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Wednesday, June 1, 2016

The Chrissy Saga

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger... Spoiler Alert: Chrissy is ALL GOOD now. I wouldn't make you read this whole thing without assuring you that Chrissy is fine now!Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Also, as much as I felt like writing about this initially, I don't feel like writing about it anymore! The thing is, when my cats are sick, my heart just plummets. I don't feel like doing anything. I can't eat, I can't have fun, all I do is worry. So writing about this reminds me of how horrible I was feeling on Saturday. But I promised to tell you about it so I will.

Boy am I making this sound dramatic, aren't I???

Okay, on Friday night, Christmas was his normal self. Even early Saturday morning he was cuddling with me in bed. But when I got up at 9:30am, I couldn't find him. I looked everywhere, then finally found him hiding under our guestroom bed. When cats hide, it's not good.

I lured him out from under the bed with his chicken flavored toothpaste, but he was walking really slow and his eyes were squinty.

He was acting lethargic and threw up twice. Something was wrong. We got him an appointment at the vet. Luckily they could squeeze him in at 12:30pm. He spent the rest of the morning under the bed.

When my kitties aren't good, I am not good. All I kept thinking about was all the horrible things that could be wrong with him. Was this the beginning of the end?

The vet checked him over and all vital signs were good. His bladder was empty so it wasn't a UTI. The vet thought it was a GI issue that was giving Christmas the upset tummy, but he wasn't sure what exactly the issue was. 

The vet drew some blood ($$$$$$$$$$) and we were told we'd get the results on Tuesday. In the meantime, he gave him a shot of anti nausea medication and a pain reliever, just to make him more comfortable. He said it could make him sleepy. The thought was, if it was just a little 1-2 day stomach flu, the meds would make him feel better. If it was more than that, he would definitely still be throwing up and displaying other symptoms, in which case we'd have to take him to the emergency room. (Why do my cats always get sick over long holiday weekends!?)

We took Chrissy home and while he seemed tired, he didn't hide under the bed. He chilled on the bay window for most of the afternoon and early evening. We felt a little better about the situation but were obviously still worried about him. We were supposed to go to a family picnic but stayed home instead. I didn't want to leave him alone. What if he started throwing up again?

Chrissy was sleepy and out of it for the rest of the day. The meds most likely had something to do with it. I was out of it too. I had a hard time getting anything done. All I did was worry about him. I could barely eat. I read my Meb book and watched some TV, but that's about it. Chrissy ate a little bit but not as much as normal. He kept everything down.

Around the time I was going to bed, Chrissy started to perk up a little bit. He was playing with is water dish, drinking, purring, and his eyes were wide like normal. He ate his normal food throughout the night (yes we feed him in the middle of the night!) and it seemed like he was back to his old self! We were cautiously optimistic that it was just a little stomach bug.

Christmas seemed totally normal the next morning. My heart soared. Saturday was a rough day, so I was so thankful it was just a little tummy ache and it was all over.

It got me thinking... I know my cats aren't immortal. Someday I will have to say goodbye to them. I know how bad that hurts. It is the worst feeling ever. Is having animals even worth it? To feel so devastated when one of them is sick? Of course it is worth it, but it did get me thinking. I just love Christmas and Jelly so much...

Oh by the way, Chrissy got weighed at the vet and he comes in at 14lb 10oz! What a svelte little boy!!!!


33 comments:

  1. I am so glad Christmas is OK! What a scare. Did you find out what it was? When we lost Cuervo we were devastated (we had no warning and she died the day we found out she had a tumor). I know losing Macy will break our hearts, but it's so worth it. All the time we get to spend together and we know we give her such a great life. As hard as it will be to lose her, we know it will happen and we know we will get another dog. We have to--we are dog people and we have too good of a life to offer a dog not to get one!

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    1. It must have just been a stomach bug because his blood work came back fine! And he was totally back to normal the next day. Poor baby!

      I totally agree that we will get more fur babies when we lose Chrissy and Jelly because the more kitties we get to treat like kings, the better for the kitties of the world!

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    2. ..it's our obligation! I am so happy it all turned out OK and that it's nothing! Hard to watch them not feeling good and it creates so much panic.

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  2. Thank goodness it was just a little stomach bug. I thought it probably was when you said all the vitals were fine, but I know how hard it is to deal with life when your kitty is sick. When Leo passed I definitely went through that phase where I felt like the heartbreak wasn't worth having a pet, but then I remembered that so many years of happiness *are* worth it. It's terrible though, I can't even think about it this early in the morning!

    Congrats to Chrissy on being 14lbs! He is so fluffy! Cecil is 14lbs but I think he looks half the size of Chrissy! You have a little baby puff ball! <3

    PS: I think we're the only run bloggers who didn't write about national running day! We are salmon swimming against the current!

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    1. I didn't even know it was national running day!!!!

      He is very furry. :) I know he looks huge! He honestly *looks* the same as he did when he was 19.5lbs.

      I know in my heart it is definitely worth it to have our fur babies, it's just soooooooo heart wrenching sometimes!

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    2. I knew it was National Run Day and almost changed up my schedule but have 2 runs this week already (plus a hike) and my calves needed the pool! So I celebrated run day w/ a swim!

