Tag Archives: vet

After the Fight

We had a major fight yesterday morning between Chris and Frankie. If you didn’t see the post you can find it here. Since Frankie was the aggressor we decided to bring him to the vet but after making the appointment we thought Chris should go instead. That decision came because Chris has seemed slightly more lethargic lately and because Frankie was getting along fine with Floki and with me so I doubted that a physical condition was making him irritable.

Since moving, I haven’t found a new vet. When I looked for one yesterday morning none stood out above the others so I just picked the one that was the closest to home. I made a 3:30 appointment at The Animal Care Clinic of Largo.

I put Chris in Floki’s carrier, which wasn’t easy, and made it there five minutes early. After a short wait someone put us in an exam room and an assistant, or vet tech, came in and asked a few questions and then took Chris away to weigh him. She came back with Chris in one arm and the carrier in the other. I guess she knew better than to try to shove him back in there. She told me he weighed 18 pounds, which was just over the 17.9 pounds on his last vet visit.

While we waited for the vet, Chris did some exploring.

He then settled down next to me.

The vet then came in with her assistant and we talked for a bit before she examined Chris. She did a lot of squeezing around his stomach, which Chris did not like. She also tried to look in his ears but Chris has always had a problem with some kind of black gunk that grows in his ears. Another vet gave us an ear cleaner for him which we don’t use as much as we should because he is such a pain to work with.

She did say that when cats lose a sense, such as hearing, they become more defensive. She offered to clean his ears and when I found out she would do it for only twelve dollars I said go ahead. It wasn’t easy. They had to wrap him in a towel and he kept breaking free so they had to keep rewrapping him.

After the exam, she thought Chris was okay. She didn’t think he had diabetes because of his weight. I said that I thought diabetes was associated with weight gain but she said that cats lose weight and then gain it again after they are put on medication. She offered to do blood tests to rule out certain illnesses but she also seemed to doubt they were necessary so didn’t push them. She said basic blood work was $88 plus more for additional tests. Since I didn’t know what my cost was up to already I thought it would be better to save the money and bring Frankie in.

The vet spent a lot of time with us, more than any other vet in recent memory. That is why I was shocked when I saw the bill was $54. It seemed we could never leave our last vet for less than $180. If I had known, I might have said to go ahead with the blood tests. I might still bring him back after Frankie goes there.

Many of you were concerned about my injuries and I appreciate that. I can tell you that all my wounds seem to be healing fine except for my left index finger which is swollen right now. I am keeping an eye on it.

When Chris got home Frankie seemed fine with him and almost five minutes passed before a fight started and we had to separate them. Chris slept in our room last night (which means I got very little sleep) and we tried to reintroduce them this morning. Frankie seems over it but Chris hasn’t forgotten and growled at Frankie so we decided to keep them separated for a while longer.

Dual Vet Visit Fail

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Recently we needed to bring Frankie to the vet to get his rabies vaccination so we could get him registered with the county. We needed to do that because the place we are moving to requires it. We also needed to bring Floki in to get his nails clipped so we thought we could bring them both at once.

I inquired about the price and was told that an examination was required by the state and the cost would be well over a hundred dollars. I forgot the exact amount. I called the vet around the corner from them and they charged under $50 on Saturdays and Wednesdays, no examination needed. Hmmm. Anyway, we made an appointment at the rip off vet for Floki’s nail trimming that Saturday and decided that Rose would bring Floki to that appointment while I brought Frankie to the other vet for his shots.

I brought two carriers inside very early that day so they could get used to them being there. It was Floki I was concerned about but he seemed indifferent about the carriers.

Chris and Frankie were more interested.

When it came time to go we decided to get Floki first because he was the most likely to run and hide. We recently bought a top loading carrier because Floki is so difficult to get in the carrier. He struggles like nothing I have ever seen before. Rose grabbed him and I assisted in shoving him inside and zipping it shut. Except the Tasmanian Devil managed to twist his way out and he disappeared down the hall and under the bed. We had to call the vet and cancel the appointment. I told them the truth, as embarrassing as it was.

