Back from the Vet!

I'm home, and I have a dental cleaning scheduled for Monday. Here is what went down today!

This is a different vet from the place where we stayed when Mawmee was out of town. While that place is a state-of-the-art hospital, she wasn't impressed when she had to take Newman there because the vet lady had views on FIV that we didn't agree with. She said we should all be tested yearly because we live with Gleek, and that FIV can be transmitted easily. So we dumped that place!

Then when it was time for Newman's yearly shots, we tried another vet closer to our house. The vet lady was okay, we weren't overly impressed. She is the only vet in the office, and Mawmee felt like we needed a bigger practice because what if she is sick and can't work - there are no other vets in the office.

So, when it was time for me to go, she decided to try a different place that is also close to our house. There are three vets, and I got to see the man vet dude.

The vet tech was nice, and she asked a bunch of questions. Mawmee told her about my mouth being sore, and that I had occasionally tummy issues - throwing up after drinking water, and also throwing up digested food.

She asked if I get heartworm meds, flea protection, and the feline leukemia vaccine. Mawmee said no and she said to herself they better not try to convince her to give these to me. The vet tech gal said she would tell the vet.

So, the vet dude came in. Mawmee explained what was going on - showed him the bloodwork I had done 6 months ago in Kentucky. My weight is exactly the same as it was 6 months ago - 9.25 lbs. He looked in my mouth and said it looks like I have tooth resorption. He didn't bother explaining what that was, but Mawmee thought she had a good idea, and knew she would be googling it later on. One point against him for not explaining.

Then he poked around on my stomach and checked it out. Didn't bother explaining anything he felt or didn't feel. Mawmee had to ask if everything felt okay - another point against him. Mawmee explained that in the past our Kentucky vet had seen possible ulcers on an x-ray and some thickening of the stomach lining.

The vet said it could possibly be IBD (inflammatory bowel disease), and that he would get us a fact sheet on it - which he never gave us but we didn't ask for it again because we know about Alex's IBD Kitties website! Chalk up another point against this place!

It was decided that I would get a dental cleaning (and possible tooth extraction but they won't know that until I get put under anesthesia). Then he took me in the back to get bloodwork taken because they always do that before dental work.

The vet tech comes back with paperwork for Mawmee - so she can approve the cost. The pre-dental bloodwork was $163 and then there was a charge of over $350 for something that Mawmee had no idea about. She asked what that was for, and the vet tech said it was to check my entire tummy workings to see what was going on. Mawmee asked if that was bloodwork, and the gal said yes.

Considering the vet only mentioned taking Pepcid to help settle my stomach, Mawmee about flipped out when she saw that charge. She said she had a problem with it, and didn't want that done at this time. The vet never explained that some kind of complete blood panel (or whatever it was going to be) would be done to determine whatever he was going to determine. The whole thing was so ridiculous and confusing - chalk up about 10 points against them for doing this!

Then she asked what the dental cleaning was going to cost. The vet tech left and came back with a breakdown. It was more than what we paid in Kentucky, but she is going to go ahead with it since I already had the bloodwork and exam.

And then we'll be finding yet another vet to check out! We know that we live in an expensive part of Phoenix, but it sure seemed like they were totally taking advantage of us today. Mawmee wanted to keep our stress at a low level by not driving too far, but finding a vet we like and trust is more important.

Thanks for all your purrs. Keep me in your thoughts on Monday, and I'll check in after I get back from my appointment.

Going to the Vet!

Wowza, I never get to write in my diary anymore. I spend a lot of time chillaxin and sleeping with Gleek!

Mawmee noticed last night that I cried when she was stroking my face. I opened my mouth really strange like it hurt. She tried to open my mouth to look inside, but I did a funny jerky motion with my mouth, so she left me alone.

I have been able to eat okay, but my breath has been very stinky lately. Today the one side of my face is still tender, and she felt a very small little bump. Since we haven't really found a vet yet, I'm going to be the first to try out one that is close to our house.

