Friday, September 27, 2013

This ain't yo chair

Meow

We had a rough day, and then...

Well, one of her subcutaneous stitches poked through & had to be removed today... but on the way back from the car she hopped right out of my arms & we went for a walk!

We explored many things and even met a dog (although I didn't get pics of that!) and were out there for almost an hour. Unfortunately this means we had to put some nasty frontline on them for the fleas, but she was so happy outside. 

Random hole was also found, she looked but it was not a bonus level.

Saturday, September 7, 2013

The pain returns and hugs are needed

I'm also home!

We picked Yoda up at 9:45 this morning as expected, the bill was about as much as I expected but overall she is still every bit worth it. All of the ladies in the vets office fell in love with her, she is so sweet and cute, how could you not?

Well, they had to give her some pain medication, and she needs to be under observation for about 2 weeks to ensure she doesn't rip the stitches open, and they'll remove them in 14 days. Otherwise, we've made a few adjustments, like giving her a ramp into the litterbox and ensuring the ground is more clear of clutter than it had been. 

For now, she is just happily rubbing on all the everything and everyone ever in the house. At least she is happy, even if induced!
(Cause, I can guarantee you she is NOT happy about that shaving in her normal state!)

I am higher than any kite ever


Sorry for the blurry photos! She is a little dopey and wont sit still long enough!

Friday, September 6, 2013

Sad little Doo

Exploratory Surgery

Yoda just got out of surgery! She is, so far alive. I can visit her this evening, and she is just now waking up.

Those poor doctors have been at it for many hours this morning trying to sort her out. First off, she is fixed - they said they might as well while they had her open. Secondly, the herniated diaphragm is actually a congenital defect, meaning she was born this way... 

Many cats suffer herniated diaphragms when they fall from high places or get hit by cars. It is exceptionally common, but dangerous to operate on - and yet, if you don't, in almost all cases they'll get very sick and die a very painful death within 10 years. Because Yoda's herniated diaphragm was something she was born with (and potentially why she is so tiny)... they cannot do much as what has pulled through is firmly attached & there is large blood veins running through that would almost definitely kill her if they did do surgery.

Thankfully, due to the fact they are so attached there is very small chance of them ever becoming an issue... But we will have to take her in for X-Rays for the rest of her life to ensure this remains to be the case. So ultimately, the exploratory surgery was a success and Yoda is alive. We'll be able to pick her up tomorrow, and I will be visiting her tonight.

It's up to Yoda now to continue to be a fighter & pull through this. I am so nervous, but I will be happy when she is home and mauling my feet for food.


Thursday, September 5, 2013

Dropped off

The infamous X-Rays, of which we finally saw the other view. Originally they only showing the view from the side... yeah.

Well, she is dropped off, all we can do is hope now.


Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Update impending


My dear Yoda. I love her so much, I met her when she was just a whining little ball of barely there fluff and bones. I fed her from my hands, and carried her bundled to my chest every day until she got on her own feet. Even now, many call her small... but she is actually about 7x as big as she was back then.

The amazing bond I have formed with my... baby is nothing short of love. She is so sweet and caring, cuddly, & affectionate. She behaves when we go out, she loves on strangers, and she is just the perfect minky soft little kitten.

And it terrifies me knowing that she may be dead in a few days. I take all of the blame onto myself for her fall, even though ultimately there may not have been much I could do... still, I let her onto the balcony. I don't know what I will do if she does not make it.

Onto the real news, Dr. Falloon wishes us to bring Yoda in tomorrow night at 6pm, she will stay there under supervision until the next day wherein they will perform explorative surgery in an attempt to locate if the problem with her diaphragm and liver is due to her fall or if it is a side effect/birth deformity of her diminuative size.

There is a lot of risks though, twicefold due to her still tiny size... But we have to make a decision. 

They're almost positive that things are not as they should be, but if they try to correct it, it may send her into shock... immediate death, or death within 8 hours. It is a very real, very serious risk.

However... if they choose not to fix it, sure, she could live another 10 years, then die a horribly painful and drawn out death... Or 10 months, or 10 weeks. We don't know. You can't know. But she will live... it's unknown on how long. Or you have the chance to fix it.

My dearest baby could die two nights from now, 10 years from now, or a full and long life. I don't know what to do, but I think the right choice is surgery. At least then we'll have done all we can to save her and make her live a long and vibrant life, to prevent a painful death. None of us want pain for our beloved fur-children, or real ones.

