EPTAnd decided to blog events that recently happened to my cat.
First let me introduce you to my cat, Freak:
![[image loading]](http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b161/sonofek/freak2.jpg)
I've posted about her in the various cat threads we've had over the years in the General forum. She's basically the sweetest cat ever, and I would honestly be a bit lost without her.
This story is a bit long, and has some parts that the squeamish might not want to hear about, so read at your own risk.
Anyhow, back in January, about a week before my birthday, she wasn't moving all that much. I'd pick her up, and she'd cry in pain. So, I took her to the vet.
Vet said it was probably an animal bite, and an antibiotic should clear it up. So, he gives me two weeks worth, to give twice daily. The next few days, she does show signs of improvement, and actually moves around the house quite a bit.
Sunday the 25 (my birthday is the 26th), she was really stationary, and her side was very swollen. I was this close to taking her to the emergency animal hospital, but I remember having problems with them in the past, and figured that as long as she doesn't move much, and had water, I could take her to my normal vet (that's closed Sunday), tomorrow.
I check in on her a few times during the night, and other than being stationary, she doesn't appear to be in too much pain. First thing in the morning, I call the vet, and schedule an appointment for 5:30 PM. It was the only appointment available, and since she appeared to be okay, I didn't think an earlier appointment was crucial.
At about 2:30 PM, I get her antibiotic, and go find her. She's behind the couch, so I lift her up. I'm holding her with both hands, right under her front paws, trying to avoid her side. I position her on her back, so I can pop the pill into her mouth, when it happens.
I hear a rushing liquid sound, and a moment later the smell hits me. For a second, the only explanation I could think of was that she was in such severe pain that her bowels released, and then I see this thick, milky yellow liquid gushing out of her side.
This naturally scares the shit out of my cat. She jumps off the couch, and proceeds to track throughout the house. Eventually she stops under the table, which is where she had been camped out the previous few days.
I immediately call the vet, tell them it was an emergency and they move the appointment up to 3:30 PM (it was the earliest they could do it, and I also don't drive myself). So, I call my sister to let her know, and start cleaning up the mess.
There's still a long stain from the couch, through the hall way, and to the bedrooms this day. Tried to get the stain as best as we could, but that shit didn't want to come up.
Anyhow, take her to the vet, they're going to keep her a few days, and it's going to cost me about $500 (yay birthday present), and they'll need to keep her a few days.
I go home, and try to relax a bit. I was worried about my cat. The Vet calls me afterhours, and I hear "10 inches of infection" and my call decides to fucking drop. I frantically search for the vet's number, while keeping my phone near in case he calls back.
Find the number, call it, and am greeted with the automated "we are closed for the day; if it's an emergency call this animal hospital, business hours, etc..". The vent never called back, so I spent the rest of the night panicking and hoping my cat was alright.
Talk to the vet in the morning, and there was indeed 10 inches of infection. If I hadn't brought her in when I did, there was a very good chance she would have died, and there's still a chance she may need another surgery, if they didn't get all the infection. But other than that all, she's doing well, and I can pick her up in a few days.
I go to pick her up, and she looks awful. Her side is shaved, she has a large amount of stapling in the middle of her side, where they cut her open. And the worst part was she had four plastic tubes stitched to her side, that they used as drains.
Basically from that point, I had to make two trips to get the drains removed, and then the stitches. She appears to be doing well today, though I'm thinking about taking her in again for a check up in the coming days. And her hair is finally starting to grow in on her side (very slowly).