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    3. I celebrated with a rest day!!! And now apparently a margarita. :)

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  3. I am SO glad he is okay. I totally understand the feeling of worry when our fur-kids are sick.
    I try not to tell people about Baylee's issues because I don't want any unsolicited advice. It seems someone always has a story (but their ending is never happy) and I just don't want to hear it! Pet health is very personal to me.

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    1. I understand that. Sometimes it's not worth rehashing it especially if hearing stories from other people doesn't help!

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  4. Oh no! Poor Christmas! I'm sorry you had to go through that, it really sucks when the furbabies get sick. I'm glad that he is feeling better too! It is really scary when they don't feel good, and you can't guess what is wrong with them! Thank you for sharing what happened, especially because you didn't want to re-live it.

    We lost our Dog Rita back in April, and we still miss her so much. We were getting ready to leave for Delaware, and I turned and asked Roger "Did you pack everything for Rita?" He just stared at me for a couple of seconds before I realized what I had asked.

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    1. I am sorry you lost Rita. :( That is so recent. Do you think you will get another dog someday?

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    2. I think someday we will, it still feels so recent and Rita was such a wonderful dog. I don't want to feel like we are replacing her. But both Roger and my son want a dog to look after.... more like a puppy to play with!

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    3. Yes it is very recent! You know after our cat Basic died I felt guilty kissing and petting Chrissy and Jelly!!! The guilt lasted for awhile.

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  5. I'm so glad to hear your kitty is OK. That is scary! I have had too many sad outcomes from stories that start out like that, so I'm hoping yours was just nothing. It's so heart breaking when stuff happens to our babies.
    I will miss our foster kittens when they head back to the shelter for sure, but I know they will find great homes!

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    1. Luckily our cats have been pretty healthy. The one time Basic got sick it was a tumor and we had to put her done that very same day. :( That was horrible. Jelly has had one UTI and Chrissy was once hospitalized for an infection for several nights. That was VERY scary because we didn't know what was wrong for him. He had a fever for about two weeks and it was just horrible. So glad he puled through that one!

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  6. I worry each year when it's time for Allie's shots. Will she react, will she be fine? I try not to hover, but I watch her like a hawk until I think we're good. It's absolutely worth having animals, and it's worth everything to them.

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    1. "and it's worth everything to them" <---- Very good point!! :)

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  7. Christmas is large and in charge! Glad he's okay. Give him a kissie on his nosie for me. xo

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  8. Glad to hear Christmas is ok! It's never easy dealing with medical issues when it comes to animals (or a BABY) because they cannot communicate. I get so stressed out when Axel is not ok and I have no idea what is going on or what to do. Hopefully you at least enjoyed a little downtime relaxation at home this weekend.

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    1. Babies! Yes!! I am sure it's like what I feel about Christmas times one million!!!! Judging by how I react to my fur babies, I would surely not do well caring for a sick *actual* baby.

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  9. Glad he's OK. Our cats are getting up there (11 years old this month) and whenever one starts acting funny, I start to worry and wonder. Fingers crossed everyone stays healthy!

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    1. Thanks Shelley! Yah I worry as they age too- 9. I try to remind myself LOTS of indoor cats live well into their teens!

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  10. I had 2 cats that I've raised since birth (brothers). One of them got cancer this past winter and passed away. Going through that was absolutely one of the worst experiences of my life. I don't know how I'll do it again :(. I'm glad your baby is ok!

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    1. Oh man I am so sorry to hear about your sweet kitty. That must have been horrible. How did his brother cope?

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    2. He searched for him everywhere for a few days and cried at night. It was excruciatingly heartbreaking. He seems back to his old self mostly but I worry he's very lonely during the day. I am thinking about getting him a new companion but he's old so I'm not sure how he'll like a newbie!

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    3. That is so sad. :( I worry about that with my two...

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  11. Speaking of stealing things from the groceries... Cecil ate a twist tie from a loaf of bread once! I can't imagine it tasted good but he is a little piggy that will try eating anything once. Since it was small and probably harmless the vet had us feed him extra to help him pass it naturally. Cecil thought he was a king getting a big bowl of treats to gorge on! He passed it quickly after stuffing himself. They really will eat almost anything! O_o

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  12. Oh my Cecil!!!!!! I will not tell Chrissy this story because he will surely go ahead and eat a twisty (that's what we call those things!) just so he can get fed extra. :)

    Karen, it is possible he ate something because he is a PIG but I don't know what. Last night I had pasta salad and he stole a noodle!!!!!

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  13. I'm soooo glad Chrissy is okay! It is soo scary when they aren't well. Cats are so good at hiding their symptoms too which makes it difficult to decide if they absolutely need to go to the emergency vet at 1am or if they'll be fine til the next business day.

    Remind me on Friday to tell you how Missy Ru Ru lost one of her nine lives a few weeks ago, of course it was at 1am...

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    1. Oh my wordddddd poor Missy Ru Ru. I am glad it was only 1 life. Can't wait to see you Friday!!!

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  14. I'm so glad Christmas is okay!! When our pets get sick it's so scary because they can't tell us what's wrong or how serious it is. I honestly don't think I'll have another pet for a long time because I'm still scarred by how suddenly Archie got sick and died. I just can't handle the paranoia of thinking every cold is going to be the end.

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    1. It IS horrible paranoia. I hope some day you do get another fur/feather baby because I know you would give them a great life! I REALLY wish I had got to meet Archie!!!!!

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