the cats
I’ve been wondering why the universe doesn’t want me to get on that plane. I believe things happen for a reason, and after two days I got my answer…
Maya
Before I decided to go to Germany, my dear Maya became thin, so I took her to the vet to have her examined. We found out she had hyperthyroidism and needed medication. I’ve been through this before with our old cat Lily and it was very easy and she lived another 8 years on her medication.
When she found out I couldn’t fly, her condition didn’t improve, she stopped eating and was vomiting. I lost 3 pounds completely which is a lot for a kitten. So my vet (who is also my husband’s cousin) asked me to take her to the hospital for an ultrasound. The results were devastating, as she also suffered from pancreatitis and suspected small-cell lymphoma. She had to be hospitalized to make her stronger and eat again. We decided to try a chemotherapy drug that could help her live a few more years if she responded well. Now she is taking 3 different medications.
I think if I had gone to Germany, she would have died by now because my husband and kids don’t care for our cats like I do. He wouldn’t have noticed that she wasn’t eating and probably thought he could wait until I got back to take her to the doctors.
I am so glad I have health insurance for our cats. It is very beneficial now to be able to afford her care.
Electrolytes
In case you missed it, I reused four TNRed cats (Trap, Neuter, Return) earlier this year. Three of them were definitely feral, but when I caught the fourth, a gray male (estimated to be about 5 years old), I noticed he was a little different. At first, I thought it was drugs when he was in the trap after coming back from gelding because he was just relaxing and eating treats out of my hand. The others were all hostile. While he was recovering he would cool off, groom himself, and enjoy my food.
Another difference from the others was that when I released him, he slowly left the trap, wandered into the stock tank basin, drank some water, and then sat there and watched me. The others all rushed out of the trap and ran away from me as fast as they could.
Fast forward several months, and this man, now called Frank, is now permanently living in our garden, much to Willie’s despair. He absolutely hates it. My husband has bonded with him and he follows me around the yard like a dog. I’m not sure what we’ll do when winter comes again. It was clearly a pet at some point.
I bought him a small tent that is open on all sides because he does not like the closed, heated house that I bought during the winter for someone who needs shelter. He must feel like he can escape easily. It’s perfectly located under the bamboo bush next to the yard and it’s his favorite place to hang out and he loves it. Great protection from the rain too.
Willie is so upset that I can’t take him outside on his leash now. It’s mostly his fault because he’s the aggressive one. If he gets cold he can go back outside too. For now, he can only use his cat’s pen. He’s like a maniacal police officer who’s on patrol all day. wish me luck.
