Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Sophie

My little Sophie cat had a rough weekend. Lets just say we all had a rough weekend! Shortly after Jeff snapped this photo of her in her basket, she stopped eating. She wouldn't sit with us, or play. Her weekend was spent under a bed or laying down in a corner. There was other grossness but I won't share here! By Sunday morning I was worried she would get dehydrated. Jeff and I fed her a little chicken baby food with a syringe. She wasn't happy about it, but did seem to perk up a little afterwards. Monday morning, she ate a little baby food on her own. 
We had been using the old timer vet here in town. He was close, inexpensive, Sophie was healthy and only needed vaccines. After her routine visit in February, I told Jeff I didn't want to take her there if she was ever sick. The old doc seemed confused and his lab coat was disgustingly stained with blood. The visit was a complete turn off. So now, here I was with a sick kitty and no vet. I messaged a friend in town who I knew could give me a good recommendation. Sure enough she did. I called and they were able to see her in the afternoon.
The hospital staff was wonderful! The facility was super clean. Sophie had a thorough exam and blood work. Her kidney and liver function are good... which was great news because she is 15 years old. What they did discover is that she has hyperthyroid. It didn't solve the problem we went in for but it answered other questions Jeff and I had had over the last two years. Sophie was alway hungry and often drove us crazy up until meal time. Last winter I thought she lost weight. The old timer vet, at her annual visit, said she was fine. I started adding some canned food to her diet, but she still was crying for food an hour before meals. 
We came home not sure what caused her illness, perhaps it's a virus. She had an injection to help with nausea and some pills to take at home... along with the new thyroid med. If we see no improvement, back for more (expensive) tests. Lo and behold when she climbed out of her crate at home, she went straight for her bowl and cried for food... and she ate canned cat food! This morning she even ate some dry food along with the canned. 

Jeff and I are so relieved that she is feeling better, and that we have found a vet we are happy with. Maybe today I can actually be productive. 

I hope your Halloween was a good one. I had a jack o' lantern, I had candy... I had no trick or treaters.
Jeff and I ate the candy.

7 comments:

  1. I'm sorry to hear this, he was a really good vet back in the day.
    I hope she's on the mend. Trick or treat. No bigger here, we spend our candy money on dinner out. All treat.

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    1. He really should retire. His assistant stopped him, as he reached for another distemper vaccine, to remind him he had already given her one. :-(
      Sophie seems much better today, still not 100% but at least she is eating.

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  2. Ha! I miss trick or treaters. I'm glad Sophie is feeling better. The local vet may just be the most miserable human being I've ever met... horrible person. I'm glad you found someone you're happy with to care for her.

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  3. So glad Sophie is doing better. And that you found a vet you can trust...very important! Hope your little gal keeps on feeling better. The trick or treaters all go to a central place these days...and don't get as much exercise, do they!

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  4. So glad sophie is better; she looks so cute in her basket. Last winter Barney had a cat flu and he didn't move or eat for two days, I squirted water in his mouth with a syringe every few hours. He finally snapped out of it, for him not to move at all for two days was very unusual. He had runny eyes and a dry nose. Do you keep food out for Sophie at all times? We keep dry food out for our cats all the time so they can eat at will and give them wet food either once or twice a day. I have always fed my cats like that; cats tend to eat a small bit at a time rather than a lot all at once unlike dogs who will overeat, cats rarely do. The one exception was Binky. After he was lost in the snow and almost starved to death, he never got over craving for food and we had to limit his intake. We never restricted food for any other cats (11 or so I've had over the years).

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    1. Sophie has never been free fed. If I did she would eat the whole amount I put out, then proceed to throw it up! I think she did have a stomach bug because she is gradually getting back to normal. In hindsight, the stomach bug may have been a good thing... it led to the diagnosis of hyperactive thyroid.

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