Cat rescue! Luddly, please read!

[Pogo]

And..it sounds more like a brown recluse spider bite. She was up in the tree. Spiders live in trees.

Spiders live everywhere though. There's no special reason they'd be more likely in a tree. When my cat comes down I'll be more concerned about ticks.

 

[Gracie]

If the cat does not freak out on car rides, the best bet would be take it to the vet that seems to know what he is doing. BUT...that is a 4 hour trip. Most cats are not thrilled with cars..especially that long in one. Will that ride make things worse? On the other hand...a vet that needs guidance in a surgery is pretty scarey too. However, if they are removing dead skin and stitching her up, they might be able to do it with just guidance. On the other hand, do they know what the fuck they are doing to begin with? The cat is already there, comfortable, and on antibiotics. Moving her on a 4 to 5 hour trip would scare me if it were my cat. So...being me...I would probably leave the cat where it is (after considering all the pros and cons) and hope God is in that surgery room guiding some hands. Or one of His Angels.
And once all this is done and over with...get a new vet that doesn't need another vet hovering over them with a video cam so they can do the correct job. That's friggin' scarey.

 

[Gracie]

Brown Recluse like bein reclusive. And wood. It's the only known species I know of that can cause skin to slough off. I have not googled opposums though. Regardless of what it was...it left a prezzie in that cats body. Antibiotics will kill whatever that prezzie is...and removing the dead skin will as well. IF they get ALL of it. And this vet sounds incompetent.

 

[Gracie]

Jeri...ask the vet where the cat is, HOW they will "guide" them. Vid cam so that vet can SEE what THIS vet is doing?

 

[Pogo]

Luddly Neddite Gracie tiny Dancer featherlite Pogo gallantwarrior

There is wisdom in many counselors and I need to hear what ya'll have to say about this. First, I just spoke to the Doctor that will be the one to perform surgery and she is young. She said they are giving her antibiotics, pain medicine, and some other things to get her ready for surgery on Thursday. She did alright last night there. They said her skin was sloughing off where the infection bursted and they don't know what bit her. I believe it was a possum. Possums carry infection and will bite a cat if it gets near it out of curiousity. I researched it last night on Google.

Now they said the skin has stopped sloughing and if it doesn't slough any more than that would be a good thing. So I am praying for that. But in the meantime my husbands friend told us that this animal hospital years ago over did the anesthesia on his dog and his dog died in surgery. Now he said it was years ago but he won't go there again. Now we have always taken our pets to this hospital and things went good. But none of our animals ever needed surgery!

Now our friends took their pet to a Doctor in another state ( it isn't too far - maybe a 3 or 4 hour drive) who is by their account one of the best. He said he did what said couldn't be done - he did heart surgery on their dog when the doctor here in our town said nothing could be done and she wouldn't live long. When their pets get sick they take it to this Doctor and he is in another state.

Now here is the decision we have to make here. She is resting comfortably and is eating and drinking, no IV, they are keeping her comfortable with pain medicine and antibiotics and waiting for Thursday. She is still weak and getting her strength back. You should see her. She is a precious little thing. It would break your heart. With all I told ya'll here is the question.

Do we take her to the doctor in the other state while she is still getting over the infection and bursted infection - with skin sloughing (they said it has stopped sloughing for right now) or do we take her now to the doctor in the other state? Or do we wait until she is ready for surgery on Thursday and take her to the doctor in the other state and go ahead and prepare for the trip now and set up the appt. with him? Or do we let this hospital do the surgery because it is a surgery that is to clean out the wound and partially close it up in case there is any more re occurance of the infection? In my spirit I feel like this hospital is not so sure and as I said this doctor who is caring for her now is very young.

Okay this is what my husband just told me. He talked to the Doctors office in the other state and they said they can guide and advise the doctor who will do surgery at this hospital and will act as a second opinion and a guide on how to care for the cat and what to look for , etc. They said it might be best to leave her there and let them be in contact with them to guide them and assist in treating the cat. What do you think about that?

