Saturday night, everything was as it usually is. The in-laws took us to dinner and then we sat around the living room chatting and listening to the beasts wear a path up and down the hall. Kathumpthumpthump Hal chases Midge. Kathumpthumpthump Midge chases Hal. Any quiet in between meant someone was getting pinned and given the what for. The evening ended with Hal asleep in my lap, purring and drooling.
Sunday, though, everything was just plain wrong. I wiggled my way under the bed to where Hal was hiding, wondering, why was he acting so strangely, hunched over like that? It was because he was trying so hard to breathe. I listened to the rasping sound of his painfully deliberate breathing and burst into tears. Fifteen minutes later, we were at the Emergency Animal Clinic. I handed the Boy my purse and climbed out of the car.
“Oh, no.”
I looked over from the cat carrier to the Boy who was standing on the hot concrete holding my now shattered iPhone.
“I’m so sorry,” he said.
“It really doesn’t matter.”
It really didn’t. I just couldn’t care about it.
The woman at the front desk whisked Hal away the moment we stepped inside. Respiratory distress. When the vet appeared briefly to talk to us some time later, he suggested that Midge could have brought the illness into the house. I clarified that she’d been with us more than six weeks, that neither cat had been outdoors and that both cats have been given clean bills of health regarding the scary cat-to-cat diseases (no FIV, no FeLV). He shrugged, unconcerned, gave us antibiotics and sent us on our way.
I left poorer and totally unsatisfied.
I spent most of the afternoon napping under bed, next to Hal who dozed on the heating pad I’d dragged there for him. His ears burned from fever and his breath was ragged, but he purred loudly as I rubbed his head. Which, naturally, made me feel worse. I kind of wished he’d have blown snot on me and told me what a horrible cat mother I was. By Monday morning, he was up and about acting as though nothing had happened, but I’m not buying it. Both cats are headed back to the vet for a full work up and I’m not leaving with any stupid shrug as the answer to why my cat couldn’t breathe. Ugh.
Having a sick pet is the worst feeling ever. A few years ago, our cat came down with something similar after coming into contact with a rescue cat. ER vet told me basically the same thing that they told you, and it was confirmed by my vet once I took them both in the following Monday. It was probably a virus, similar to a cold, and went away with antibiotics. I agree I would still have a full work up done on both, but I hope this may give you a little peace of mind.
I hope both kitties (and mom & dad) are OK!
Animal doctors sound like just as big of assholes as people doctors.
I was just going to say the same thing. Once upon a time I wouldn’t have thought so, but lately… ugh.
Definitely time for a second opinion! Oy! Such insensitivity! (I hate that. Especially from healthcare individuals.)
Good luck with their appointments. Keep us posted for sure!
I volunteer at an animal shelter with cats. I know that upper respiratory infections are going around right now. It’s possible that both cats are truly healthy and that this is just a fluke.
Hope it gets better.
My dog had the same exact thing happen about a month ago! It was about 11 at night and we decided not to even take him to the vet because he seemed so close to death. But he made it throught the night and the vet did bloodwork and lots of other money consuming tests but nothing. He just got anitbiotics. After 24 hours he was up running around. I’m proud to say he turned 10 yesterday.
Hope your babies continue to chase and pin each other for a long time!
You’re the best cat mom ever.
Pet medication or new iPhone? Wow, tough choice!
Still, the cat wins every time. It’s hard to resist the purr or the fur of an old friend.
Sorry to hear about Sir Hal. Whenever I have taken my cat to the Emergency Vet Clinic, I have had terrible experiences. Once I take him to his regular vet the next day, I always feel much better. It seems like they always get sick on evenings and weekends. Take care.
~Angie
I read the “Oh, no,” started tearing up and so quickl read ahead, skipping the shattered iPhone paragraph, and then read “I’m so sorry,” so I had to put my own phone down to compose myself. I was SO THANKFUL to then (re-)read that those two exclamations were about your iPhone and nothing else. Damn, my heart was breaking in half for a moment there.
same here!
Me too!
Scared me there. Hope Sir Hal is feeling better.
Oh pooooor kitty! I just got 2 baby kittens and I can completely understand your fear. I’m so glad to hear he’s doing better. You are a GREAT kitty mama.
