Yup, that part would be sad, but then you have the wonderful parts, too. My Teddy was only four when he developed a life-threatening urinary blockage. With four cats in the house, I didn't realize he wasn't using the box until he got sick ... and when he finally went down, he went down FAST!
I took him to our vet, who knew immediately what was wrong - and also knew that Teddy would need round-the-clock monitoring and care . Since it was Friday evening and they shut down for the weekend except for pet maintenance, so constant care wasn't going to be available for my boy. I immediately called my emergency vet buddy and she told me to bring him in, they'd be ready for him. We left right away. Weeks later, my regular vet told me that Teddy's organs were shutting down and he wasn't sure he would survive the 40 minute drive ... he was THAT sick! Ted was almost comatose when we got there, but we made it. Our favorite tech took him back and they started working on him right away.
Teddy was touch and go for nearly a week. Despite our wonderful, regular vet's best intentions, there is NO way my boy would have survived the weekend unattended. As it was, every time the emergency staff tried to wean him off the catheter, he started shutting down again, which added another day to his stay.
The techs told me later that Teddy was a VIP during his stay there - everyone fussed over him and the Boss would pace back and forth, ranting about what else to do for "That Cat!" She was NOT going to lose him ... the gauntlet was officially on the ground!
To make a long story short (at least by a little bit,) she didn't, and a week later, he came home, a different cat. Teddy was always a bit reticent with everyone except me and DS (aka The Cat Whisperer.) He would not accept unsolicited advances from anyone/anything other than his bonded buddy, George, our massive black cat. When company came, no one saw him until hours after everyone left.
We're now well over a year gone from the emergency, and with a diet change (wet food only!), Teddy has become the self-appointed social director of the household. He is the first to greet newcomers, the first at the food bowl and literally throws himself down in front of anyone, asking for attention. If you come up on him while sleeping (an impossibility, before) and stroke down his side, he immediately starts purring and turns himself inside out for a belly rub and am ear scratch. If I didn't know better (his tabby markings are quite distinctive and Georgie would not have accepted an impostor,) I would swear someone swapped cats on me! But I'm not complaining! I love the new Teddy and I'm grateful he's still with me!
How I spend Covid Days with a couple of My Boys!
The New Teddy:
NO one could get this close to him, before without waking him up (and him running off!) and all out in the open ... unheard of before his hospital visit!
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Mid petting - asking for a bellyrub
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Scoping out the company on the porch - afraid he's missing something!
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Teddy and George - Napping out in the open ... just cause I love 'em both!
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Georgie weighs 20 pounds - which gives you an idea of Teddy's size, too. That's 35 pounds of cat on the sofa - with very little fat!
it’s good it goes fast though! I didn’t realize that. I think I could probably do it now because I’ve put down a couple chickens and never thought I could even do that, I didn’t even have chickens at the time, but idk. I feel like just the death and sick animals and sadness and stuff all day would be depressing aha
❤