How can you treat something without knowing what kind of disease / infection you're treating? I'm no expert but don't they have tests that can determine what is what? I thought vets were like medical doctors that can pinpoint exactly what is wrong. Am I wrong? Or is this a matter of an inexperienced doctor who just doesn't know?

Whew -- not an easy conundrum... working from the bottom up, I can see how an infection or injury can be treated without necessarily knowing its backstory, if they concentrate on what would be common to all such cases and take care of obvious needs until that's figured out. It does sound like there's concern about the inexperienced vet, but if I were inclined to favor the vet in the other state, then I'd also be inclined to trust his judgment on overseeing her, if he has a practical plan to make that work. The other thing to keep in mind is whether bringing in such supervision would also bring a resentment on the part of the local doctor, but fortunately she's not male so that may not be a factor after all.

As far as travel in cars, cats are still individual. They're not known for settling comfortably in a moving car, but if you take her out on a test run you may find yours does. I've taken my cat on at least a dozen trips of anywhere from 3 to 14 hours at a time, and he settles right in and rides peacefully. Give your test run a good half-hour to see if she gets used to the idea (and I assume you have a cat carrier-- that's essential).

 

[Pogo]

And..it sounds more like a brown recluse spider bite. She was up in the tree. Spiders live in trees.

Spiders live everywhere though. There's no special reason they'd be more likely in a tree. When my cat comes down I'll be more concerned about ticks.

Also, if the theory was that an animal bite is what drove her up the tree, then that would be before she arrived in the tree, not during. If she got bit by the spider in the tree, that means she went up the tree for some other reason. Which is not unusual around here....

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

Thank you, Gracie and Pogo. I am going to think about everything you've said and pray about it. I am going to get ready and go down there now and spend some time with her. I'm not sure what is going on but I'm believing for her to come through this. I have several cat carriers. They all have their own stuff. My husband bought another one not long ago and she traveled in it when we took her in. Thank you for all your help. I pray the LORD blesses you mightily for your kindness.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

I saw her. She has an open flesh wound - all the hair and skin has been removed in that area - where that bite was and you can see her flesh. She seemed very alert and happy - she had just been given her pain medicine. I rubbed her front paws and her head and gave her lots of love. She pushed her head against mine - she is a very affectionate cat. I bought her a little yellow and black striped fish with fins that make a little crinkle sound and I left it with her when I left her. The doctor who will operate came in and said she would work with the Doctor we contacted and she'll be operating on her Thursday morning. She will be careful with the anesthesia amount the give her. She spent a good deal of time answering every question I could think of. After talking to her again I feel comfortable that she will do her very best. I know it will be alright.

 

[Gracie]

Anesthesia is an iffy thing even with humans. With the other vet assisting her, and angels over each shoulder, I'm sure kitty will do fine, hon.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

Thank you, Gracie. Something happened when I was there and the doctor was asking me if I'd rather take the cat to the other doctor. That she would not be offended. I looked at her name on her doctor's coat and her first name was Christina. But what I read on her coat was Christ. Not Christina. I knew He was letting me know this is the one I have chosen to do this operation. So have faith in me. I'm in full control here. Since then I have felt at peace and in my heart and I know she will wake up, she will recover and she will come home with us when she is well. Thank you for caring so much. You are a wonderful woman, Gracie. I pray the LORD blesses you, protects you and pours out His love upon you and your entire household. You too, Pogo! May all your animals enjoy good health all the days of their lives!

 

[Gracie]

If that ain't a sign, I don't know what is! Gave me goosebumps.
Keep us apprised, ok?

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

Thank you, Gracie! I will!

 

[featherlite]

I skimmed through all this. lol
You rock for taking care of a stranded kitty.
Did they find out if its a bite or not?

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

This is the praise report, Featherlite. It was a bite wound - the doctor had scheduled surgery for this morning and I was there at 8:30 a.m. waiting in the lobby. Our doctor came into the lobby with the cat in her arms and said, would you like to take her home with you? I said, Yes! Are you kidding me?

