The CAT room!

Catching up.....

I am glad MsO decided to bring home Flatty. It is a bewildering step for you, MsO, but I think it is in Flatty's best interest. Keep us updated!

Oh, perhaps another local vet would be willing to make the final housecall, if it comes to that. Ask your vet if he knows of anyone who might.

short sigh - and finfers crossed.

He'll be happier at home anyway.

I'm way ahead of you, Noddy!

Luckily for me I have the rest of today & all of tomorrow off ... I've done a bit of shopping in preparation & now:

- there's a big plastic table cloth on the floor, right next to this here computer. On it are lots of sheets of newspaper, Flatty's favourite rug-thing, with towel on top. Later I will add water bowl & food plate. And kitty litter, though the vet tells me he's not up to that yet!

- In the oven is one roasting free range chicken. I couldn't interest him in the chicken I bought on the way to the vet's yesterday. Perhaps, being home & more relaxed he might be a little more responsive?

- It's a perfect February day today so I'm airing the house to make it "nice".

So, how's that for starters?

Very good - very thoughtful! When does he come home?

Yes, Vivien: avoid dehydration! Just in case, I've just bought a chicken baster thingy (with a narrow end), so if worse come to worse, a driible of water here, a dribble there ....

As for fading away? Never! Er ... he's carrying a little extra weight in case of an emergency such as this one!

Thanks, Vivien.

The vet opens at 4pm. I will collect him then. (It's now going on to 2:30.) That was an excellent idea about asking about a good vet who does house visits, k. Thanks. I will definitely ask Dr C about it when I collect Flats.

Opens at 4pm? Do you mean just for critter pick-ups?

Thanks Deb, margo & Imur for your good wishes & concern. Gosh, this feels ilke an international project!

I hear the reservations in between the lines of your post, margo. Believe me, I've got 'em, too! But the pros out-weigh the cons, so all I can do is try my best (with fingers crossed)!

best wishes to both of you, olga. i'm sure flatty will be happy to be back home with you, chicken or not.

Thanks, dag. You know, I think you're right!

This all sounds very encouraging, msolga, thinking of you and hoping things go well...

OK, folks, I think my concerns have hogged this thread for long enough. Please resume your normal cat stories & discuss your concerns. I will post updates in the meantime & ask for advice/opinions if I need to. Thanks so much!

One thing I would like to comment on is this: the other day, in neko nomad's post, I discovered that their were TWO tabby beauties in the nomad household! And that they are almost identical! Wow, what a gorgeous pair!

Very knid of you, soz. Thank you.

You don't understand, msolga. Flatty, Screech, Oscar and Miranda, Mikey, Possum, and the gang have become part of the family. We've known most of them before there even was an a2k. Some before there was even a ravensrealm. You can't just up and tell us the thread has been hogged.

Ditto Roger! (I just watched Airplane and 'ditto roger' was hard to leave alone).

I agree, Msolga needs some assertiveness training. Flatty is just as important as any of the other incarnated deities we love and right now he and his consort need us.

Pardon me if I'm being repetitive or boring you all, but ... I'm constantly astounded by the good folk of A2K. So sympathetic, knowledgeable, supportive, wise ... ! Incredible! Take a bow!

.. so now, at 3:24 pm precisely, I'm going off-line, having a light beer in the beautiful sunshine out there & preparing for the collection of the Flat Cat! The house is full of the aroma of roasting chicken. And I am taking a deep, deep breath before I venture off. See ya later!

Msolga--

Hold your dominion.

My "finfers" are firmly crossed, too!

What can I say? I have just had to put Flatty down.

I arrived at Dr C's to discover that things had deteriorated since yesterday. This morning Flatty developed a breathing problem. Caused, most likely according to Dr C, to a blood clot in his lungs. As a result, his breathing was quite laboured. He was wheezing. On top of that, he wasn't remotely interested in eating or drinking anything at all. Sadly, though, there appeared to be some improvement in the mobility of his legs, though he'd lost interest in walking around at all.

Dr C & his wife decided this morning not to ring me at work at tell me this news. They thought it might upset me too much & decided it was better to inform me personally. And at a time when I could actually see the situation for myself.

So I talked to Dr C at length. The pros & cons of taking him home. What the blood clot could actually mean? How serious a complication? What sort of pain & discomfort was he actually in? Was it likely to get worse? was it reasonable or cruel to persist any further?

In the end, I managed to get Dr C to say that he would probably not "recover", given this new complication. The kindest thing, then, was to put his pain to an end. That was my decision, not my vet's.
He was in total agreement, but wanted me to decide.

Flatty was so pleased to see me when I arrived! Alert instantly. responding to my words. Showing interest. But sadly, his interest soon waned. Obviously he was very tired & obviously the situation he was in was wearing him down.

So I asked for them to remove the drip & let him sit on my lap for a while. I talked to him, patted him & waited for him to be completely relaxed. I wanted him to feel comforted, loved. The vet said I could take as long as I wanted & to call when I was ready. When the time came, I asked if he could stay on my lap during the procedure. To just peacefully drift away, not knowing what was happening. Yes, that was fine.

So, now that's the end of my Flat cat. Poor little wretch, the end of his tough little life. No more pills. No more distressing drives to the vet. No more upsetting overnight stays at the vet. No more struggling. Sleep your painless sleep, little cat, you're finally free. But I'll miss you so much, all the same.