Life in the Slow Lane

Life in the Slow Lane

Thursday, April 06, 2006

Meanest Mom EVER!

So I took Yoshi to the vet today because her breath is so bad it burns my nose and makes me cry. I really thought they would just blow me off with the suggestion I get her teeth cleaned but that was not the case at all. The vet ordered a blood panel and a course of antibiotics in case there is some sort of mouth infection that she couldn’t see. Apparently her teeth are in great shape for a cat her age so there was nothing obvious wrong. Good news but if the medication does not fix the problem then they suggest putting her under and doing a dental check. I have kitty health insurance but it doesn’t cover anything dental unless they actually find something wrong. So here I am kinda hoping they find something wrong which is sick and mean. And cheap. I am not to keen on putting my little Yoshi under general anesthetic for anything that is not absolutely necessary. We will have to see.

Yoshi is such a sassy little shit at home but when in the car turns into a spaz. The noises that come from her body are somewhat alarming and pitiful. They are also quite funny. Siamese are particularly vocal and are able to pull off some quite surprising yodeling effects. I laughed my ass off the whole drive. She only yells on the way over and knows that the second ride means we’re homeward bound and is nice and quiet for that part. Smart AND freaky.

I use the SPCA vet for routine visits as they are the cheapest way to go. I have read tales of veterinary woe on many blogs and have discovered that my city is heinously expensive for animal health care. My little visit today was $200. I can kiss my new leather jacket goodbye. L But that stinky fucker is worth it. And not being jolted from sound sleep into full nausea when she yawns in my face will be nice too.

Smell was the theme of the day as when I was in the treatment room a dog patient crapped all over the waiting area. They cleaned it all up by the time I had to wait there while they shaved my pussy (Yoshi, you sickos!) to draw blood. I am exceptionally squeamish at the best of times and the lovely olfactory combination of dog doo and disinfectant was more then I could bear. To cope I had to stand in the doorway and mouth breathe my way past my gag reflex. I am a delicate flower.

I felt so bad about taking the cat to the vet as I could totally relate with everything she was going through. Poor thing was so terrified she tried to shred my jacket and climb into my armpit. I think I might have done that to my mom at a couple of my cancer clinic appointments. Anyway, everybody at the vet office loved her because she is so cute. The lady that took her blood kissed her head. Yoshi was so good to me when I was sick with chemo so today I gave her lots of kisses and love and cuddles when we got home to try to make it up to her.

Now I have to go and give her more of her antibiotics. Let the hating begin.

The chilliest of cold shoulders...

14 comments:

alan said...

I have been blessed with a very good vet; his son is now in practice with him, so if I'm lucky I'm set for as long as I live here.

It took Frankie a week to forgive me for taking him to get his shots last week. The younger vet had just put someone's dog to sleep while I waited, the family leaving in tears past Frankie and I in the waiting room. He forgot to "worm" him, so there was a return trip on Tuesday, but since he didn't get any shots, only something squirted in his mouth he's been a much happier kitty this time! Next month he gets "fixed"...

I hope poor Yoshi gets over whatever this is with just the antibiotics! Such a sweet little one...may it just be something minor!

alan

Anonymous said...

Aw, Yoshi.
I hope they figure out what it is and that the treatment isn't too bad, and she feels (and smells) much better real soon.

Last year our cat, Raymond, a most dignified, elegant and suave male cat, ate a leaf from a plant. He got so sick he didn't eat for two and a half months. We had to keep taking him to the hospital for shots of fluids in his hump and intravenous food. Every time, they put that thermometer up his little bum and I felt so bad for him.

But he did finally get better and gain weight.

Here's hoping it's something simple that's cured by the meds. I don't envy you having to give her pills. Yowza! Cats usually hate taking pills.

Squirl said...

I thought Yoshi shredded any human being, besides you and your parents, who tried to touch her? Or is that just at home?

I hope the antibiotics work for her, too. Do cats need yogurt when they take antibiotics? I don't know if cats' guts get messed up like people's or not.

You're really a good cat mom. Give Yoshi a kiss on the head for me.

Closet Metro said...

Get well (and unstinkified) soon, Yoshi, so that the head crushing may re-commence soon.

hemlock said...

Yeah, cat breath can be serious sometimes. Hopefully something's wrong, I mean, not wrong, I mean...

Hope Yoshi is OK, but you don't have to pay for it. IS that clear?

Kisses and hugs to Yoshi!

c said...

We had the same problem with our Katie. It turns out it *was* her teeth; she needed a cleaning and she needed it badly. She actually had to have some teeth extracted.

My vet said that when an animal's breath starts to smell, it's not a good sign. It usually means tartar build-up, which then leads to dental disease, which then can lead to blood infection.

Not to scare you, honestly, but you probably should have her teeth cleaned anyway. Katie is really old and she tolerated the anesthetic really well.

LadyBug said...

Awww, your poor pussy. *snicker*

I hope the antibiotics clear up the bad breath problem. If not, maybe you could just give her a Tic Tac? ;)

Philosophical Karen said...

Oh, poor Yoshi! And I do agree that cats give the chilliest of cold shoulders. It's usually very easy to know what a cat is thinking if she's miffed at you.

By the way, it seems I've been given a sign that the stinky breath will go away. My WV is 'smllx'. Smell-ex. No more smell.

Anonymous said...

Poor Yoshi! That is definitely a cold shoulder in the pic. I hope you get things figured out and she's back to her non-smelly self soon!

Minerva said...

What a wonderful character she has. One of my three cats is half siamese and she is terribly vocal too...

Love her more after chemo though as she would come and sleep by me on my bed...

They know, I think, don't they?

Candy said...

Aww I hope your girl is feeling better soon, I know how hard it is to give antibiotics to cats that are uh, less then helpful. And I think the fact that no one got shredded makes the visit a huge success even though she was miserable and you had to deal with the awful poo smell. I know that smell, I have puppies, I have woken up to that smell once or twice, Ewwwwwwww.

All my love to the Yoshi girl and her mom.

MrsDoF said...

That last picture--
we call the pose--The Important Back.

Our Oscar didn't like the time he had to get his teeth cleaned, and he is a real mean cat when he is druggy recuperating. His breath did improve though.

You have reminded me that their trip to the Vet is months overdue.
And one for this old lady as well, as the little card reminder in the mail says.

Anonymous said...

yuck o. Dog poop is the worst. Poor yoshi. give her minty cat treats..you will be happy and she will warm up.

lawyerchik said...

I just found your blog through Pink Dot, and I love your cat! My aunt & uncle have a Siamese that just turned 18 years old (January 31), and he cusses them out regularly whenever they go on vacation. He's had health problems, too, including the teeth and some other things, but he's still doing quite well. They're wonderful cats, aren't they? Have a great weekend!!