Just spent about 5 hours at a 24/7 Veterinary emergency room

[underpants]

File under: no fun
The boy (cat) is okay. He's 17. Kidney/bladder issues causing blood in his urine. That turned out a helluva lot better than we expected going in. We were pretty sure we were going to have to make "the call" today. We took him home with Antibiotics and morphine - he's not in pain it just helps...well it's morphine.

As we sat there we watched about 10 or so people or families come in with their loved ones. Many were already in tears. The staff was great, very matter of fact while still being very cheery. The thing I noticed was that there was always a box of tissues within arms length no matter where I was. That includes at the coffee machine. Lots of tissues.

*Phew* the boy gets at least one more Christmas with his beloved pastel tissue papers. He loves them, and cooking shows, and musicals....not that there's anything wrong with that of course.

[lostnfound]

1. Yay for the cat.

And yay for pet owners who care and appreciate their pets.

[angstlessk]

2. My old, old kitty who has started to growl at everything, sleeps

like a baby on a chair, upon which I put a pile of catnip...it's as if the catnip comforts him or eliminates pain?

[diane in sf]

23. Catnip and pot are in the same family. I give my old boy CBD (legal everywhere) with some THC (not

legal everywhere) and it eases his pain from arthritis. The CBD with THC may actually help regrow bone.

[Grasswire2]

3. what's his name?

Male cats and dry cat food sometimes are a problem in that regard.

[underpants]

10. He has prescription dry food

But at this point everyone agrees just let him have what he wants.

He's named after a Robert Redford character. Sundance.

[kstewart33]

4. Glad to hear you'll have him for the holidays.

It's amazing how much love a pet can create.

[rustysgurl]

5. So glad for you ...

Having your pet still around during the holidays is truly a gift. Enjoy your fella -- hope he finds a Barefoot Contessa or Chopped marathon!

[underpants]

8. English Baking Show

He's a fan.

[canetoad]

6. Glad he's still around

I'm in the same position with two old dogs, one who may be close to the end. All we can do is love and care for them.

[appleannie1943]

7. Sounds like the 5 hours were well worth it. My 3 will probably all outlive me.

[elocs]

19. At age 65, I found a kitten on Halloween of '17.

I had at the time, and still have, a 7 year old cow cat that I was afraid might outlive me, and so I'm really concerned about that happening with the new tortoise shell calico.

My cow cat is the first male I've had in my 43 years of cat ownership so I've been concerned about him having urinary problems since I've read that cats are not natural water drinkers but would get that from their prey. So I feed him some dry food in the morning and wet at night.

[appleannie1943]

24. My cats all drink water.

They are finicky about it and prefer it fresh. One loves to drink straight from the bathroom sink faucet. I am 75 and my oldest cat is about 6. A neighbor found it about a half hour after it was born while mowing the grass. It was ice cold and not conscious. I warmed it back up and raised it by hand. She thinks I am her mother. The other two are rescues.

[pazzyanne]

38. Same here!

I am also 75 and was give orphaned week old kittens to raise. They (2) are now 6 1/2 years old. I found a bedraggled month old kitten in my garage in late June of this year. (I also have a semi-feral mother cat and her kittens that I feed and leave open access to my garage) He acclimated to the ferals, but when they left on hunting trips, he always returned home. In early October I decided he would not make it through our Minnesota winters outside, so he was brought in and the process of turning him into a house kitty began. He is doing well as a house kitty, but I have concerns in the long term as well. My cats all drink water as well.

[appleannie1943]

47. Do the ones you handraised act differently?

Mine tried to help her mom do things like put laundry in the washer, put her paws under the faucet like her mom did, she drinks from the faucet, sleeps on top of me and wants on my shoulder during the day and she absolutely hates her tail. She attacks it almost daily. I had her from her first hour so I sometimes think she does not know she is a cat.

[pazzyanne]

54. The two I have raised from a week old are quite different in nature.

The male is a smoky grey cuddle bug. The female is a tortoiseshell with opinionated alpha qualities. They are very attached to each other and they treat me like their mom, which I guess I am. They communicate their wants and needs quite effectively as a team. Both like sleeping in the bathroom sink (they take turns), prefer to have their water bowl in the bath tub where they love the water splashing into their bowl, and I never go to bed unaccompanied. I have a two cat escort wherever I go in the house, including bathroom. When I am doing any type of housework except vacuuming, they are right their to "help". They groom each other several times a day, and their interactions with each other are almost human sibling in nature. They recognize their names and respond when called by their name. I have had a lot of cats in my life, but these two are definitely special. And you are right, they don't know they are cats. Gotta love them!

