There was a close call this morning--a very close call. I had no idea this was going on, and that fact has left me shaken. Before I had finished my first cup of coffee this morning, Mr S-P came in and announced that he was taking Alfred to the emergency vet. Our regular vet was booked, and he was convinced Alfred was so sick that he couldn't wait. Turns out he was right.
He had noticed that yesterday Alfred tried and failed to use his cat box. Without that hint, he might not have clued in when Alfred was lying around on the top step out back, growling and refusing to move. He checked him over, and saw that his abdomen was swollen. He immediately called and took him to the doctor. Poor bunny boy didn't even complain when he was loaded in the carrier and set in the car.
Alfred had a complete urinary blockage. He needed to be sedated and catheterized, whereupon they found multiple kidney stones and mucous stopping him up. (They said once the stones were removed, he "peed like a fountain.") Ominously, the Mr reported that had he not taken him in when he did, Alfred might not have lived to see tomorrow. I'm having trouble processing how close we came to losing him, without me having any idea that he was even feeling poorly. I had noticed he didn't jump on the counter when I fed them early this morning, and that was the last I thought of it.
He's still at the vet now, and will be until tomorrow sometime, for observation. It's tearing me up, not being able to cuddle and coddle him. He is an absolutely perfect cat, in every respect, and I hate that he feels bad, for any length of time.
If you are wondering, it was probably caused by his diet. I have had them all on Nature's Domain grain-free cat food (from Costco) for about three years, and overall it's a good food source. But it is fish-based, and what I remember being told decades ago is that male cats shouldn't have a predominantly fish-based diet. My childhood cat Schroeder was on a daily pill for years to treat a similar problem (and thankfully the pill was chewable and a flavor that he adored). I will see what the vets direct us to do after this. I'm sure they will suggest a prescription diet that I just can't afford with five cats to feed, and honestly, after the $3000+ that this will cost (assuming we don't have to have surgery and cost even more), I'm going to be lucky if I don't have to switch them back to cheap grocery store food. Between Alfred's renal system, Bump's terminal cancer, and Athena's teeth, this is going to turn out to be the most expensive pet-parent year ever. I seriously considered swallowing my pride and starting a GoFundMe this morning, but instead I think I need to beat the bushes and find new real estate clients asap. Anyone want to buy or sell a house in Colorado, to help me pay my vet bills?
I'll use some greatest-hits pictures of my Bunny Boy, and the video from when Mr S-P visited him at the emergency vet.
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