I would so greatly appreciate anyones words on this matter, their opinions. I am so unsure of myself, and so afraid for her. 

Bad news

The vet we visited yesterday left me a message, he reviewed the X-Rays again and wants to talk to me. I am really worried, but he doesn't come in until about 4pm so I wont be able to call til then. Hoping is okay.

Meanwhile all the wants to do is be near me and cuddle, so I am unable to work much. I don't mind, I was so worried about her all night as she slept with me, she made the worst noises, you could feel them in her chest =(

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

From the "Pitts" of hell

Well, we're back from the Pitts vetrinary hospital and I cannot possibly say enough good things about the vetrinarian who helped us, Mark Falloon. He was such an amazingly nice guy who was very clear with his treatment and kind with Yoda.

He actually discounted the Ultrasound, and we ended up paying next to nothing compared to what I expected. I was so happy I could have cried, not only because of the diagnosis (or lack thereof) but also the cost. Money is always tight for everyone, and I am no exception. This has already really hit my savings accounts quite hard, which is tough because I am setting aside the bulk of my paychecks to pay taxes for this year as well.

Good news for the most part regarding Yoda's ultrasound. It was, ultimately, inconclusive BUT we could see that the liver/intestines/everything were in the right spot and not in the chest cavity. They weren't noticably protruding, but that really doesn't mean that there isn't a potential tear. 

We were advised that the recommended thing to do from here is to have them do exploratory surgery to check the diaphragms status when they spay her in 6-8 weeks, this is all if her situation doesn't take a turn for the worse. For now, all we're aware of is some bruising to her chest area, potentially some lung damage that'll repair itself. She is eating fine, drinking fine, no blood in any excrement, so... Hoping for the best!

I'll try to get some pictures of my not-all-too-happy-to-have-a-shaved-belly-but-alive kitten soon!

A hopeful day.

An hours sleep, then almost double that calling around to try to get her treated.
Our normal vet doesn't have an ultrasound machine, so they had to refer us to either NAMC or Pitts hospital which do. 

NAMC wanted 400-600$ and a rescan of her X-rays which is possibly more but they could get her in at noon. Pitts wanted 200 or less, but they cannot get her in til 6. I opted for the cheaper one, she also seemed genuinely nice and asked about the cat, unlike the other place.

We'll be visiting Pitts this evening, and I am really optimistic. Other than some minor sneezing, Yoda has shown no signs of problem. She eats, plays, and is otherwise lively as normal. Hoping for the best.

A bad day.

I know I have not updated in awhile, so sorry. We've been very busy with moving apartments, rehoming our other cat, and inevitably being addicted to FFXIV:ARR.

I have some good news, and some bad news. I'll start with the bad.

Yesterday, Yoda took a tumble into the toilet, soaked herself and needed a bath. That isn't unusual or noteworthy, she doesn't even really mind water. She recently sat on my shoulder while I showered. 

However, what came next really broke my heart. I let her onto our balcony, one of her favorite spots to sunbathe. She is usually fine out there for hours on end, and adores just taking a nap. It was a beautiful day out, so I hadn't thought twice. I wish I had.

She fell, we live on the third floor, and initially I didn't realise she had fallen until I had this horrible gut feeling to search a particular plant that I never ever would've given a second glance at... The poor baby had fallen from the third floor, her nose was bloodied, she was raspy, and her ribcage felt... bad. I was so crushed.

We immediately took her to the local emergency vet because it was, of course, Labor Day. The bill so far is around 700$, and we are going to get an ultrasound today to ensure her diaphragm hasn't herniated, and that we wont need surgery to fix it. If we do, that is easily another 2000$. I cannot not get it, though. I love this cat so much, she is so sweet and perfect - the most perfect tiny kitten. 

We brought her home after a night full of tears and no sleep for me, and the vets said she was eagerly accepting food & water, so they think that she is going to be okay on that front. They removed her IV drip and catheter, and within a few minutes of being home she had removed the bandage for me. We fed her and she did the rounds, looking for her favorite new playfriend Chris who was staying with us for the weekend, but he had gone home.

I am hopefully going to update this blog a little more now because this special little kitty deserves all of the friends she can get. For now, she is stable... but who knows what is going on inside. X-Ray was good, lets all hope that the Ultrasound is too.