Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Lady Barbara Comes Home
Lady Barbara, a tortoiseshell female cat, came home after major surgery. She had had a puncture wound into her colon that leaked fecal matter. I had to take her to Texas A&M for the surgery. I was given strict instructions for her diet. No dry food. Every serving of canned food had to have a teaspoon of Metamucil mixed into it. I knew the only way this diet could succeed was to keep Lady Barbara in a separate room. Lady B as she came to be called was put into the solarium and fed twice a day per instructions.
This feeding schedule lasted for six weeks with Lady B growing less and less happy about mealtime. She made biweekly visits to the vet to have her incision checked as well as her general
health. She always passed with flying colors. Lady B never protested being poked and prodded. She had a u-shaped scar now on her rear, open-side down. She looked like she had been kicked by a very small horse. Except for the scar, she seemed in excellent health. She was released from the solarium.
Lady Barbara lived fourteen more years. She died suddenly of internal bleeding. My vet believed that there had been other injuries at the time of her accident that finally caught up with her. In all those years, Lady Barbara was an indoor-only cat in the same house. In all those years, she never entered the solarium again. I guess she thought if she did she would have to eat that Metamucil-laced food again.
To learn about Lady Barbara's arrival, click here.
This feeding schedule lasted for six weeks with Lady B growing less and less happy about mealtime. She made biweekly visits to the vet to have her incision checked as well as her general
health. She always passed with flying colors. Lady B never protested being poked and prodded. She had a u-shaped scar now on her rear, open-side down. She looked like she had been kicked by a very small horse. Except for the scar, she seemed in excellent health. She was released from the solarium.Lady Barbara lived fourteen more years. She died suddenly of internal bleeding. My vet believed that there had been other injuries at the time of her accident that finally caught up with her. In all those years, Lady Barbara was an indoor-only cat in the same house. In all those years, she never entered the solarium again. I guess she thought if she did she would have to eat that Metamucil-laced food again.
To learn about Lady Barbara's arrival, click here.
Labels: cat, colon, Lady Barbara, Metamucil, puncture wound, TAMU, torotiseshell
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Lady Barbara Arrives
One early spring day, a pretty tortoiseshell cat appeared on our front porch hungrily munching on my cats' dry cat food. I went out to examine the new arrival because I was always aware a new arrival could spread disease among my crew. The friendly cat came to me. With shock, I noticed (smelled first) that she had fecal matter smeared around her rear. I picked Stinky up and looked closer: the cat had a wound near her rectum that was leaking fecal matter. Despite this horrific injury, the cat kept her poise and purred. I named her Lady Barbara after the wife of Captain Horatio Hornblower. (We already had Horatio.)
As soon as I finished examining her, we headed to my vet. He determined that she had received a puncture wound into her colon. He had seen such injuries in dogs, but never cats. He immediately scheduled her for surgery. Meanwhile, I looked for her owner.
The surgery did not go well. My veterinarian was unable to seal the hole. Lady Barbara, however, was otherwise fine. I, however, had no luck finding her owner.
Afer consultation with my vet, he made an appointment at the small animal clinic that was part of Texas A&M University's Veterinary College. Lady Barbara came home until the time for her appointment. She stayed in one of my big cages because of her condition. She remained a sweet cat that loved attention as much as food.
The day of her appointment we left early because it was a long drive. Lady Barbara slept peacefully inside the largest carrier I owned. The carrier was in the back seat. We stopped for a hurried lunch, then on to A&M.
At the clinic, we checked in and waited. My vet had been encouraging, but I knew there was a chance that Lady Barbara was not fixable. Even if the wound sealed, the muscles that controlled her rectum might not work. What would we do if Lady Barbara could not be healed?
As soon as I finished examining her, we headed to my vet. He determined that she had received a puncture wound into her colon. He had seen such injuries in dogs, but never cats. He immediately scheduled her for surgery. Meanwhile, I looked for her owner.
The surgery did not go well. My veterinarian was unable to seal the hole. Lady Barbara, however, was otherwise fine. I, however, had no luck finding her owner.
Afer consultation with my vet, he made an appointment at the small animal clinic that was part of Texas A&M University's Veterinary College. Lady Barbara came home until the time for her appointment. She stayed in one of my big cages because of her condition. She remained a sweet cat that loved attention as much as food.
The day of her appointment we left early because it was a long drive. Lady Barbara slept peacefully inside the largest carrier I owned. The carrier was in the back seat. We stopped for a hurried lunch, then on to A&M.
At the clinic, we checked in and waited. My vet had been encouraging, but I knew there was a chance that Lady Barbara was not fixable. Even if the wound sealed, the muscles that controlled her rectum might not work. What would we do if Lady Barbara could not be healed?
To learn what happened next, click here.
Labels: colon, Lady Barbara, puncture wound, Tortoiseshell