Newman went to a different one for his yearly shots, but there is only one vet in that office. We wanted to try a vet that is close to our house, and there are three vets that work in that office.

Tomorrow late afternoon was the first appointment I could get. I'm hoping I don't have a toofie problem. Nothing is major swollen, so it might be just a tooth that needs to be pulled and no abscess has started or anything else that is serious.

We're also going to ask about my tummy issues. I go for quite awhile without throwing up, and then I have times when I drink a little water, and flojectile it back up. Last night somecat threw up in the cat room on the floor. I think it was me. I have a sensitive tummy since I've gotten older. I don't like eating dry food at all, so I get wet food about 4 times a day.

My appointment isn't until 5:30 p.m. I'll update my diary when I get home. Thanks for keeping me in your purrs!

12 on the 4th!

Wowza, what a fun birthday I've had! My friends have been sending me lots of nice rosettes, pictures, and pmails! My bestest friend in the whole wide world, Rocky Ann, even visited me from the bridge and sent me happy birthday wishes!

It has been a crazy time at my house! Let me tell you what happened the last couple of nights. We live in a court, and three of the neighbor men do a fireworks show every year. This year in Kentucky, they are allowing the bigger, more dangerous and louder fireworks. They have booths set up on almost every corner selling them.

Mawmee and Daddy can't stand all the noise because they know how scared all the animals get.

So, two nights ago, the fireworks were going off in the neighborhood, and all of a sudden a cocker spaniel looked through the living room window at us. Mawmee went out on the porch, and she was shaking. She had a collar, but no tags (which drives Mawmee crazy!). She ended up spending the night in our laundry room and was a very good girl. Mawmee posted the info on Craigslist, and called a few neighbors and left messages.

In the morning as Daddy was going to the store to get dog food, one of the neighbors called and said it was her doggie. They had been on vacation and another neighbor picked up their two dogs from the kennel and put them in their backyard. Their owners didn't get home until around 1 in the morning, so when the fireworks started, the cocker spaniel got scared and figured a way out from the fenced yard. It is a good thing she came to our house and didn't wander in the woods and get lost or eaten by a coyote! Her name is Chelsea and she is 13 years old.

Then, more excitement last night when the big firework show started. All the kids in the neighborhood were in chairs and blankets on the grass not far from the street where the Dads were lighting the boomers. Mawmee and Daddy and our next door neighbors were in the driveway much further away.

All of a sudden one of the boomers shot two big plumes up into the air where they exploded into lots of tiny gold fireballs, however, the third big plume shot out sideways and came straight down the driveway towards Mawmee and Daddy. They couldn't move fast enough to get out of the way. It scared them both, and Mawmee even got two hits on her leg. We had smoke in the grass where some of the boomer innerds landed.

Daddy started yelling, that's enough, shut it down! They went inside and the three men came to the door to apologize. Mawmee went to the door and told them they should have been concerned about how close their children were to the street, and had that boomer gone toward the kids, someone could have had their eyes burned! They talked to Daddy too.

And then guess what? Later that night we saw them shooting off fireworks again - this time they moved the show to the end of their driveway! It sure seems stupid to me, and we just hope the kids were watching from inside the house!

I hope you're having a fun, quiet 4th of July! Thanks for making my 12th birthday special!

Trouble with a Capital T

So, Mawmee and Daddy were eating dinner tonight. It was one of those already-cooked chickens that they got at the store, and it was smelling really good.

After dinner, Mawmee gave Gleek and me a tiny piece of chickie meat. Then she went downstairs to throw some clothes in the laundry.

Daddy was bringing stuff over from the table to the counter. When his back was turned, I jumped on the counter and grabbed the chicken leg from the bowl, and then I ran into the dining room.

Just about that time Mawmee came upstairs and Daddy was watching me in the dining room and thinking I was getting ready to flojectile because I was all hunched over.

Then he saw the reason I was all hunched over - I was protecting my chicken leg!

Then Daddy started saying all kinds of funny stuff like he was going to have to get a gun and shoot us in the butt to protect his food from us cats!

