A bit of exercise, sun and fresh air
When Simba came home, he was fairly cheerful and eating well. I continued giving him his pain meds but realised that I was only giving half the prescribed amount of Onsior, which was double the normal dose. I'm cautious of giving anti-inflammatories to cats and I queried it but was told: he needs the pain relief. Google also said that a double dose is usually tolerated well by younger cats so I doubled the dose. After 2 days, his eating had dropped off and he vomited and had loose stools so I phoned the vet again on Thursday and was given some advice and told to take a break from the anti-inflammatory and use only the other kind of pain med I have for him, Gabapentin.
He went downhill rapidly the same day and seemed feverish so I had a sleepless night thinking what to do next, because I had to work yesterday and it was a public holiday, so he was proving the rule: pets only get really sick on holiday weekends. I hoped he'd be better in the morning but he wasn't so I started trying to find a substitute at work. The only person available could only come in an hour after opening so I had to go to work, wait for her and then rush home to get to the vet before they closed at midday. I don't have a car and nobody was available at short notice to drive me to the vet 20 km away, so Simba would have to go by scooter. He's a laid back guy and his first trip to the vet was by scooter so I decided to chance it but felt awful driving those 20km as fast as possible with him in the carrier behind me and I got there 20 minutes before closing.
His wound is healing well and the stitches can come out after Monday. He walks on the leg a little but has lost a lot of muscle and has a long healing journey ahead
When the vet examined him, he had a high fever with a body temperature of 40.6C although the stress of the trip may have contributed to that and antibiotics were in order. Mercifully, they treated the visit as a follow-up so I only had to pay for the meds, not the double after-hours consult fee, I was dreading that.
I had to syringe-feed him yesterday and today but he's eating and drinking by himself this evening, which is a relief: I have never met a cat that enjoyed being force-fed although he is actually a very tolerant patient. He lets me know when he's unhappy but he is generally tolerant of the pilling and other annoyances.
Simba and his brother Batman. Toffee is in the corner of the first picture, these 2 have accepted him so we're slowly getting to general acceptance. He's not going back to his previous home, where he will only be attacked again
So it seems we'll be ok. I'll be glad to take the stitches out because then the cone can come off and he'll be much more comfortable. I haven't given him any more anti-inflammatories, his stomach needs time to heal. Unfortunately opioid painkillers aren't available to vets anymore because the regulations have been tightened up a lot and anti-inflammatory painkillers are not a great choice for long-term use. Thanks, opiate addicts 😠 now pets should suffer too.
If you are wondering about the rest of the story, the first part is here https://peakd.com/hive-187635/@nikv/tale-of-a-little-cat-family-or-the-road-to-hell-is-paved-with-good-intentions
the second part is here https://peakd.com/hive-187635/@nikv/simba-comes-home-to-his-redneck-cat-hotel
Oh you have touched on a favorite subject of mine! We all now know that there is a tiny pill that effectively and inexpensively manages pain with very few side effects, other than the long shot odds that the patient will become an addict. So we all now have to either suffer from the pain or from severe gastrointestinal upset that the approved medications cause. To show all of us a drug that works, then take it abruptly away from all of us, is a great way to produce addicts.
To not give it to someone like you so you can't take it yourself rather than give it to your pet is absurd.
We good folk are the lose losers, just because there are others with criminal and addictive intent. This is what most laws do - prevent us from becoming criminals that we would never have become if there had never been a law.
If the opiod is provided by a competent physician, and managed by that physician, the patient will not become addicted. The pain will have been managed. Healing would have been more rapid, stress levels for everyone reduced.
Useful idiots populate our halls of congress.
Sigh.... until recently you could buy OTC cough syrups containing codeine here and they were heavily abused. My cousin is an opiate addict courtesy of her physician and state hospitals have become so restrictive in their prescription that my mother can't get the pain relief that she needs. My vets cannot get buprenorphine from the suppliers at all anymore
Here in the US, only pain specialists can provide opiods. Good luck finding one who will take your case.
Damn, from one extreme to the other
I'm sorry you have had to go through all this! Happy to see the others accepting Simba! He's being so cooperative, I'll wager he will also be a very affectionate cat, the kind that will let you kiss his belly! I hope he recovers fully, and soon. You're doing an amazing job with him.
Thanks for the encouragement. He is the sweetest little guy, always was
Wishing Simba a speedy recovery, it's not easy when our animal companions are hurt or sick, it's not like we can ask them how they really feel or what they want. You have definitely done your best by him xxxx
Thank you, he's been through so much in his short life
Hello dear friend @nikv good afternoon
I am very sorry for everything you have had to go through with Siba and her high fever, luckily you have managed to get someone to cover you at work and you were able to go to the vet.
I hope he gets better soon and that the stitches can be removed as soon as possible.
Best wishes dear friend
Thank you!
Thanks @ackhoo!
Thats good to hear.
There is no justice in this world.
You should take a superhero name like Batman 🙂 I would say Cat Woman but thats too easy... 🤔
🤣😂🤣
Hehe, that always reminds me of this:
😂🤣😂
Simba is quite a tough cat with lots of patience! Hope he’ll be recovering as soon as possible.
He's getting better already!
That’s very good news. He’s a guardian angel to look after him!
Don’t you just love it when the actions of others affect, and cause unnecessary pain, to us, our family, and friends? Ugh, my fur bristled reading all that, but I’m super thankful Simba’s on the mend and that he crossed paths with you😊 Hopefully things will be a touch less stressful for you both going forward.
So far, so good. I hope you are also doing well!
I hope he is continuing to get better. And I love it that you have a cat called batman!
Thanks! There was no other appropriate name for this guy 😹
Poor Simba! My heart always breaks when I see animals getting through hard moments as obviously they are the least they would deserve to deal with this kind of moments in this life, but I am sure Simba is very strong and will get over this soon! Lots of health and love from a cat mommy!
Thank you! He's been through a lot
Powerful boy! I also have a tom cat and I know the struggle to always keep him safe and healthy...
The image of you scootering madly to the vet with a cat carrier in tow warms my heart.
Glad Simba's eating again! He's a cutie.
When all else fails, we get out the trusty 2-wheeled cat ambulance. I wanted to cry every time the road turned bumpy though
Oh man, I bet.
You're totally the real-life Catwoman. Cats shine the beacon up on the sky and you're on it!
I'm glad he will be ok! You should have trusted your instincts and his actions about keeping the dose lower, but at least you caught it in time! Sick pets are one of the biggest stresses imaginable...
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Thank you! Anti-inflammatories are hard on stomachs
It's awesome that you are able to get the best care for him :) I don't want to think what might have happened if you weren't there.
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Your are a cats angel. Thanks for caring so much. ❤️
I wish your cat to get well faster! If she starts eating on her own, then this is already a sure step towards recovery. Everything will be fine, I hope!
I didn't realize I had missed part of Simba's story since I saw the beginning. I came back to read anyway. You sure have gone the extra hundred miles for this kitty.
Maybe he will pay you back some unknown way later. :)