Friends

What it is to be the cat parent of two disabled cats.

Poor Opal is going through misery at the moment, poor baby. She’s been biting her fur off her back for well over a year, and while it’s better than it was, it’s still not ideal as she still has bare patches where she’s been chewing. I took her to the vet last week for the vet to look her over before prescribing her Metacam again.

Trip to the vet (£16 in taxi fares) plus £210 in costs. Ouch. The doors of the poor house gape wide.

The vet took one look at the sore on her back, decided it was infected, and so prescribed a tube of steroid gel and an antibiotic. I have been trying to get her to allow me to put the gel on and eventually had to resort to a cat onesie to stop her licking it off. She also didn’t like the taste of the antibiotic in her food. She loathed the onesie I made her wear with the heat of 1000 blazing suns, and once it was on she wouldn’t move or eat. She threw off both attempts of giving her the cone of shame about 10 minutes after it was put on. I’ve been beside myself with worry. I love my cats, even Geraint who constantly misbehaves.

Second trip to the vet, £16 in taxi fares plus £50 in costs. The cost this time was for a wormer and flea treatment for Geraint.

The vet identified an ulcer on Opal’s gum, just next to her left front canine. Treatment: stop giving her Metacam for at least two days, and come back on Wednesday to get a steroid injection.

I took Opal back to the vets today (£16 in taxi fares, £39 in costs) and they gave her the steroid injection. I pleaded to be allowed to remove the onesie during the day and very reluctantly they said OK, if she has it on at night. I’m not completely impressed because she loathes having it put on and off even more than she hates wearing it.

Having said that, though, once it was off, she ate all her breakfast and licked the bowl clean. So, it achieved something. She’s now asleep on my desk. I’d say she was watching me type, but she’s spark out.