Mawmee came over and grabbed that leg out of my mouth. Gleek was over licking the floor from where I jumped off the counter and the leg hit the floor! I was in the dining room licking all the chicken juice off my legs. Mawmee was laughing.

Newman missed the whole thing. Inky and Samoa had gone downstairs when the door was open, so I'm sure Vivien wasn't too happy about that.

Boy, the weekend is starting off in a fun way . . . . .

Bubbles Likes Bananas!

I had to go to the vet's office today for my yearly check-up. The Tabbies O Trout Towne call our vet office the Fear O Hares place because you've heard the stories from Gleek on him having to spend the night up there because all the girls in the office are afraid of the rabbits that are in the lobby.

Well, guess what? Alice - the most ginormous rabbit ever - got a new home! I was sorry that she wasn't there cause I was gonna say hi to her. Her cage was there, and inside the cage was two rabbits! OMC, they are taking over the place!

One of the rabbits is Bubbles, and the other one is the mother. Or Bubbles is the mother, and the other one is the baby. They looked alike, so I couldn't tell, and they only had one sign on the cage. And they had bananas in the crate with them. I'll have to ask Nikolai if his rabbit eats bananas.

I talked the entire way to the vet's office, while I was in the waiting room, while I was being examined by Mary the vet tech, while I waited for my vet lady to come into the room, in the lobby while I waited for Mawmee to pay, and in the car on the way home. I'll probably be hoarse tonight. I'm not turning into a horse, I'll just be hoarse!

I am still 9 lbs., but I had gained a few ounces, so that was good. I wouldn't let Mary look in my mouth, and while we waited for my vet lady, I wouldn't let Mawmee look in my mouth. I decided my mouth is only for the vet lady to see. She has hands of steel, and she pryed it open and looked all around. She said I had a little tartar, but not too bad.

Mary, the vet tech, thought maybe I had something going on in my mouth since I don't want to eat dry food anymore. I tried to tell her that dry food is so yesterday, and that wet food is the wave of the future.

The vet lady poked around my tummy, and she said my bladder was full so she wasn't going to poke too much. Then we all talked about the last time she poked around on me and mentioned getting a pee sample, so I peed all over her. It made me MOL inside to think about it!

Because I was there last month with tummy problems, she said we're going to hold off on getting any vaccinations. I'm supposed to come back in a month just to get weighed. Of course, I said I would cause I know the only reason she wants me to come in is to protect her from rabbits. There will probably be a dozen of them by next month since Easter is coming soon!

Feeling Poorly!

Sorry I didn't get to my diary yesterday to let my friends know, but I had to go to the vet yesterday morning. When Mawmee got up to feed everyone, I was no where to be found. She searched everywhere, and finally found me hiding under her bed.

She had cleaned up three places in the hallway where somecat flojectiled, and once she found me hiding, she knew it was me! I got an appointment in the morning, and went to visit the big giant rabbit named Alice. She lives in a cage in the vet's office. She is for sale for $35 because all the vets in our vet office are scared of rabbits - that is why they sometimes ask us cats to spend the night in the vet's office to protect them. Luckily, I didn't have to stay, but Gleek has had to stay many different times. I think he must look like a rabbit killer - MOL!

I had a temperature of 104. The vet lady was pushing around on my tummy, and she asked Mawmee if I was having trouble peeing. I decided to show her right then and there that there was nothing wrong with my bladder, and I peed all over the floor and even got some on her! Rita, the vet tech, was laughing. They saved some of my pee to check for infection, but my pee was good.

Then they took me in the back and did an x-ray and took blood. The bloodwork didn't show any problems with my organs, but I did have an elevated white blood cell count which means an infection somewhere. The x-ray still showed some thickening of the intestinal wall like it did back in December when I was there for loose poopies. There was no big blockage, but there could still be intestinal cancer (like Calvin had) because those walls shouldn't be thick.

