Detective Doctor or Why I Took My Cat To The Vet

[LookingForABetterLife]

As I've mentioned in Bally's thread about his dog my plan for Friday was to take my cat to the vet.  Oh, the cat, his name is Mr. Worm which is short for his given Scottish name of Wormus McGhee.  He also goes by Dog as all guys are dogs, Bubby, and my mom calls him Wormy.  

The issue was, a few weeks ago, with him wetting the bed starting.  I had this under control with something from Amazon or so I thought.  This week his wetting spots have begun to vary through out the house as well as vomiting.  A couple of days ago I could tell from his lack of doing much of anything that he was feeling sick.  Therefore the appointment with the vet.  He is an older cat who has been with me through all my years of crap especially after losing my wife.  Him and his sister are the ones who found her dead and made a point to let me know.

The challenge was going to be to get him in the cat carrier.  I brought it in from the garage and cleaned it out the night before to get him used to it.  Of course he knows what the carrier is for and made a point of complaining about that evening with his meows.  So Friday morning gets here and I have to drop him at the vet's between 8-9 AM which is hard for me as I don't do mornings.  As I'm half asleep and one-hand for the most part after surgery catching him was a challenge.  It took me about 45 mins to finally get him from his hiding spot in the overly crowded with useless junk (thanks to my dad) living room.  Finally the short trip begins.  \

Mr. Worm is meowing all the way there as is his way whenever he is out of his safe zone.  I tried and somewhat succeeded to calm him down by singing "Mustang Sally" to him.  The only issue was I don'y know any of the words.  Why sing "Mustang Sally"?  According to my late wife that was his favorite song and she would pick him up and dance with him to the song.  Therefore I made up some lyrics to calm him down.  This was hard as they always came back to my late wife.  Crying and driving don't mix well.

Finally parked at the vet's office.  Thanks to the so called virus people are not allowing inside.  This means I called them and told them what parking space I was in then someone came out and took him.

Around 12 noon the doctor calls me to tell me that after examining him they can't find anything wrong.  The only only issue was that Worm didn't urinate while there do they could test him for diabetes.  The only other way they had to check to see what was wrong was with blood work.  Unfortunately blood work is a few hundred dollars.  That hurt but like taking a car into get repaired I said yes as I wanted him better.  I especially want to know how he is doing as I plan on taking him and sister with me once I have (hope I an getting I mean) my Social Security.  So blood was taken and it was sent off to a lab someplace else in the world meaning no further answers from the doctor until she became detective doctor.

By that I mean she started asking questions about the cat's living environment.  Six weeks ago I had a cast put on my right wrist after wrist surgery.  As I have been mostly one handed dad has volunteered for litter box duties.  The detective doctor pointed out that Worm's problems started at this time.  I haven't been checking the box but got the feeling (actually the smell from the box) that all was not right.  Therefore I checked the enclosed litter box yesterday to find (like with just about every other issue I have) that dad was the problem.  At most the miser dad had at most two handfuls of litter in the box that should have been changed about a week ago.  I corrected this error the best I could which means the kitties have plenty of litter in the now cleaner box and I'll be checking much more often.  Mr. Worm was ready for me to pick him up at 5 pm Friday and hasn't caused any problems since.

[guohua]

I am glad to hear nothing was wrong with Mr. Worm.
Also I have heard from my friends that have cats as pets, that the litter box is very special or something you need to take great care with.

Don't know never owned a pet.

[LookingForABetterLife]

Thank you for sharing your words with me.  What I like most about cats is that they are down right weird.  I suspect they would be at home at Rogue Nation if they could only type.

[NightskyeB4Dawn]

By that I mean she started asking questions about the cat's living environment.  Six weeks ago I had a cast put on my right wrist after wrist surgery.  As I have been mostly one handed dad has volunteered for litter box duties.  The detective doctor pointed out that Worm's problems started at this time.  I haven't been checking the box but got the feeling (actually the smell from the box) that all was not right.  Therefore I checked the enclosed litter box yesterday to find (like with just about every other issue I have) that dad was the problem.  At most the miser dad had at most two handfuls of litter in the box that should have been changed about a week ago.  I corrected this error the best I could which means the kitties have plenty of litter in the now cleaner box and I'll be checking much more often.  Mr. Worm was ready for me to pick him up at 5 pm Friday and hasn't caused any problems since.

