It's not good ...

[blamebrampton]

Just back from emergency cat hospital. Min was gasping for breath when she came in this evening so we whisked her over to our vet and they popped her on oxygen and then sent us over to the specialist vet on the other side of the Bridge.

Our local vet was all: they can give her better treatment and help her to get some more air in, and she might need to stay there overnight.
Emergency vet was rather: prepare yourself for the worst, she may well not make it.

We are now back home, very sombre, and just hoping that emergency vet is one of those "I'll give you the worst-case scenario because then I'll look really good when it doesn't happen" people.

I am very worried. I know she's just a cat, but she's our Min cat and she's a part of the household. Not to mention her many fans around the neighbourhood -- she's the most famously bad tempered cat in the Inner West and people take it as a mark of achievement if they can convince her to let them pat her.

On the less important to me side, this meant the 6am USEST Springsmut posting was late (I was roped into that this afternoon when I foolishly answered an IM from nqdonne. I should know only to chat with her in her mornings when it is always amusing goss time.) If you know anyone who was deeply disturbed by that, just reassure them that it was an actual emergency.

Comments

[tsosh.livejournal.com]

She's not "just a cat", she's family.
I know how worried you are. A month ago, 1 of my cats, Ketzer, came home looking awful. At first the vet thought it was poisoning, but after the antidotes didn't work, he sent us to the animals hospital. On the car there I was afraid Ketzer wouldn't make it, he was barely alive. But after 2 days of hospitalisation (and a lot of money), they saved him. I hope it ends the same with your Min. Best of luck!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Thank you, and I am very happy to hear that Ketzer pulled through!

I am doing the whole rationalisation thing that she has had many more years than she would have thanks to us taking her in, so even in the worst case ... but ...

[calanthe-fics.livejournal.com]

What's Springsmut?

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

http://community.livejournal.com/hp_springsmut/

I'd not heard of it either, but was too polite to mention that before now.

[norton-gale.livejournal.com]

Poor Min! *pets her*

I think a local vet is more likely to be right than an emergency vet: because a regular vet treats chronic conditions instead of performing only urgent care. And you know how cats have nine lives. My Uther has survived countless fights and abscesses, jumping off a balcony, being thrown off a roof, crossing a four-lane highway, tearing a ligament, poisoning, asthma, and a hyperactive thyroid for which he required radiation. So I am crossing my fingers that this is a temporary crisis and Min will make it through.

*sends hugs*

I rarely have IM turned on. I find that it sucks hours away from my life. Fun hours, to be sure, but hours I intended to spend doing something besides chatting.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

She was last seen inside a clear perspex box being given oxygen, so I couldn't even pat her goodbye. I may be having a few issues on this; I sat with my mother's father as he died of pneumonia and it was not pleasant.

But I am hoping that you are right and that the local vets' (both of them) optimism is more grounded in probability. Thank you for the hugs, I need them.

I usually IM with Jen, which I enjoy, and I like a good chat with NQ, but yes, it's like having the lights on and then trying to avoid Mormons when it comes to favour asking!

[shiv5468.livejournal.com]

I hope she does well and picks up. Pets are family as tsosh says.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Thank you. And it's too true. We feel as though we've abandoned her by leaving her at the hospital. We ate chocolate for dinner at 11pm, because it was comforting. She brought us a rat yesterday afternoon, but today she was very listless.

[lisbet.livejournal.com]

*HUGS* Our cats are family, too. I hope your Min is OK.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I am concentrating on the hopeful. Give your cats a chin scratch for me.

[inamac.livejournal.com]

Fingers crossed for Min. I know how horrible it is waiting for nes from the vet - but she got to you in the first place, which is a good sign.

Of course pets are family.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Coming inside is not the most revealing sign for Min, she would crawl across hot coals if she thought there might be kibble at the end of it. I am trying to reassure myself with the facts that she was still eating today and that local vet (who has seen her before) sent us to emergency vet for treatment for Min's symptoms to make her more comfortable, not because she thought Min was in dire danger of death. And her lungs are not wet or crackly and her X-rays showed very treatable pneumonia last week, when her lungs were similarly not wet and crackly.

So if it's possible to make analogies between cat and human lungs, then I am hoping that this is more at the bronchial irritation level when Ventolin and Flomax will be able make a solid impact in helping her pull through.

Thank you for the crossed fingers!

[vaysh11.livejournal.com]

I am thinking of both you and Min *pets*. Cats indeed are family. My parents have a kind of "old-kitty-home" at their place, and while they will lament about the thousands of Euros spent on vet's bills, these eight little fur balls are worth every cent.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Vaysh. I am being optimistic, but it is hard to not worry. The vet asked how much we could spend and I said "Will it be more than $10,000?" My partner looked at me as though I was wholly mad and told me later "We really need to stop at $5000" to which I thought but did not say "What's this 'we' business, white boy, since when have you ever paid a vet bill?"

[bryoneybrynn.livejournal.com]

Oh, babe, sorry to hear about Min. And I second all those saying she's not just a cat. I'd be distraught to hear that kind of news about our dog, Buddy. They're our little people, our furry, and in your case, bad-tempered, lovely, snuggly little people.

I'll send her some positive vibes from this part of the world. Keep us updated, hmm?

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Thanks, matey. Yes, she definitely has more personality than a lot of the people people I know. It's just heartbreaking when you can't DO anything. And now I'm thinking, should we have gone back to the vet earlier? Should I have demanded antibiotics while they were culturing the cells from her tests? Should I ...

I don't know how parents do it, I really don't.

The positive vibes will either help in her cure or send her off peacefully and without pain. I will keep the updates updated.

[ciel-vert.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

Oh I hope she gets well.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Thank you. The hugs are helping.

