I've always been concerned that Indy drinks a wee bit too much water. He only drinks from the running tap and no where else. He would call us (yes, he CALLS us) to go into the kitchen and turn on the tap for him. Then, he licks the running tap water.
And it has always seemed to be me that he licks a bit too long. Cats are not supposed to drink a lot of water.
So, I thought I should bring him for a check-up, especially after just visiting the kidney failure cat and the vet told us that IF the cat had come in three months earlier, perhaps more things could have been done to prevent it from coming to its present state.
Better late than never.
So, I came home from the clinic and looked for Indy. He was no where to be found.
All the other cats "helped" by accompanying me, and we finally found him under a car. I called him out (he normally comes when called). This time, he decided he wasn't going to come out.
I spent a long time kneeling on the tar road coaxing him to come out, but he simply wouldn't budge.
A cat will always do what it wants. He's not obliged to listen to you.
So, I brought a bowl of Fussie Cat out to entice him.
Uh-uh...nope, not fooled by it.
A neighbour suggested I use the water hose. I thought that might be too traumatic for poor Indy, so, I finally had no choice but to gently nudge him with a broom. He finally moved to the side of the car and I dragged him out. He did not fight.
Good boy, Indy.
In he went into the carrier and off we drove to the vet's, but gosh....what a racket he made in the car! Indy is always completely stressed when travelling in the car.
He continued making his cries even at the vet's.
I had noticed a scar on his back yesterday, and now, the vet says there were two, so it's definitely a bite mark. Gosh, who bit you, Indy?
Indy also has a slight fever, but this could be due to the bite.
We had a long discussion about his condition, including a brief description of his medical history ever since I got him from the drain more than three years ago (someone rescued and gave him to me, supposed to be for fostering, but he ended up living with me!).
The vet checked and Indy's kidneys appear to be fine. The right kidney is normal while the left is slightly hardened, which actually indicates dehydration. But it's not a major concern for now. Other than that, the vet did not find any cause for worry. Indy was dewormed and he took the tablet so nicely. "So easy to give him a pill!", the vet said.
Indy is given iodine for his bite wounds and a 3-day Amoxy antibiotic for the fever. After five days, I could bring him for his vaccination. I don't do vaccinations yearly.
Since all my other cats had to be dewormed as well, I thought I might as well get the tablets for everyone. And there I was, so confident that I could pill them all, thinking my vertical-carrier trick would definitely work.
WRONG!! WRONG!! WRONG!!
Cow, Bunny and Tiger - all of them fought! It was BattleSCAR Catlactica! They fought tooth and claw while inside the carrier. But I still managed. Cleo? No hope. The girls are so fierce, I gave up. I did not even dare try with Pole after Cleo fought me off. I'll bring them to the vet's for the "pilling" session next week.
Even Indy, good old mild-mannered Indy Jones, fought when I gave him his antibiotics.
I'm definitely losing it....
By the way, I thank all who have written in with suggestions on how to give Cow his pills. The blending-the-pill-and-mix-it-with-wet-food does not work with any of them. Have tried...and failed. They would sniff it out and won't even touch the food.
For Cow, it's just three more days of "pilling", then I can declare victory for 28 rounds! (14 days of antibiotics). I'm counting the hours. But in all fairness, I must share the victory with Cow because he really cooperated by humouring me and letting me win. If he had wanted to fight, he would have won hands down. How can any human fight a cat and win? We only have two hands. They have four legs and a jaw. There's no way we can win unless they let us.
And here's Indy after the pilling session.
Wish me luck in pilling him for 5 more rounds.
Only five. Phew!!
We have a small shrine room upstairs and somehow, our cats always go and sit there whenever they are sick. This reminds me of what I've just read yesterday when searching for materials on Kindness to Animals in Religions. Apparently, the Muslims believe that animals pray to the same God. So, perhaps, just like us, they also pray when they need help.
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