Most of them don't like change very much, and can act out. Animals develop many ways to let you know what they feel and think. My Lazarus was a dog/cat and he knew when someone didn't like him. He would stalk them, jump in their laps and demand their attention. He had a thing about men that had been drinking. A female that had been drinking didn't bother him, but if a man had been drinking and came to visit, he would sit on their feet and urinate.

Damnedest thing you ever wanted to see. I don't mean drunk, he could tell if they had had only one drink. I guess he didn't like it, so he would urinate on their feet. Lazarus was a crazy ass cat. He used to do some of the most unbelievable things. He really didn't know he was a cat. Raised with dogs after being rescued at only three weeks of age, did a number on him. He lived for 21 years, was alpha of the pack, and ruled the house. Both his humans and his Rhodesian Ridgeback pack deferred to him, and spoiled him rotten.

Glad nothing was serious with Mr. Worm. Things should go back to normal.

[LookingForABetterLife]

Mr. Worm's sister is so bossy with me that I almost feel married to her.  She gets very pissed at me if I go down the hall to see my mom and stay there for more then a couple of minutes.

[Bally002]

Mr. Worm's sister is so bossy with me that I almost feel married to her.  She gets very pissed at me if I go down the hall to see my mom and stay there for more then a couple of minutes.

My sincere thoughts to you.  If I'm reading right Mr Worm's health should be in order.  

Kind regards and give him a pat for me.

Bally.

[bluemooone2]

OK I cant resist a real life cat story and I hope that I can get it right.  We had two cats that somehow (I Swear) had come to be named Sam I Am and Sara B.   Anyways , Sam was from a nearby farm and we adopted her very young for a cat.  She was raised then with just us silly humans and it was easy to tell that she assumed she was also one of us.  Cats are as easily read as they read us if you understand me. She got it when I held her in a mirror facing me also and she understood , however she would still pretend sometimes..... Sara was brought in later as a tiny black cat (litter of one is what I was told) and always stayed small.   I later had a cat named Misty (grey) and she and Sam became best friends that worked together protecting me and whatever else it is that cats can d.o. Never underestimate the power of a house cat

[bluemooone2]

Best O Luck and all that I am betting that Mr Worm knew more than he would show  (Its a very human thing to do) Any pics of him that your willing to share? I would just love to see his face I guess. He sounds like a very few people that I know of. Fearless in his own way and ofcourse smart enough to out think most of us.

[F2d5thCav]

The thing about cats at vets that amazes me is how utterly tough they are.

A dog will yelp like a baby when it gets a shot.  A cat -might- shift its eyes a bit.  Almost never vocally protests.  They're tough little predators, and it shows.  Good thing they tend to like us.

Cheers

[Mystic Wanderer]

Cats don't like a dirty litter box, period!  I make a habit of scooping mine out every evening around 8 p.m. Cats are routine creatures. They know when it's feeding time, and when their litter box is due to be cleaned. If their routine isn't followed, they can become quite vocal. I'm speaking from my personal experiences.

If cats step on the feces or urine in the box, they can get diseases when they lick their paws.  Once a day scooping leaves them plenty of room to step between scoops. I use the clumping kind of litter so I get the urine and poop out everyday. Then I add a scoop of fresh litter on top. That usually does the trick until I change the litter completely once a month. I would do it more often, but it's really hard on me with my disabilities.

Any time I miss my evening scoops I'm greeted with poop outside the litter box. This doesn't happen often, only if I'm down in my back and can't bend over to do it.  My hubby refuses to do it because he says he will puke.  So, on rare occasions it has to wait a day, and I always know what to expect when I walk in.

I had a friend who said her cat got mad at her for bringing in another pet so it pissed in her shoe.

It's just life living with a cat.

[LookingForABetterLife]

 
Mr. Worm (left) and Miss Paris (right) together.  Sorry, it's the best of the few photos I have of them together.

Paris woke me up this morning by sticking her nose in my face to tell me it was time to wake up to pet her while she lay next to me.

Bally -
Worm's health seems to be in order however I'll know more once the results of the blood work comes back.  Attention has been given to him in your honor.

bluemoon2 -
Cat stories are are always interesting to share.  Miss Paris just has to drink from the bathroom sink.  One day I was too slow in getting there for her.  She was complaining about it when I said "hold on old lady".  She gave me quite a go to hell meow for calling her an old lady.