[no-mad-skillz.livejournal.com]

Oh, dear. Poor Min. Poor you. *pats you both gently*

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I am staying up late and eating chocolate and writing the angsty part of my worldcup fic, as I feel I am in touch with my inner sad at the moment. Pats are very much appreciated.

[empress-jae.livejournal.com]

i'm so sorry about your kitty. :( she's NOT just a cat...she's family. ♥

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

She is just a cat, but she's *also* family. And, really, I'd rather pay for her to get better than for some members of my family ... I wonder if I can trade my mother's evil brother for her? He brings no joy to anyone, while she makes many people happy!

[raedragonstar.livejournal.com]

*hugs* Hope she gets better, I know it's not easy to see a pet you care so much about hurting. Pets are family, like every one else has said by now.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Thank you. It sounds silly, but having lj people sharing good wishes is immensely better than going to sleep and worrying until the sun comes up. And I do actually believe that hope helps, even if it just helps you come through bad news at the end.

[meri-oddities.livejournal.com]

She isn't just a cat. No cat is just a cat, they are a family member just like a dog or any pet is. I know my cat thinks he owns the family. But he's definitely a part of it!

Oh, and I forgot to add that I hope Min is okay soon.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

You're quite right about the pecking order! We rescued another cat once and Min insisted he leave, to the point of attacking the duvet where he had been sitting earlier in the day before we locked him back in his sequestered room.

We found him a new home in a house and with a family that I refer to as kitty paradise, Min watched us leave with him in a box, and come home with neither the cat nor the box. She was SO loving that afternoon and for the next week. We decided that she thought we'd bopped him on the head on her behalf.

Thanks for the good wishes. I'll call the night vet in a few hours and see if she is still breathing.

[jadzialove.livejournal.com]

Aw, D, I'm sending good thoughts your way, and hope she pulls through. Sounds like she's just ornery enough to pull it off too! ::hugs::

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

If stubbornness is a survival factor, it's definitely on her side!

[catsintheattic.livejournal.com]

Oh dear! *hugs you and your Min*

I hope that everything will go all right! It's so hard to lose a not-just-an-animal, because they are always a part of the family.

*more hugging*

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Thank you! It's going on for 5am, and I think that will be a decent hour to call the night vet and see how she's doing. After that I might just be able to get a little sleep ...

[prilbrum.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry. It is so stressful worrying about what an animal companion is feeling, too. I always wish I could be in their heads. Yep, your cat is part of the family and you are doing well by her. Good luck!!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Thank you! If only I could go by previous events, she'd be back home tomorrow in perfect health and landing on me with loud purring when I was finally catching up the sleep I am missing tonight. As it is, I would settle for needily demanding kitty ventolin at two-hourly intervals.

[lilian-cho.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

Like everyone else said, good luck!

And I love her name <3

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Thank you. There have been positive developments! Details in next post. Her full name is very silly and has been evolved over years: Minnie Mc Moodles the mad Mookie cat, aka slugface and poor brainless kitty. She responds to all of this with a look of patient tolerance.

[dragonfly-lily.livejournal.com]

Hugs! Hugs! Hugs!

My dogs are my children. You're cat is just as important.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Oh dogs are even worse, at least cats don't give you the trusting look of "You can make it all better, can't you?" They're more "This is tedious. Can you find me something useful, preferably involving salmon?"

There have been further developments, mostly positive, see next post.

[alex-s9.livejournal.com]

She's gonna be fine, you just wait.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I was thinking of you all last night. As it turns out, you may well be right!

[meredyth-13.livejournal.com]

Oh hell, honey - I have things crossed for you. I know how desperately it breaks me when my animals are sick, and losing one is... devastation itself. So I'm hoping and wishing that your Min does ok and is home snarking and people again in no time.

Sydney pollution is a nightmare for asthmatics - lets hope they can find a balanced treatment that can keep her safe and comfortable.

*hugs loads*

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Well, in the good news and bad news department, it's not asthma, but it is probably cancer of the windpipe, nevertheless the uber vet thinks it is eminently treatable cancer! And yes, I suspect the pollution didn't help with the creation of said cancer.

I really need to move ...

[snottygrrl.livejournal.com]

my heart goes out to you and min and that boy you both live with. will not repeat what everyone else is saying about worth and family etc. love is love and having something we love die (or threaten to die) is always traumatic. wish there were something i could do from over here. [*cuddles you both*]

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Cheers dear! There have been positive developments, see next post, though I am sure she will just grow to hate us for keeping her indoors for the next few months. I will wave my declining bank balance statements at her and tell her to be grateful. She will ignore me.

Good wishes and cuddles are actually effective at a distance! XXX

[winstonmom.livejournal.com]

I hope she gets better. I am sending her all the good karma I have stored for a good outcome.
Loves,

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

It worked! She's pretty sick, but she's gone from having a dire prognosis to an eminently treatable prognosis. Which I am now obsessively googling! Thank you very much for your hopes and wishes, they really did help, me at the very least!

[enchanted-jae.livejournal.com]

Hon, I'm sorry to hear that. I do hope Min will be okay.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Cheers, dear. She has a somewhat more hopeful prognosis today, the specialist thinks it's probably cancer of the windpipe, which, while bad, is more treatable than advanced pneumonia. So we will have kitty chemo, we expect! Diagnosis due on Tuesday ...

[shadowclub.livejournal.com]

Aw, Min sounds like quite the character.

:( I'm sorry! I hope she'll be okay!

I hate the waiting period. It's like I can't breathe until I hear the news (hopefully good).

♥

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

She is an hilarious cat. I've had lots of cats over many years, but never one that was both so independent and so good a companion. And because she was not a really domestic cat when we met her, it always seems to count for more than usual when she shows that she likes us.