Frankie was much easier to deal with so Rose and I both brought him in for his shots. He seemed pretty comfortable in the vet’s office.

There was so much to explore.

After a short time, the vet came in, gave him his shot and license and we were home in no time.

Now we need to find a new vet close to our new home. I don’t mind though because I have never been too impressed with our usual vet, especially after what happened to Puck.

Another Vet Visit for Puck

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Last Thursday evening I noticed a couple of little puddles of pee in the kitchen. That was unusual because when Puck pees on the floor (which is just about every day) it is one large puddle. I then noticed more little puddles and soon realized that everywhere Puck went he left behind a puddle of pee.

Even though peeing on the floor has become the new normal, this was not normal so I called the vet as soon as they opened and made an appointment for that morning.

I brought the carrier in the house early so as to not scare Puck when it was time to go. Chris and Frankie not only don’t fear the carrier, they were taking turns going inside of it. Chris, of course, was first.

Puck sensed something was up and I had a hard time catching him but eventually we made it to the vet. I opened his cage after the put us in the exam room but he was not interested in leaving.

The vet tech took him in the back room where they do their secret experiments and brought back a cat that looked like Puck but I couldn’t be sure until later when he peed on the floor. While he was in the back they took a urine sample.

After a short wait, the vet came in to examine Puck. The vet tech struggled to pull him out and I suggested we just unsnap the top, which we did. The vet then suggested that she bring Puck over along with the bottom of the carrier. She thought that would stress him less.

We then had to wait for the test results so I picked up Puck and put him in my lap. Apparently, that was not the time or place for doing anything out in the open so he jumped down and hid behind my back.

After a long wait, the vet came back and said that there was no infection but he did have inflammation and he had urinary crystals. She ended up giving Puck steroids.

Every time I write about a vet visit I mention how all pet issues are solved with steroids or antibiotics and each time after that the same thing happens, In addition, I had to buy another case of Hills prescription cat food.

He didn’t pee anywhere the first day after the vet visit but the day after that he peed everywhere, Today he was good but we will see what tomorrow brings.

Puck’s Problem Gets Worse

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Our cat Puck has been peeing on the floor for the past several weeks now in addition to the pooping on the floor that has been going on for a couple of years. Regular readers know that he developed a bladder infection that started the problem but after getting better, the peeing continued.

Our living room is now a sea of pee pads.

The vet put Puck on Prozac a couple of weeks ago but getting him to take it has been hard. I don’t want to add to his stress by shoving it down his throat so I put it in his food. Unfortunately, he eats only half of his food, or less, when there is a crushed up pill in it. It is actually only a half of a very small pill so it surprises me that he even notices it. Putting it in tuna helps but giving cats tuna every day is not healthy.

Tuesday evening I noticed a couple of half-dollar size spots of pee on the floor and knew Puck’s bladder issue had returned. We made an appointment for the vet this morning but I have to be at work so my wife will be taking him in. Hopefully, if we get his bladder problem resolved he will start using the box again.

To Pee Or Not To Pee

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My wife got up early Saturday morning to use the bathroom, which is just outside our bedroom door. In our house, this is usually okay before around 3:30 a.m. After that time, the cats congregate outside our bedroom door in anticipation of breakfast or early morning attention. On this morning, Rose missed the cut-off time by about fifteen minutes and all the cats poured into the bedroom. By 4:00 a.m., Chris was such an annoying pain that we both decided to get up.

I made coffee and cleaned the litter boxes and then noticed Puck get into the box to pee. About two minutes later I noticed him in the box peeing again and I watched him this time. I felt like a voyeur but I needed to see if he was having a problem peeing. Sure enough, the litter was dry but he still felt the need to bury it. I then watched him go in and out of the box several more times within the next ten to fifteen minutes. That is when we decided he needed to see the vet right away. We learned how dangerous the problem could be when Frankie had that problem.