[robbob]

41. Cow cat?

Had to look it up! Thanks for that; I have a black and white male named Bailey, but I didn’t realize that “cow cat” was the proper description for that marking!

[elocs]

42. I call him a cow cat because he has markings like a Holstein cow.

And we have plenty of cows here in Wisconsin.
Mine is distinctive in that he has a crooked black mustache as well as a goatee.

[robbob]

43. Actually, I've called Bailey a cow before

It’s hard not to notice the similarities in his markings, it’s just I didn’t know it was a “thing” until your post. When I googled “cow cat” I found dozens of pictures of Baileys identical twins!

[elocs]

44. A couple of winters ago there was a cow cat lurking by my bird feeder.

Now unless you know the cat, they tend to look alike and I didn't want people to think I was luring in birds for my cat to catch. So walking out to the mailbox with my camera I was able to get a picture of the cow cat by the bird feeder and mine all pissed off in the window.
I've seen cow dogs as well inasmuch as they have similar markings.

[PennyK]

9. Good for you and your cat

My sister's dog, her first pet, went to sleep two days ago. He had been very sick for quite a while, and she basically had put her life on hold to care for him. She's devastated.

[FakeNoose]

11. That little guy is lucky to have you

... and such great medical care. Most cats would have gone to "the farm" by now but he's still around and looking forward to the holidays. I'm posting this gif because it's kinda cute and today is the first day of Hanakkah. In a few days I'll start posting my Christmas gifs.

[dixiegrrrrl]

14. Will...watch...this....just ....one ...more...time.....

ok...maybe one .....

[packman]

26. That is the funniest thing I've seen today

Like God said, "O.K., I'll give you one of the flames, but you're going to pay for it!"

[catbyte]

12. You probably already know this, but I always add extra water to my spoiled one's

canned food. The more water they ingest, the better. I'm so glad he's okay. My beloved Junior, who died on New Year's Day 2013 at age 24 had kidney issues starting at age 16. He did very well with the extra moisture. He still loved his kibble, but I steered him towards the canned stuff as much as possible. I hope he has many more Christmases with his pastel tissue paper.

[Laffy Kat]

28. Twenty-four! That was a well-cared-for, pampered kitteh!

Great job.

[catbyte]

31. My cats are blessed with longevity (knock on wood) I lost my last old man, Nigel, in 2015 at age 23.

I have two kids now, age 4 & 5. I'm hoping for many more years with them.

[tammywammy]

33. I add about 1/4 can of water to my cat's food

The big 5 oz cans, he gets two a day. I fill the empty can about 1/4 full and mix it in. Plus his medicine goes on top with a little more water to help it dissolve (powdered medicine). He's always liked gravy so I think he just thinks it's that.

[mithnanthy]

46. Pastel tissue paper...

...is a favorite with our three cats. They chase and knock them all over the floors and play and hide under them. If company comes, we just quickly gather the papers up and hide them until the company leaves.

[catchnrelease]

13. Tissues

Your comment about the tissues took me back to 2016, when one of our dogs was undergoing treatment for cancer. I took him to a veterinary oncologist for his meds and one day while I was in the huge waiting room I happened to notice that there were boxes of tissues everywhere. (also in the treatment rooms) I had brought some with me but when I saw all those boxes it actually made me laugh. Reality was, there was a lot of bad news given at that practice, so they knew to be prepared for the owners. Oops, it seems to be really dusty in here, now I do need a tissue.

Glad to hear that your feline comrade is ok.

[proud patriot]

15. Big Hug

Merry Christmas

[Demovictory9]

16. glad you got to bring the cat home

I've dealt with blood in the urine. It's scary to see. but my cat was cured.

[Niagara]

17. Glad to hear that your feline son is on the mend

Please give him extra pets and kitty kisses from me.

[tberry65]

18. So glad your boy is on the mend!

We have two cats who are 15 or so and getting to be crotchetty but I'd miss them terribly if we were parted.

[irisblue]

20. I am really really glad for him

Angel Majik developed a small kidney stone, when he was 7. I was totally freaked out. He had meds, a couple of manual bladder emptying times and 8 more years.

I'm really happy for all of you.

[yardwork]

21. My old fellow sends his regards to yours.

He's sleeping here next to me. Snoring softly.