Mr. Worm


Miss Paris

F2d5thCav -
As Mr. Worm thinks he is a dog he complains all the way to the vet and back plus tries his best to hide while there.

Mystic -
Cats can be quite demanding can't they>  Especially when the have to tell you that they are starving to death at 4:00 AM.  A cat that was the step-mother to these two was very OCD about having a tidy litter box.  She always made a point to go in after the other cats and scrap the box to death.  Of course she denied doing this as each time she finished she would run to the opposite side of the house to prove that she wasn't there.

[Snarl]

This thread was like therapy. 

@"LookingForABetterLife": Happy for you and Mr. Worm!!

[Bally002]

Thank you for the update.  

Your cats obviously love you, depend on you and give respect.  

And you show the same back.

Well done mate.

Kind regards,

Bally

[LookingForABetterLife]

Snarl,

Glad you enjoyed this week's therapy session.

[LookingForABetterLife]

Bally,

He's family so I love him.  Now I'm waiting to find out how much it will cost to have his fangs removed as they are lose and falling out eventually.  For now it's clear that he is in pain and has difficulty eating.

Until next time, cheers.

[LookingForABetterLife]

So the verdict is in.  The cost to remove my poor kitty's troubling fangs will be over $800.  That I cannot do right now.  Hopefully I'll get a surprise from the government in time to take care of this.

[NightskyeB4Dawn]

So the verdict is in.  The cost to remove my poor kitty's troubling fangs will be over $800.  That I cannot do right now.  Hopefully I'll get a surprise from the government in time to take care of this.

I am so blessed to have a Vet that is willing to work with me. He will stretch out my payments so I can pay it back as I can. I have a history with my Vet and have used him for so long that we have become friends.

Try asking to work a payment plan with your Vet.   I know that not all Vets can do that or are willing, but you have nothing to lose by asking.

[LookingForABetterLife]

So the verdict is in.  The cost to remove my poor kitty's troubling fangs will be over $800.  That I cannot do right now.  Hopefully I'll get a surprise from the government in time to take care of this.

I am so blessed to have a Vet that is willing to work with me. He will stretch out my payments so I can pay it back as I can. I have a history with my Vet and have used him for so long that we have become friends.

Try asking to work a payment plan with your Vet.   I know that not all Vets can do that or are willing, but you have nothing to lose by asking.

Thank you for the suggestion but I have no income to make payments with at this time.  the biggest discount I can get is only $40.  All I can do now is wait and hope my Social Security disability is finally approved in the next month or two.

[Snarl]

So the verdict is in.  The cost to remove my poor kitty's troubling fangs will be over $800.  That I cannot do right now.  Hopefully I'll get a surprise from the government in time to take care of this.

I am so blessed to have a Vet that is willing to work with me. He will stretch out my payments so I can pay it back as I can. I have a history with my Vet and have used him for so long that we have become friends.

Try asking to work a payment plan with your Vet.   I know that not all Vets can do that or are willing, but you have nothing to lose by asking.

Thank you for the suggestion but I have no income to make payments with at this time.  the biggest discount I can get is only $40.  All I can do now is wait and hope my Social Security disability is finally approved in the next month or two.

Your cat probably doesn't need to go into a human-level surgical procedure, Brother.  Go looking for a country vet.  When you find one ... let me know.  We all need help sometimes ... even after helping ourselves.  Now ... Go look!!

[LookingForABetterLife]

So the verdict is in.  The cost to remove my poor kitty's troubling fangs will be over $800.  That I cannot do right now.  Hopefully I'll get a surprise from the government in time to take care of this.

I am so blessed to have a Vet that is willing to work with me. He will stretch out my payments so I can pay it back as I can. I have a history with my Vet and have used him for so long that we have become friends.

Try asking to work a payment plan with your Vet.   I know that not all Vets can do that or are willing, but you have nothing to lose by asking.

Thank you for the suggestion but I have no income to make payments with at this time.  the biggest discount I can get is only $40.  All I can do now is wait and hope my Social Security disability is finally approved in the next month or two.

Your cat probably doesn't need to go into a human-level surgical procedure, Brother.  Go looking for a country vet.  When you find one ... let me know.  We all need help sometimes ... even after helping ourselves.  Now ... Go look!!

Thanking you for your advice as my three brain cells will only do me so much good.

The good news is that the vet is getting me some pain medication for Mr. Worm and my dad has agreed to pay for the surgery.  I did find some websites that offered grants and such to help out too.