We have two vets that we go to. Our preferred vet is about a fifteen minute drive from our house and our secondary vet is almost the same distance that Frankie takes me on our walks. We decided to go to the closer vet because they opened a half hour earlier than the other vet and I didn’t want to wait.

I brought in the carrier and everyone but Puck was interested in it.

cats interested in carrier

I was able to get through to someone at the vet’s office at 7:50 and she told me to bring Puck in right away, so I put him in him in his carrier for the short drive over there.

Puck in cat carrier

We were at the vet’s door right after they opened. We only waited a short time before they put us in an exam room.

Once in the room, I opened Puck’s carrier but he did not want to come out.

Puck at Vet

I didn’t want a stranger to come in and traumatize Puck by pulling him out of his carrier so I took off the top.

I then thought he would feel safer on my lap so I picked him up and put him there. I was wrong. He immediately got off my lap and hid behind the carrier so no stranger could walk in and find him.

When the vet tech came in, she picked up Puck and brought him into the back room. For some reason, this vet’s office likes doing most of their examinations out of sight of the pet parents. I think they are performing secret experiments back there.

After some time, the vet came in and said that Puck had a bladder infection but he was not blocked, which was good. His course of treatment was fluids along with… wait for it… steroids and antibiotics.

Those of you who have read a lot of my recent posts understand the joke. It seems every time I go to the vet I make a comment about how I could be a vet if I only had steroids and antibiotics because all problems are solved using those two drugs. In fact, I’ve talked about it so much that I decided to compile a list of posts where I mention both drugs in the same post.

Wow, that is a common topic. Maybe I should think of something else to write about.

Anyway, getting back to the story, when the vet tech finally brought Puck back, he was wrapped in a towel and had a strange mask on his face. At first I thought is was something like the cone of shame and was hoping that they didn’t expect me to make Puck wear this thing at home. It was then that I saw that not only was his mouth covered but so were his eyes. It was then that I realized I was wrong. They were not conducting secret experiments in the back room, they were filming Fifty Shades of Black.

I wish I had time to take a picture of Puck with that mask but by the time the shock wore off the tech was removing it from his face. She said it was to keep him calm but I have never heard of a vet using a mask in that way before.

After further research, I found something similar on Amazon. It is a cat muzzle and it is used for difficult cats to keep them from biting. I have never known Puck to be a difficult cat or a biter so maybe it it’s true and can calm a scared cat. I wonder if it would work on Floki so we can trim his nails.

It has now been over a day and I do not see Puck trying to use the box. I suppose that is good but I am never around when he does use the box and I wish he would pee when I can see him so I can confirm he is better.

Update: I forgot to mention that the vet said Puck should be eating only wet food until he is better. He also gave us a syringe to get water in his mouth a few times a day.

I have been wanting to get them off dry food for some time now because it is the primary cause of urinary disease. I feed them wet food twice a day but Chris eats almost none of it so I keep some dry food out so Chris wont starve. I do limit the amount of dry food though and am still trying to figure out how to get Chris to eat the wet so I can eliminate the dry .

Chris’s First Vet Visit

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Since we adopted Chris in November of 2009, he has never been to the vet for a health related issue until yesterday. He did go to the vet for a mandatory vaccination late in 2010 when we moved back to Florida, and when he was a kitten he was fixed and vaccinated, but that was all. He has been a pretty healthy cat, despite his weight gain these last couple of years.

That changed when we adopted Floki a few months ago and illness spread through our house like wildfire. Everyone was sneezing but the eye infections were the worst. Frankie had to go to the vet because one of he eyes was very bad. We treated him with the medication they gave us but then noticed his eye became very dilated (see here).

Frankie’s eye got better after a few days but then we noticed Chris had the same problem in one of his eyes. We were giving him Frankie’s eye medication but he got worse so we decided it was time to bring him to the vet.

We have two vets. Vet number 1 is about a ten or twelve-minute drive and vet number 2 is about two minutes away. Vet 2 is where we brought Frankie. Vet 1, called The Animal and Bird Medical Center, is harder to get an appointment with but I like them better because they are less likely to shoot your pet up with steroids and antibiotics on the first visit. In other words, they usually try to take a natural approach, but not always.

