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!

[norton-gale.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean: how some scenarios are emotional triggers. Anything that simulates the circumstances of my mother's death has me on edge, such as getting numerous hangup calls in one night (that would be my father and sister calling from the hospital and not wanting to leave a message),

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Always leave the message! Yeah ... these things happen and they are an unavoidable part of life, but they are still hard.

[norton-gale.livejournal.com]

I know. And if the caller leaves a message, they shouldn't just say "We have some bad news for you. Give us a call," and then of course you panic until you manage to get ahold of them.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

GUH! No. That is a bad message. You say something along the lines of "Could you give me a call as soon as you can, there's some news I'd like to share." And you say it calmly, so people think they could just as well be hearing about your promotion as about a crisis.

When I had the nurse ring my housemates after I was run over, I insisted she should start with: "She's essentially fine, there was just a little incident ..."

[shiv5468.livejournal.com]

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

[lisbet.livejournal.com]

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

[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.

[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.

[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]

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!

[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?"

[calanthe-fics.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I won't be adding it to my list. I can't keep up with the HD fics never mind adding any rare pairs.

Have you written for it?

[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.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Good grief no. I am awful at smut and only like H/D with the occasional splash out into Remus/Sirius and Charlie/most people.

Besides, I am so far behind on worldcup I may have to take some days off work, and for a freelancer to say that, you know it's serious!

[calanthe-fics.livejournal.com]

I hear this more and more. I don't think the world cup is doing a lot for people's mental health.

[ciel-vert.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

Oh I hope she gets well.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Thank you. The hugs are helping.