Just when you think you're out, they pull you back in.

So, yesterday was a new horror story. The day went well up until around 8:30 in the evening. I was productive. I got some routine car maintenance done along with my annual inspection. I did the grocery and PetCo shopping. I picked up my computer from the shop. I tended to the slowly recovering kitties, who are all starting to perk back up and act like themselves again, though they're not quite there yet.

At around 8:30 p.m., everyone was fed and cared for and I was excited about the possibility of going to bed early. Then I noticed that Amos had something all over his right hind foot. Upon closer inspection, I realized he must have stepped in some poo in the litter box. Poo and litter were all matted into his fur, so I needed to clean that up. I grabbed some kitty grooming wipes and set to work, but they weren't really removing much, so I decided to try to cut out the mess with a pair of scissors.

NEVER, EVER do that. No scissors near the cat, EVER.

I thought I was being very cautious and gentle and was being careful not to clip too much or too close to the skin. I was wrong. Amos kept flinching and trying to bite at the scissors, but I assumed he just didn't like me messing with his foot. After I'd made several clippy-clips, I grabbed a grooming wipe to try to clean up the rest, and that was when I noticed it. I had CUT A HOLE in his foot. A hole through which I could see what I thought were BONES. There was no blood, but there was a HOLE with BONES showing through. I immediately put him in his carrier and raced off to the emergency animal hospital in absolute shock.

Fortunately, it was not as bad as I first thought. It was not bone, but rather tendon that I was seeing, and fortunately, I hadn't actually cut the tendons; I'd just cut the skin away. It was a small hole -- only about 5 mm, and the vet was able to just flush out the laceration, clean it up, and seal it with skin glue. It all took less than an hour. I brought him home with some new antibiotics and have been keeping a close eye on his foot. It looks fine. The skin glue is holding and there's no sign of infection, THANK GOD. He seems no worse for the wear.

I am still horrified that I did that to him, though. I had no idea a cat's skin was so paper-thin. Holy crap. I feel so very, very bad about it.

Today was much better. Everyone is still on the mend and I am hopeful that they'll all be back to normal in another week or two.

Outbreak, with cats

**WARNING for discussion of gross kitty illness symptoms**

Y'all, the past week and a half has been a long, long nightmare. It started two Fridays ago when I noticed that Punkin seemed very lethargic and had been vomiting. I took him to the vet first thing the next morning, where he was given fluids and an antinausea injection and sent home after his blood work came back normal.

A few hours later, I found him lying in a corner of the hallway in a huge pool of bloody diarrhea. HUGE pool. As my regular vet closes at noon on Saturdays, I put him back in his carrier and rushed him to the nearest emergency vet I knew of, about 20 minutes away. He was admitted to the hospital for an unspecified intestinal infection.

When I returned home I realized, to my horror, that Punkin was not the only cat who was sick. Suddenly I had multiple cats vomiting up bloody bile and having bloody diarrhea. It was a lot like the movie Outbreak, only with cats.

The next ten days were a blur of taking cats one or two at a time to the vet. Barney, Bucky, Oliver, and Niko were treated and released with multiple medications for me to give them at home. Kerrigan was taken back to be hospitalized Sunday after being treated and released that morning. Punkin and Kerrigan were both released from the hospital Monday evening.

In between hospital trips on Sunday, I also went to PetCo for supplies and then came home and bleached all of the litter boxes, replaced all of the litter, and either washed or replaced all of the beds.

Since everyone was on multiple medications that had to be given at different times, I had an around-the-clock dosing schedule with only an hour or two between doses, which left no time for sleep. I went for three days just lying down for a hour here or there when I could, without sleeping.

The following Friday I noticed that Amos (who is 17 years old), who hadn't shown any of the intestinal symptoms, had not been eating and was very, very weak -- so weak he could barely stand or walk. His bad eye was also completely crusted over with goop. I took him to the vet Saturday morning and he was given fluids, two antibiotic injections, and a B-12 injection. The vet tech taught me how to give him fluids from the IV bag and I was instructed to do so twice daily and bring him back Monday for a re-check, at which point a feeding tube would be put in if he hadn't improved.

Thankfully, he improved quite a bit over the weekend and started eating on his own and getting around a lot more easily. His re-check yesterday morning was all good. I have to continue giving him fluids every other day, but he should be fine. However, Bucky and Barney were still refusing to eat or drink and were both very weak and dehydrated. I took them in and left them for the day to be given fluids and more antibiotics. When I brought them home yesterday afternoon, Barney immediately ate a serving of canned food, which made me so happy I nearly cried. Bucky, who had been in worse shape than Barney was, ate a little bit of food last night and seemed to be a bit perkier. And both of them took their new antibiotic pills this morning without any trouble.

I am finally optimistic that everyone is going to survive this, but I had some very dark days last week and felt very despondent. I lost seven pounds because I didn't have any time to eat anything myself. I barely slept. I was completely disconnected from the world, aside from constantly making the rounds with medicine and food and cleaning up messes. It was absolutely unreal.

Ten days and six thousand dollars later, things are finally looking up. Everyone is eating and drinking and they seem to be getting their personalities back. Thank GOD.

"I bit the vet tech"

"But I did not bite the deputy."



Niko had a vet appointment last Friday. He's been taking medication for his chronic mouth infection since it was diagnosed last year, and they wanted to see him for a check-up before refilling his prescription, so in we went. Everything was going well until they decided to take him into the back to get some samples. One of the tests they were doing involved swabbing the inside of his cheek. While they had him in the back and were trying to pry his mouth open for the fourth time, Niko decided he had had enough, and he bit the vet tech on the finger.

Apparently, by law they are required to report any bite to animal control, which is pretty silly if you ask me. Of course the cat bit you. He was terrified, you took him away from his mama, and you kept prying his mouth open. Animal control wanted him quarantined for ten days in case he had rabies. Please. As if any cat of mine has rabies. Niko has never been outside in his life except in his carrier going to and from the vet. And they gave him a rabies vaccination last year, although they claim they have no record of it.

I had to leave him there at the vet's office for quarantine, but they called me later that afternoon and said they'd allow me to take him home as long as I brought him in every three days for a quick check. We went back on Monday and we're going again on Friday and then one more time next Monday.

The vet tech is fine, by the way. He went to the doctor for some antibiotics and when we saw him again on Monday he didn't even have his finger bandaged.

Anyway, just look at that sweet face. Does that look like the face of a kitty who belongs in jail?

Things I am enjoying lately:

Mini Moleskine notebooks. I like to keep a notebook with me at all times so I can jot down notes and information when I need to, and these little pocket-sized ones are perfect.

Maine Root Sarsparilla Soda. It's like a cross between cream soda and root beer, and it is delicious.

Bach Rescue Sleep Spray. This stuff works wonders for me.

Riding my bike every morning. It's been just over three weeks now and I'm still riding between 20 and 30 minutes almost every morning, skipping it only if I have an early appointment.

The produce section at Central Market. And, well, pretty much every other section at Central Market, as well.

Twitter!

Things I am not enjoying so much lately:

The belligerent Texas summer heat.

Mosquitoes.