She said, no. You can take her home and we'll show you how to clean the wound and give her the pain medicine, antibiotics and other medicines. I believe there are four or five medicines in the bag and one has to be refrigorated. We are to clean the wound each day with a saline solution and a syringe that directs the spray into the wounds (you take the tip off first) they gave me in a bag of saline. She told me that before the flesh was infected and skin was falling apart around it, you can see the two bite wounds which are wider apart so it couldn't have been a spider - they looked at her this morning and the head doctor of the hospital looked at her and they were amazed to see that her flesh was all pink and fresh and no sign of any infection or disease or anything. It is like brand new flesh. The head doctor told our doctor - the surgery isn't necessary - they can take this cat home.

So I went into a private room with her and thank God the carrier was in my car - I got it and brought it in - and let them go over the medicines and how to clean her and use the antiseptic wipes and put on the salve (which is last step) and they also gave me a case of pet science canned food for her food and put it on our bill. She is in our bedroom resting comfortable and has fresh food and water by her bed. They gave me her special cat litter which is made out of recycled newspaper and won't stick to the wound and she had her medicines already so when my husband gets home from his job, we'll clean her wound and dress it with the antiseptic wipes and salve and give her - her next dose of medicines. I'm taking off (from the board) for a few weeks - maybe more - God willing I'll return when she is well. I'll be watching her very closely. It will give me time to spend with the LORD in my room which I need to do anyhow!

I thank Jesus Christ for this miracle. When I visited her time before last I layed hands on her and asked the LORD to heal her thinking He would use this doctor to do it by way of surgery. I was certain that this surgery would be happening. Her flesh looked mottled and diseased / infected and like there was pus in it, like it was rotting flesh. I cannot tell you how absolutely shocked I am to see her flesh looking brand new and smooth and perfectly pink! I am overwhelmed with gratitude knowing she is in my room right now instead of on an operating table. I thank Jesus for this miracle and look forward to enjoying the friendship of this precious gift from Him for many years to come. I know the LORD gave me this cat. This cat was a gift from Him. She is a gift from God. I thank Jesus with all my heart. Take care, everyone and remember that Jesus loves all of us the same and he desires to give us our life in Him and meet our every need. He is the great physician. Jehovah Rapha, He is our healer. How tenderly he cares for all His creation. He sees everything and knows our every care, he is a God of great compassion. Oh how compassionate and loving He is!

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

I have named her Hanani. Hanani is Hebrew and it means God has shown mercy.

The scripture for the name Hanani is Deuteronomy 4:31.

For the Lord your God is merciful - he will not abandon you.
Deut. 4:31

 

[Pogo]

I have named her Hanani. Hanani is Hebrew and it means God has shown mercy.

The scripture for the name Hanani is Deuteronomy 4:31.

For the Lord your God is merciful - he will not abandon you.
Deut. 4:31

I love the name Jeri. You'll be calling her Hannah soon.

Umm.... don't forget to give the doctor her due. She's the one who did the work.

 

[Gracie]

Take breaks now and then, Jeri. Don't hover. Give her time to mend and sleep and have some space. She is in good hands. Come post now and then and let us know how Hanani is doing.

 

[featherlite]

Aww. Love this and the name you chose is perfect.

 

[Pogo]

Latest update here -- Hobbes is finally down from 20 feet up in the tree

He's been up there A WEEK. No exaggeration. After all these days of trying to entice him to back down showing him food, he finally took the hint and crawled down backwards, haltingly, until he was low enough that I could reach him to pick off the tree.

Now he's in my lap, trying to paw at my mouse. The computer mouse.

I can feel how much thinner he is. We're already working on that.

Whew.

 

[featherlite]

Hobbes must of liked it up there. lol
Glad hes down and safe.
The cat I had never got stuck anywhere (that I know of) but he did use to roam the 'hood pretending like he was homeless.