[Hortensis]

22. :) Happy holidays, all of you.

[gopiscrap]

25. I love it

[Laffy Kat]

27. Awww. Glad you got to take him home.

[bitterross]

30. Glad everything turned out well.

I like dogs and cats so much better than people these days it's good he's okay.

[spanone]

32. K&R...👍🏼👍🏼

[Gothmog]

34. I was at the regular vet on Thursday

My PBGV had a bad uterine infection and got two shots and some anti-biotics. She is dong much better today and is fighting taking her pills

I have been to the emergency vet before and it is no fun

[jcgoldie]

35. Yay!

I have a girl of my own her names Flo and she's only nine now, but I will be in the same boat someday I know and I hope its a long time away, I love her so much!

[iscooterliberally]

36. I was almost there this morning, but I was able to stop the bleeding.

I'm going in with my 13 year old dog tomorrow. He has a tumor that started to bleed this morning. We're going to do surgery tomorrow and have it removed. We have our fingers crossed because at his age he might not wake up, or the anesthesia could box his kidneys. We don't have a choice at this point though because the tumor has to come off. I'm glad your kitty gets another Christmas! I hope the same for our guy, but if he doesn't make it, he did get to have a great life.

[underpants]

37. Thank you

Sorry to hear about your dog. Best of luck.

[iscooterliberally]

40. Thanks to you as well!

Samson is the one going in and he's the dog in the middle of this photo:

[pazzyanne]

39. Merry Christmas to you and your fur family.

The only problem with cats (and dogs) is that their lives are so much shorter than human lives are so we have to be prepared to part from them sooner than we want. So happy that your holidays will be blessed by the presence of your fur babies again this year.

[colorado_ufo]

45. My son just had to put down his 28 year old cat.

I adopted him from a local small-town animal control, due to be euthanized the following day. He had been found wandering in a junkyard and was emaciated. He had obviously been someone's house cat, as he loved everybody and everything. He was an outdoor farm cat here, then a house cat here, then became my son's cat and slept in his room. He moved with my son when he left home and was with him when he married and through several moves. Becoming acquainted with multiple cats and dogs did not faze him, nor did the coming of small children when my son and his wife started their family. He totally won over my daughter-in-law, and he slept on her pregnant belly for naps.

Last year my son was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. He endured a seven-hour surgery, 42 staples and four drains in his neck, multiple lymph nodes removed, excruciating pain from nerves damaged, and 35 radiation treatments that came within an inch of taking his life. He always kept his spirits up and endured all with the bravest attitude possible! But here, with his last goodbye to his best friend, the tears finally came. He is all right now, comforted iby the knowledge that he did the best thing for his buddy. He stays very busy, which eases his sorrow. They were both blessed: his kitty with a long, healthy and extremely loved life, and my son with such a good friend who saw him through the hardest of times.

[lovemydogs]

48. I am so glad you get some more time with your little 'boy'

I lost my beloved cat at 15. It's really hard.
In 2 weeks we go to the Vet for our `13 yr old terrier. We think she has doggie dementia.
She is also losing her sight.
But, she still has a zest for life and that is what matters.
If your 17 yr old still has his zest for life he will make it longer then you think

[11 Bravo]

49. Our furkids are exactly that ... our kids.

I'm waiting for lab results on my 10 year old rescue lab. She's already had two malignant tumors removed, and I'm hoping for the best.

Glad it went well for you and Sundance, pants!

[Raine]

50. So glad

you got to bring him home!

[oldtime dfl_er]

51. happy holidays

Cali is 14 and in good health but things go wrong in the blink of an eye. Thanks for reminding me to be happy and grateful for our furry friends for as long as we're allowed to be with them.

[The Genealogist]

52. Glad kitty was OK for now

I had to put down my poodle 4 years ago today, and it still hurts to remember that. Luckily the staff at the vet that day was exemplary, but I still spent the whole afternoon crying.

Now, I have an 8th month old tabby. She is a handful!!

[qazplm135]

53. had to go through that for about three weeks in August

my 11 year old cat went from great health to dead from heart cancer.

I saw a lot of tears and cried just as many.

So tough to lose a pet, we love them so much.

[Meowmee]

55. Hugs

To you and Sundance🤗🐾🐾🐾💕

[R B Garr]

56. A Merry Christmas for Sundance! And for your family, too.

Thanks for sharing this good news.