Even though Minh always tells me that no one wants to hear stories about other people's pets.......
I think many of you already know the story of Nibbles and how we drove across state lines on a Sunday afternoon to pay lots and lots of money to get his penis removed (to save his life, not just so we'd have an excellent story to tell). If you don't know that story yet, buy me a cup of coffee (decaf) sometime and I'll tell you all about it.
Anyway, some of you may also know that Nibbles was born with a heart murmur. Over the years our vet (whom we love and highly recommend) has suggested that we spring for a cardiac ultrasound to further investigate the nature and intensity of said murmur. Apparently, some of them can be helped with drugs, while others cannot. We've always put off spending the $250.00 since he seemed quite healthy.
Well, last week at his regular appointment his heart actually skipped a beat while the doctor was listening to it. In addition, his heart rate was unusually low (98 bpm instead of the usual 125 bpm) . This actually seemed to baffle our vet, which is never a good sign. So she suggested the ultrasound again. And, having already invested mucho bucks into keeping Nibs alive, we figured another couple hundred is no big deal. So, today, Nibbles is getting his very first ultrasound. Pessimist that I am, I'm expecting to hear that it's the kind of murmur that can't be helped and will just get worse until he dies. "That will be $250.00, please." But maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.
In other cat news, our neighbors are long-term cat sitting for a lovely tiger cat who can't seem to keep her legs together. She came to them several months ago, with a new litter of kittens. But practically as soon as they found homes for all of those little furry friends, she came home knocked up again. According to my neighbor, she's been "whoring around the neighborhood." She gave birth last week. I understand they are mostly black, but one or two are tigers. They'll be needing homes in about 8-9 weeks. If anyone is interested, let me know. (Kevin, don't you owe Drey a Christmas kitten from about 5 years ago?....Mom, doesn't KK want a new friend?)
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4 comments:
Well, you have my permission to ask your Dad about this. 8-9 weeks would make it around Thanksgiving - right? I wouldn't really mind another kitty - they're so easy to care for compared to a pup. It's the vet bills I object to.
You know Dad won't adopt a kitty unless he gives it the "test". The test, for those of you who are in the dark, is his big hand wrapped around and gently shaking the kitty's head a tiny bit. How the kitty reacts to this makes all the difference to Ed.
Nibbles Update: He does not appear to need any cardiac medications. The murmur is from a funky valve in his heart, which makes him more prone to clots. So...we have to give him a baby aspirin twice a week from now on. Oh, the things we do for these pets!
Tell us more about the shaking the kitten's head test. What are the accepted reactions for a loving and gentle cat?
Well, as I understand it, if the kitty objects to it in any way, you don't want that one. A good, gentle,laid back kitty will not only put up with it but will appear to welcome it.
A little clarification - the hand approaches from the front, covering the kitty's face with fingers encircling the head. The test must be done precisely this way for it to be accurate.
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