Rose brought Chris to Vet 1 yesterday morning and was nice enough to take pictures for me.

Rose said Chris did a lot of crying on the way to the vet, but once there, he was good.

The doc said that the dilation in his eyes was caused by the eye medication we were giving him. Imagine that. We were causing the problem by the very thing we were using to treat the problem.

The vet also said that Chris has some kind of growth in his ears. I don’t think those were his exact words, but that was the second-hand information that I received. He gave Rose some drops to put in Chris’s ears and a different eye medication. No shots or pills, and it only cost us about $115. Not cheap, but better than expected, and I am happy to know that Chris does not have a serious health condition.

Chris was also very quiet on the way home. I guess somehow he knew the worst was over and he was going home.

To Catch a Cat

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Frankie escaped three times last weekend by using a trick that Chris figured out years ago; He no longer hesitates when the door opens. As soon as the door cracks open, out he goes. Once out, he is nearly impossible to catch. I have to wait until he wears himself out before I can catch him.

The following video was compiled from two separate escapes, Friday evening and Sunday afternoon.

It is very similar to what Chris used to do four years ago.

In other news, we could not get Chris a vet appointment until late Tuesday. I am concerned because when we got home today I noticed that both of his eyes are compleatly dilated. I called the vet back but they had closed by then. I did leave a message that I was concerned and asked if they could squeeze him in on Monday. I will be at work so Rose will have to bring him.

Floki’s Turn at the Vet

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Since we hadn’t spent enough money on Frankie at the vet, we decided to bring Floki there on Friday. He had an 8 a.m. appointment, which gave me enough time to go there with Rose before I had to leave for work.

He needed to get the second in a three-part series of core vaccinations (tune in again in three weeks for the exciting conclusion). I’m not a big fan of vaccinations for indoor cats because of all the bad side effects that I have read about, but I will accept these. However, after the third set, that’s it. No more.

I saw in interesting video this morning that talked about vaccination being good for life in most cases (although I only made it through the first twenty minutes). Essentially, annual booster shots are not only unnecessary, they add to your pet’s toxic load. The vet being interviewed, Dr. Ronald Schultz, said you should wait a minimum of 3-4 years, if ever, to get a booster shot, unless, of course, you worry about local antiquated regulations (those are my words).

When we got to the vet Rose noticed a sign that said, “Dogs will accept you as boss, cats want to see your resume.” How true is that?

I felt bad that Floki was shut in the carrier, so I let him out in the waiting room. Once out, he climbed on my shoulders, which is something he has never done before. When they called us into the examination room, I just carried him in there on my shoulders.

He stuck with me for a long time. I assumed he would be ready to go exploring. He is a kitten after all. If that was Chris, he would be exploring every nook and cranny of that room.

The vet tech came in and looked Floki over, which he was not happy about, before taking him in the back where they have their secret laboratory. When she brought him back, he was up on my shoulders again.

Rose and I were both away at work the rest of the day and as soon as I got home, we had to leave again to meet Rose’s sister and her family for dinner. It was her last day here before returning to Massachusetts.

When we finally got home around 9 p.m., Rose wanted to sit down with Floki on her lap, but Floki wasn’t interested. In fact, he didn’t look well. I have heard that vaccines could cause some problems so we hoped that he would be better after a good night’s sleep, but this morning he still seemed lethargic.

Normally, I feed the cats in the morning, but Rose couldn’t sleep and got up early and fed them. I didn’t know it until later, but she opened up another can of food because Floki was eating like a pig.

About 9:30 this morning, Floki’s vet’s office called, and I said he has been a bit lethargic. She asked if he ate, and I told her he had. She then put me on hold and came back and said the vet would like to see him to check his temperature. I didn’t want to spend another $100 to have his temperature checked so I said I would talk to my wife. She then told me about how much Floki ate this morning, so I called the vet back and said that he was eating fine, and I was going to keep him home unless he got worse.

