"Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love."
Mother Teresa

Sunday, June 28, 2015

Beside Myself


Hmmm....I'm not really sure what that expression means but I think it describes how I have felt for the last 24 hours.  I have been beside myself with worry.

Two of my granddaughters were diagnosed with strep throat on Friday.  Of course they have been at my house everyday this week.  I was feeling quite in control of that situation.  As a retired RN, taking care of sick little ones is right up my alley.

Then I lost control.
At 3 pm Friday my beloved 14 year old cat threw up.  This wasn't a little cat vomit or a hairball.  This was a huge pile of undigested food.  This cat never throws up like that.  Then he crawled under the bed and refused to come out.  The warning bells in my head started going off.  The cat is sick!.....could he have picked up a strep infection?  I tried to be rational....a trip to the vet, antibiotics, he would be ok I told myself.  I tried to knit on the baby top that has been so uncoopertive lately.  I knit slowly, and counted carefully.  I started to feel less worried.  Knitting can be great therapy.

About 6 pm the cat came out of the bedroom and tried to come down stairs (1/2 flight).  He got part way and seemed to stumble.  I managed to grab him and set him at the bottom.  Alarm bells!  DING, DING! Something very wrong here.
My poor kitty walked like he was drunk, staggering into the living room.  He found a spot under a chair and stayed there.  I brought him food and water and he just turned his head away.  He stayed crouched under the chair and I began to imagine the worst.  He had a stroke?....he couldn't see?....he was dying!?  I couldn't eat  and felt queasy.  And the uncertainty....should I call the emergency number and take him to the city an hour away?  None of the local vets do weekend emergency care....they refer to the emergency clinic an hour from here.  Should I wait til morning when our vets office is open?
Truly, I was beside myself.

End of story....I slept very little, checking on him frequently during the night.  He seemed stable.  Off to the vet this AM with a diagnosis of vestibular disorder.  Could be an inner ear infection causing it.  The vet is pretty sure he didn't have a stroke.  He was given a steroid shot, and we have antibiotics for him.  He is able to walk a bit better today and did eat a little tuna fish tonight.  According to the vet, cats don't catch strep throat from humans....BUT they can be strep carriers.   Hmmmm....what a coincidence then that he got sick right after the girls.

He is like one of the family, like one of my children.  We have had a lot of pets and have our own pet cemetary in our back yard.   I handled all those losses pretty stoically most of the time.  But once in awhile you find a special one.  Salem is a special one.


I am feeling better tonight, hopeful that he will recover over the next couple weeks.

Do you have a pet that you have a special bond with?


Til next time,
Peace









6 comments:

  1. What a scary thing for you. First your grand-daughters' strep and then your sweet kitty. It is so easy to think the worst at night when you feel helpless. I'm so glad it wasn't something more serious. I would be lost without our British lab, Chloe. She is my constant shadow.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  2. I understand how you feel. We lost our cat Jaxson ten years ago and there are still nights I swear I feel him jump up on the bed.

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  3. Oh my goodness, so much going on at once. I hope everyone is healing and that you are able to take a deep breath and relax.
    Meredith

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  4. Oh we just know tooooo much. Mymom always said being a nurse could be a curse. Salem. Get well!

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  5. I'm sorry your girls and kitty are having a rough time. I hope they all get better fast. My little Buddy dog is the most precious of all the animals I've ever had. He sleeps with us and is never far from us. Usually napping on my lap or my husband's. I don't know what I'll do when we lose him. ((hugs)), Teresa

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  6. Hope kitty is much better today!!! Have a good Fourth.

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