wendy walker wrote:
Hi my name is Wendy. I live in Texas. I have a black
cat named Cricket; he's 4 yrs., 5 mo's. old and a
great cat. He absolutely hates the vet, so the last
time I took him was about two years ago when he got
really sick. They told me they couldn't tell his
actual temperature because it was all the way to the
end of the thermometer. It took virtually the whole
staff to give him an injection of antibiotics and take
his blood, after they broke two needles off in his
back. The vet said that he tested positive for FeLV.
When I figured out that the vet hadn't given him any
fluids intraveneously for 18 hours after I had asked
him to (Cricket wasn't eating or drinking on his own),
I took him home and with the help of antibiotics and
syringe-feeding and a lot of love, he made it back to
life. The vet told me he'd never seen a cat that sick
come back. He's been fine for two years. At the end
of September, we had a houseful of family during
Hurricane Rita and shortly after that, I noticed that
Cricket wasn't quite making it when he jumped onto the
cabinets to drink water out of the sink. He started
eating kitty litter and wasn't eating as much. He
began to walk slowly and when he came up to me and
meowed (he never meows), I knew something was wrong.
The (new) vet prescribed Clavamox without seeing
Cricket because of his stressful history when visiting
the vet. After two days on the medicine, he seemed to
be doing better, but a couple of days later, I noticed
how white his mouth was and started doing some
research. Well, as many of you already know because
you've done this drill, things are looking grim for
Cricket. We have an appointment at the vet in a
couple of hours and it's all I can do to stay at work.
I know whatever ends up happening is going to happen,
but I can't help but keep thinking and worrying about
him. I am normally pretty logical and level-headed,
but I cried all day yesterday after reading all the
negative information about anemia and FeLV. I do have
some hope however. I am hoping the vet will know
about Immuno-Regulin or even better, Virbagen Omega,
which is a Feline Omega Interferon. Both are supposed
to help immensely with boosting the immune system. I
really don't know how the vet is going to be able to
take Cricket's blood to find out what the numbers are
so we can treat him for the anemia; Cricket gets so
crazy. He may end up being his own worst enemy. I
just wanted to ask if anyone has had any success with
their cats taking these drugs? Also, if anyone
reading this will pray for Cricket and that the vet
will be a good one and that we can get Cricket back to
normal for as long as we can. I promised that I would
not allow Cricket to suffer for selfish reasons, but I
don't want to end his life prematurely either. Pray
for wisdom for the vet and for me. And thank you all
so much. I was relieved to find this site.
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