Now all I can do is hope he doesn’t get worse.

Four Sick Cats

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Our house has been turned upside down lately with all the illnesses going around. I don’t know how it started. Frankie has been sneezing for several months. We even took him to the vet for it back in April, but he never really got better. I thought it might be an allergy, but it persisted through an entire season.

Floki had a slight eye infection when we got him and a day or two later I noticed him sneezing like Frankie. About a week or so after that, Frankie also had an eye infection, but his was worse than Floki’s ever was, at least since he has been with us. If that wasn’t bad enough, Frankie started sneezing more and had snot coming out of his nose.

We brought Frankie to the vet on Friday, and they gave him antibiotics and eye medicine. The next morning, he still looked bad, but now he was sneezing up blood. I am not a fan of antibiotics, but since that is what he got we wanted to give it a few days to see if it would start working.

Also during the weekend, Puck developed an eye infection so we started putting Frankie’s eye medication on both Puck and Flokie as well as Frankie. Chris was the only one who seemed unaffected… until yesterday.

Yesterday morning I heard Chris sneeze a couple of times. That was disappointing because Chris is our rock. He rarely gets sick, probably because he has never had antibiotics or steroids. Those things will really mess with your natural immune system.

By last night, Frankie still looked pretty bad.

20160718_Cats_2267 Frankie

My new job is working for a company that makes natural herbal health products. One of the things they sell is colloidal silver. I thought maybe I could pick up a bottle of that and it would be a good natural treatment for not only the eyes but it can also be taken internally to help treat the sneezing.

Unfortunately, things got worse overnight. Frankie spent the entire night sleeping on the rug by the side door. When we got up the next morning, the door was spattered with Frankie’s blood.

20160719_Cats_2268 blood on door

So Rose decided to call the vet when they opened at 7:30 and was able to get an 8:20 appointment. I had a chiropractor appointment, so I was not able to go.

Later, Rose told me that “they just filled him with lots of drugs” or something to that effect. She said they gave him steroids, antibiotics, antihistamine and probably anything else that was profitable for them. She did say Frankie gave them a very hard time when they tried to get a pill in him. Can you blame him?

So far this past week Frankie has cost us $500 and they want to see both him and Floki on Friday for vaccinations. Rose’s sister says that Floki got some of his shots but not all. I don’t know what he is missing but I would very much prefer that both of them NOT get anymore shots.

When I got home from work, Rose said she was worried about Chris because he was very lethargic all day. He stayed in one spot on the cat tree, never coming down to eat, drink or use the litter box. He did come down when I got home and I tried feeding him wet food but he wasn’t interested. I decided it might do him some good to eat grass, so I let him outside for a while.

He went straight for the grass like I knew he would.

20160719_185022 Chris

I think that revived him a bit because he suddenly became adventurous and went around to the other side of the house.

20160719_190239 Chris

By this time, he seemed much more perky and ventured into the neighbor’s carport. That is when I picked him up and brought him home.

By the way, I did buy the colloidal silver, but things are complicated with all the medications we have. So, we will put Floki’s eye medicine on Floki, Frankie’s medication on Frankie, and Caeser will get what is Caeser’s. Wait… I mean, Puck will get the silver, and we shall see what happens.

Meet Floki, Our Newest Addition

Meet Floki, Part 2

Another Vet Visit For Frankie

Frankie Update

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Frankie does not seem to have improved much, if any, since his vet visit on Friday morning. He started sneezing blood after that visit and that continues. His eye also doesn’t seem much better. In addition, Puck is now having problems with his right eye. We have been putting Frankie’s drops in Puck’s eye too but if it is a viral infection the antibiotic drops won’t do him any good.

Frankie this morning.

Rose is going to try to get him back to the vet on Wednesday, a day she works from home, instead of his scheduled visit on Friday, if he does not improve by this afternoon. If that happens, she will use the Friday appointment to bring Floki in for the remainder of his shots.

Cats sure can be expensive sometimes.

Bad Cat Chris

The Baddest Cat You'll Ever Love