I got a couple of shots - Convenia and another for nausea. I have a 1/2 pill to take twice a day to help settle my tummy. I didn't eat anything until late last night, and only a couple of bites. I was really hurting when anyone picked me up yesterday, but I'm not as bad today.

I got locked in the bathroom overnight, but this morning, I was able to go downstairs and eat breakfast with the others. Mawmee posted yesterday over on Facebook, so be sure to thank your Mom for me if she was purring. I think it helped me feel a little better this morning!

I'll keep you updated on what condition my condition is in . . . yeah, yeah, oh yeah . . . . what condition my condition is in . . . . .

Joey!

Well, we found out the scoop on Inky.

His name used to be Joey. Guess where he lived before he became our garage-to-laundry room cat? At my old house in the next court over!

Mawmee was so afraid that was going to be the case, and she is not going to take him over there because he would just be let outside (kept outside 24/7), and then he would come back over here.

Those people are really, really bad pet owners, and it makes Mawmee so mad that they keep on getting cats and not taking care of them.

Inky's chip was put in back in 2005, so at least we know his approximate age. I'll keep you updated on what we're going to do, but you can bet your bottom dollar, he will never be Joey again!

The Great Escapes!

We had two escapes over the past couple of days. First, Vivien ran out the front door! I think she was trying to get away from Newman. She just stood there on the sidewalk and Mawmee grabbed her up and took her back to her apartment downstairs.

Inky is still living in the laundry room because it is pretty chilly and he is liking the warm room, nice bed, and toys. Mawmee goes in several times a day to visit with him. Newman occasionally visits him and they touch noses and then Newman hisses!

So, Mawmee had visited Inky last night, and then was on her computer. All of a sudden she saw a cat walking by her legs, and she looked down and saw Inky! She was shocked, and wondered how he got out of the laundry room!

He ran into the bedroom and started going under the bed. The rest of us stood there looking at him with surprised looks on our faces! He ran back downstairs, and Mawmee took him back to his laundry room.

She realized the door must not have been shut tight, and he figured out how to pull it open. Inky is one smart cat! MOL!

Free from the Bathroom!

I've been allowed out of the bathroom! Since I was able to show Nurse Mawmee that I could do two poopies that looked normal, she said I didn't have to stay in the bathroom anymore.

I'm also eating my special food and taking my medicine like a good boy. Samoa still isn't eating much, and Gleek is being really picky about his wet food. We're keeping our nurse very busy.

Today she is scrubbing out all the litterboxes and getting rid of the old litter just in case there is any bacteria still floating around in them.

I sort of liked being in the bathroom because there is a special place to snooze where the heat comes out of the wall. It was really toasty in the bathroom, and I got room service too!

Now, I'm back to the sun spot in the dining room with Gleek. I think they all missed me - especially Newman, who tried to get into the bathroom every day to see me!

Thanks again for all the purrs - they really helped!

U is for Ulcers!

The vet lady said I have lots of ulcers cause the barium stuff stuck to them and that is how she can see the ulcers. And my stomach wall is thickened which can either be from inflammation or from cancer. An ultrasound might show up the stuff better but we're holding off on that right now because it would be another bunch of money, and since it might not really show anything, we're going to hope for inflammation and for it to get better.

Ulcers can come from IBD, stress, or also as a result of cancer. I'm getting a Cerenia shot for the nausea. I'm also on Metronidazole but that stuff is nasty. It is brown liquid, and I sure don't like it much. It is an antibiotic to treat bacterial infections. Metronidazole can cause an upset tummy so I'm supposed to take it with food, but I'm not eating right now so that causes a problem.

And the last thing I'm on is Sucralfate - it is a pill that gets diluted in water and syringed in my mouth. It helps coat the ulcers because they must get cold in the winter.

So, we're going to treat the ulcers and hopefully the inflammation will go away. Mawmee said it's a miracle she doesn't have ulcers from taking care of us! We think Daddy probably got an ulcer on Saturday when he saw the bill!

Thanks for all the purrs . . . . . keep 'em coming my way!