Anyway, I had gone out on the porch a little after 5...he came out from under the grill all purry purry and lovey. Then he saw something over in the grass of the driveway and went off to investigate. He returned 20-30 min. later limping on his left foot!! I promptly pick him up to go inside and inspect, thinking maybe he picked up a sticker or something.
Well, by the time we got back to 'his bedroom' (the extra guest room) I hadn't felt a sticker. I laid him on the bed and proceeded to inspect. He began to growl...that don't touch it, it hurts kinda growl...if you keep touching it I'm gonna have to smack you down!
So we wrangled him into the kitty carrier (take off the lid, insert cat, re-lid promptly!). Off we go to find a vet, crossing our fingers that one will be open. Ours was closed. 61st street was closed. We had no phone with us, so thought to just go in the morning. By the time we got back home, unloaded the kitty and let him out his paw was getting really swollen. So we looked up the 24 hour veterinary ER on the mainland. We were still deciding if we should go (and had NOT used any key dog words that we can think of) when Grace goes up to the front of the house, gets her collar, and comes back to us!!!! We decide we should go. Obviously.
We wrangle Pete back into the carrier after dragging him out from under the bed (he wasn't falling for that again!) and set off for exit 22 on the mainland to the clinic....both of us realizing at some point that we've never taken an animal to an Animal ER or for that matter gone to the ER ourselves. We are hoping the price won't be too outrageous! Warren is driving and quoting how much it costs for people...I'm thinking it's a cat!! It can't even be close to the same amount!!
We arrive to find a sign on their door that says they'd moved!! Luckily it was only across the parking lot.
We are buzzed in...(b/c someone would want to rob a vet ER? run off with another persons pet? stick 'em up the ferret is mine! lol) Anyway, we fill out some paperwork for a guy with worse roots that me and a bad box of hair color, sign off that we will actually pay for the $90 initial fee and not run off, notice that at some point we'll be given a quote and that payment plans are offered! Then we are shown to a little waiting room. We wait. And wait. We are low on the triage list.
Finally a tech comes in and Pete comes out. He's inspected and declared that his paw/leg might get shaved to locate the injury!! She leaves and I'm left holding the kitty...on that small, cold metal table you see above.
And we wait.
Next a vet, Dr. Zoo....seriously, comes in to look Petey over. Poke. Prod. Rub. I'm holding him up in the air against me...his back paws on the table while she feels of his leg and listens to me tell what little bit I know about what has happend. She declares it could be one of several things...a bee sting (we have bees in the front shrubs, they bloom apparently), a cat bite...injury could have been as recent as the night before and swelling wouldn't have happend right away (we did hear growling and hissing Friday night), or a sting from something else (wasp, spider, snake??). So she's going to treat him to cover all those possibilities with an antibiotic (apparently cat's have nasty mouths) given 2x a day for the next 2 weeks, benadryl 3x a day for a while, and a shot of something for pain and swelling.
2 hours later and $170 dollars lighter we leave with medicines, instructions to stop and buy liquid benadryl, and firm convition of house confinement at least for the next 2 weeks. Pete is keeping an eye on the door.
So we wrangled him into the kitty carrier (take off the lid, insert cat, re-lid promptly!). Off we go to find a vet, crossing our fingers that one will be open. Ours was closed. 61st street was closed. We had no phone with us, so thought to just go in the morning. By the time we got back home, unloaded the kitty and let him out his paw was getting really swollen. So we looked up the 24 hour veterinary ER on the mainland. We were still deciding if we should go (and had NOT used any key dog words that we can think of) when Grace goes up to the front of the house, gets her collar, and comes back to us!!!! We decide we should go. Obviously.
We wrangle Pete back into the carrier after dragging him out from under the bed (he wasn't falling for that again!) and set off for exit 22 on the mainland to the clinic....both of us realizing at some point that we've never taken an animal to an Animal ER or for that matter gone to the ER ourselves. We are hoping the price won't be too outrageous! Warren is driving and quoting how much it costs for people...I'm thinking it's a cat!! It can't even be close to the same amount!!
We arrive to find a sign on their door that says they'd moved!! Luckily it was only across the parking lot.
We are buzzed in...(b/c someone would want to rob a vet ER? run off with another persons pet? stick 'em up the ferret is mine! lol) Anyway, we fill out some paperwork for a guy with worse roots that me and a bad box of hair color, sign off that we will actually pay for the $90 initial fee and not run off, notice that at some point we'll be given a quote and that payment plans are offered! Then we are shown to a little waiting room. We wait. And wait. We are low on the triage list.
Finally a tech comes in and Pete comes out. He's inspected and declared that his paw/leg might get shaved to locate the injury!! She leaves and I'm left holding the kitty...on that small, cold metal table you see above.
And we wait.
Next a vet, Dr. Zoo....seriously, comes in to look Petey over. Poke. Prod. Rub. I'm holding him up in the air against me...his back paws on the table while she feels of his leg and listens to me tell what little bit I know about what has happend. She declares it could be one of several things...a bee sting (we have bees in the front shrubs, they bloom apparently), a cat bite...injury could have been as recent as the night before and swelling wouldn't have happend right away (we did hear growling and hissing Friday night), or a sting from something else (wasp, spider, snake??). So she's going to treat him to cover all those possibilities with an antibiotic (apparently cat's have nasty mouths) given 2x a day for the next 2 weeks, benadryl 3x a day for a while, and a shot of something for pain and swelling.
2 hours later and $170 dollars lighter we leave with medicines, instructions to stop and buy liquid benadryl, and firm convition of house confinement at least for the next 2 weeks. Pete is keeping an eye on the door.