Several years ago (maybe 7?), Mocha, my first and oldest kitty, was suffering from a tumor in her throat. It was inoperable and she was having difficulty eating, drinking, experiencing life in general. So all she really did was sleep under the bed for weeks and weeks. And I slept on the floor next to her for weeks and weeks because I didn’t want her to die under there alone. Through some miracle, the tumor actually went away and she is now 16 years old and is always found either on top of the ottoman or on top of the couch when not hopping around the house. I’m glad I’m not the only one to sleep under beds with their cat and I am sure Sir Hal will recover in no time at all.
Mocha’s Mom,
That made me tear up. You are such a good mom. So sweet.
Becca
oh no! I have an older cat, about 12 years old, whos the man of the house. Took him to the vet about a month ago for a checkup cause he hasn’t been eating much. Vet said he looks pretty good for his age. All they did was give him a hormone shot to maybe make him eat a lil better. Also listened to his heart and said he had a leaky heart. So he’d probably start having problems breathing. The vet said he could give him meds for his heart but he didn’t think he needed them yet. I shrugged and said well if he gets worse I’ll bring him back in for the meds. I would have started them that day but being unemployed, I really didn’t have the money for the office visit let alone the meds too.
Fast forward to last week. Stray cat that showed up last summer as a little bitty kitten grew some balls and tried to fight old cat. Chased him around outside. I heard the cat screams so I ran outside and found old cat laying under the tree with ballsy cat sitting over him. I got ballsy cat away only to see and hear that my old cat was gasping for air. Scared the crap outta me. Got him inside and laid in the floor with him. Drool was dripping outta his mouth. Scared me even more. So I laid with him and petted him all night. Didn’t know if he was going to stop breathing or not. But the next morning he was better.
I guess him getting all worked up from the chasing got his heart beat up and with his leaky heart he wasn’t getting enough oxygen. Maybe Sir Hal has a bad heart too. I don’t know since I’m not a vet, but when you take him and Midge back to the vet I hope both have a clean bill of health. You’re such a good cat mother:)
Hope Hal feels better soon.
Happy Birthday btw
Thank you
You have the same Birthday as my boy! Hope you had a lovely day despite recent Hal upset x
Dear Sir Hal: Stop scaring your mommy! And get better soon.
I’m a cat mom too, and they mean the world to me. I’d do pretty much anything to make my cats feel good. The tagline on my email is “I work hard so my cats can have a better life”. It’s meant to be funny, but there’s definitely some truth.
Sending Hal and Midge happy thoughts!! And you, too!
Oh, I’m so sorry about Sir Hal and hope both he and Midge will turn out to be just fine. I’m a kitty mom too, and I worry myself to death when they are sick. I can tell you, however, that your situation sounds much like what I faced when I brought my youngest home. Everyone was fine for a few weeks. Then the older three started getting sick. They all went to the vet, and I was told that it was an upper respiratory infection most likely brought home by the new kitty, so off we went with antibiotics for the whole crew. One of my older kitties was so sick, and had so much trouble breathing, that I’d hold him in the bathroom with the shower going as hot as I could get it so that the steam would help him breathe. I’m happy to say they all recovered and are thriving. A few weeks ago, something very similar happened with my boyfriend’s cats, a few weeks after bringing home a kitten. If I were a betting woman, I’d say the same is going on at your place. Hang in there, and try not to worry too much. The fur balls pick up on our angst, and that takes away energy from their primary job at the moment…Getting better!
Glad Hal has improved!
My husband also shattered his iPhone screen. He bought a new screen on eBay and replaced the screen himself following instructions he found online. Took a couple of hours but I think cost less than $20.
poor hal. i hope he gets a clean bill of health from your regular vet. my roommate’s cat (my half-a-cat) always gets sick on evenings/weekends/the day after she goes out of town. and i agree w/ rebecca up top that sick pets are the worst. they make you feel so helpless.
Ugh, isn’t it the worst when our furkids aren’t feeling well? I hate it when my Chumley or my Katie aren’t 100%. I hope they can figure it out for you and give a definite answer with a course of action.
And as for animal health care professionals, well, let me just say that I happen to work for one of the animal health pharma. companies and some of the worst, most nasty, horrible people I talk to on a daily basis are veterinarians. Not all, but at least 15%. I’d like to keep my job so I’ll leave it at that.
Best wishes to you, the Dork Lord, Sir Hal and Midge.
I hope Hal (and Midge) get cleared with great health! And, it is unbelievable how expensive vet bills are (especially if the vet cannot tell you what is wrong).
I hate when my cats get sick! It’s so frustrating because they can’t tell you what their symptoms are. I hope they come out of this all okay!