Rabbit does not speak human. She doesn't necessarily have to. It would have been nice if she could have over the last month or so, though. She has been adamant that she needs attention, but with everything going on here, her vague notions about something not being right wasn't enough to vault it to the top of the priority list. But she meant it when she tried to tell me she wanted me to schedule a vet visit. She has been clinging tightly to me, standing on me anytime I was still for more than a minute, staring intently in my eyes, purring loudly and aggressively in that "I'm trying to soothe myself" way.
I couldn't put her off any longer, and made her an appointment for this afternoon. I told the docs exactly what she had been doing (clinging, purring, staring in cat), and that she seemed to have tenderness in the area of her ears. There was a wax buildup in each ear that had a little yeast and a little bacteria in each one. Doc tried to peek in their depths, to make sure her eardrums were intact, but the ear canals were so swollen she couldn't get a scope in deep enough to verify. It was at this point I learned something VERY IMPORTANT about cats. If their eardrums are perforated in any way and they are treated with Otomax, a common medication for ear infections, bad things can happen. If the Otomax gets into the middle ear, past the drum, it can damage the nerves, cause a permanent head tilt, and deafness. So erring on the side of extreme caution, we are treating Rabbit with a different ear drop, one I haven't learned the name of yet, rather than the already purchased Otomax that we had from the last time one of the kids needed it (probably Alfred). Night one of the new drops met with modest success. (Shake-shake-shake) I hope enough stayed in there to do some good.
The other reports from her old lady annual exam were potentially less fun. Rabbit has gotten skinny over the last year or so. They took blood to test her for hyperthyroidism. I'll know soon what the results are. Thankfully, pills are not the only treatment options. There's a gel that goes on the ears, of all things, or a food that we won't be able to use since she's not an only child. Her teeth are also looking rough, with tartar buildup and gingivitis. I asked for a cost estimate for a full dental cleaning, but the doc found a "galloping" heart arrhythmia, and she said a cleaning under anaesthesia is unwise. If there is hyperthyroidism, it's probably to blame for the arrhythmia, so I don't know whether it would clear up with treatment for the thyroid.
Poor kid. She tried to tell me she wasn't feeling well. But once the doc gave her some attention, she calmed right down. She was a doll with the vet staff, and they loved how sweet she was for them. She hid under my chair and didn't want to go home, but once we went to the car, she settled down and enjoyed the seat heater on the ride home. Not a peep. Pretty sure her eyes were closed most of the way. I'm not used to cats who don't scream bloody murder in cars. When I kicked back on my bed to watch TV, she curled up and rested her chin on my arm, and let me know how relieved she was that I finally listened to her. I hope she feels better very quickly.
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