![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Warranty is running out.
Mar. 22nd, 2012 06:50 pmSo, Ranger has been off his game since I moved, which isn't surprising of course; cats hate that shit. The problem is, with a very old cat, you can't always tell which parts are Goddammit Get Off My Lawn and which are signifiers of something actually wrong. On the one hand, after a few days, he was following me around (a little) and sitting next to me on the armchair and so on; on the other, he seemed a little bit wobbly when he first stood up and his fur is starting to get more of that staring old-cat look. And I figured that he was probably due a check-up when I got back from yon business trip.
Things took a more immediate turn on Tuesday evening, when I got home from work to find his right cheek markedly swollen. I took him in first thing Wednesday--fortunately there is a well-reputed clinic right up Broadway--and they ascertained that, why yes, he has an infection. (O RLY?) They did not drain the abscess, which in retrospect I thought odd, but gave me antibiotics for 10 days and recommended a warm compress (which I understand in theory but have you ever tried holding a warm damp cloth to a cat's face for five to ten minutes?), and said that once the infection was under control then we'd have a look to see if there's a particular cause for the infection--e.g., a rotting tooth. (Which, if it's that, I was warned that the usual treatment is to put them under general anesthetic to yank the tooth, which is a perilous undertaking on an old cat.)
They also took blood, which they didn't figure would say much about his current issue, but since he is so old it would be good to see what else might be up, which I fully agreed with.
So we are two days of antibiotics in and his face isn't noticeably less swollen. It's hard to say if his appetite is down, because he's such a minimal eater to begin with; at least there is some product in the catbox (and when we got back from the vet he headed straight for the kibble, which was a little reassuring). The vet apparently left voicemail whilst I was in the subway today, asking me to call back, but when I did there was no answer. -_- She said that his white blood cell count was up, because duh infection; but also that he has some evidence of kidney disease. Wonderful. (And I am in goddamn meetings all goddamn day tomorrow so I don't even know when I'll be able to talk to the vet.)
I am clinging to the fact that Ranger is still tolerably interested and interactive, even if not moving a huge amount. Because I am very not ready to say goodbye to my fluffeh kitteh.
Things took a more immediate turn on Tuesday evening, when I got home from work to find his right cheek markedly swollen. I took him in first thing Wednesday--fortunately there is a well-reputed clinic right up Broadway--and they ascertained that, why yes, he has an infection. (O RLY?) They did not drain the abscess, which in retrospect I thought odd, but gave me antibiotics for 10 days and recommended a warm compress (which I understand in theory but have you ever tried holding a warm damp cloth to a cat's face for five to ten minutes?), and said that once the infection was under control then we'd have a look to see if there's a particular cause for the infection--e.g., a rotting tooth. (Which, if it's that, I was warned that the usual treatment is to put them under general anesthetic to yank the tooth, which is a perilous undertaking on an old cat.)
They also took blood, which they didn't figure would say much about his current issue, but since he is so old it would be good to see what else might be up, which I fully agreed with.
So we are two days of antibiotics in and his face isn't noticeably less swollen. It's hard to say if his appetite is down, because he's such a minimal eater to begin with; at least there is some product in the catbox (and when we got back from the vet he headed straight for the kibble, which was a little reassuring). The vet apparently left voicemail whilst I was in the subway today, asking me to call back, but when I did there was no answer. -_- She said that his white blood cell count was up, because duh infection; but also that he has some evidence of kidney disease. Wonderful. (And I am in goddamn meetings all goddamn day tomorrow so I don't even know when I'll be able to talk to the vet.)
I am clinging to the fact that Ranger is still tolerably interested and interactive, even if not moving a huge amount. Because I am very not ready to say goodbye to my fluffeh kitteh.
