I took Cricket to the vet and got her a rabies shot. I told them about the sneezing and asked them to treat her. They said she was 18 weeks, she would always be a small cat because her growth was stunted when she was starving, and that she was only 3 lbs. we all agreed it was likely she had been dumped as she hadnt a flea or tick on her. She was too clean to be a barn cat’s offspring. she did however have roundworms. So, both her and i had to get dewormed for roundworms. The vet told me to schedule an appointment with my human vet…doctor, and get a dewormer pill. It was two yellow pills to be taken once at the same time. Unfortunately, they are based in dairy. So, i had to just bite the bullet on that one even though im allergic. Well now we’re all clear of roundworm. Cricket began putting on weight and making solid poops for the first time. It was all very exciting. Only, the sneezing was getting much worse. She would hunker to the ground and heave as she sneezed fifteen to twenty times in a row. It was like she couldnt stop. I called the vet and asked them to prescribe something three days after her visit. After charging me 500 dollars and refusing to prescribe her anything for the sneezing saying she’d get better on her own, they demanded i bring her back in for another examination and another fecal sample if i wanted anything prescribed. I very calmly informed them why i did not have the funds to do this, because i just paid them to do all this three days ago, and said i wasnt sure why they couldnt prescribe something based on their assessment of her three days ago. Myself and the vets out here dont have great history. I maintain im reasonable to deal with. Im sure they see it another way, but i am not a billionaire, you’re gonna have to perform for the money i shell out or i am finding you useless. If i pay you 500 dollars and the cat is still sick, im upset about that, especially when i asked for a prescription then and there, stating that my work schedule during december and my covering a maternity leave in january, february, and march did not permit me to return if they missed anything, and they refused. They finally relented and prescribed an antibiotic i could pick up on a sunday between 12 and 1 pm. I picked it up and began giving her the antibiotic via syringe chased by turkey while she was wrapped in a towel twice a day. It gave her diarrhea but all antibiotics do that so i gave it no thought. On day 7 she began shitting and vomiting in a projectile way non-stop like something out of the exorcist. It was highly alarming. Thinking she ate something bad i held her food giving her only water for a day. At this time i had come down with a sickness that was kicking my butt. I would later find out my patient who had coughed in my face two days in a row was flu positive for strain a. So, in all likelihood i had the flu. I was so sick i couldnt breathe or stand up without the room spinning. The cat was in the crate crying as if someone was murdering her. I knew she didnt feel good but i was delirious and couldnt help her. At around 6 pm i realized i could stand up and decided to go help the cat. Her nose had turned white and she slumped over like a ragdoll when i tried to stand her up. I tried giving her some food. Yowling, projectile shitting, and projectile vomitting. Then she went limp in my arms like a ragdoll again with a white nose, pale gums, and closed eyes. This cat was dying. I had to drive her to the emergency vet in boerne as it was after hours on a sunday. My flu riddled butt dragged her pet taxi and supplies into the car, found my purse, and drove to boerne in cat throw up covered pajamas with flu bed head. They took 900 dollars of my money, ran every test they had, and said “i dont know”. Im so furious with vets. They are just trained to run tests and give test results. They refuse to give opinions about what the results could mean, because of liability. If theyre not 100 percent sure they wont discuss the possibilities. They gave her an anti nausea shot, iv fluids, and fluids under the skin. They gave her back to me and told me to take her home. I said, “yeah but in twenty four hours when that shot wears off we’re back to square one. I mean, we need to find out what’s wrong with her. Ive paid 900 dollars. Cant you give me an opinion of what it might be?” They were unhelpful.
I texted Cindy’s son (a vet) a picture of my invoice showing him all the tests that had been run. I asked him if we missed anything and what he thought it might be. He was actually really helpful. He said obstruction was unlikely if they did an x-ray and it showed nothing. It could be viral but it could also be a bacterial infection because she had been on an antibiotic and long-term use of one over multiple days can set a cat’s gut and system up for being vulnerable against bacterial intruders. No probiotics were originally prescribed by the vet who had given the antibiotic. However, the emergency vet forced me to pay for another dewormer saying that they didnt find any worms but maybe its worms other than roundworms and theyre just hiding. I thought this was an asinine thing to blame it on as she had already been dewormed once and they couldnt find any worms in her sample, but thats what they wanted to prescribe me so i bought it. It came with probiotics to counteract the fact that it was going to kill her gut bacteria. I gave her the other dewormer and the probiotic as instructed upon returning home. She was okay for twenty four hours and then like clock work when the anti nausea shot wore off she was like something out of the exorcist again. Just shit and vomit everywhere and her limp little body convulsing trying to poo and vomit at the same time and then dragging herself through it. The vet said it was the emergency vet’s problem because they had seen her last and they werent going to pick up someone else’s work. The emergency vet said they had intervened initially when it was an emergency and now i needed to follow up with my regular vet. Both vets asked if they could call me back after they talked to the vet who had seen her. I said yes. Neither vet ever called back. I discussed with family that the humane thing to do would be to euthanize her as this was no way to live, every test they had had been performed, no one knew what was wrong with her, and i didnt have the $1400 i had already thrown at the issue, let alone more to spend on her. The emergency vet said i could bring her back nightly for an anti nausea shot and fluids but without fixing the problem their plan was just that i do this nightly for an eternity. When i told them i couldnt afford that and i needed them to actually figure out what was wrong with her so i could address it they said theyd speak to a vet and call me back with what they said. The call never came. I decided that if euthanasia was what we were going with it couldnt be worse for me to take a stab at being a vet without the know how or license. I went with Caleb’s possibility that it could be a bacterial infection, her system weakened by antibiotics and the loss of her gut bacteria. I looked up and measured out the amount of colloidal silver google said to give cats in their water. I gave her colloidal silver water in a syringe two times in one day. She made a full recovery. I gave her an additional day of five squirts of water in the syringe two times a day and she ate two whole cans of cat food and kept it down. Her poops were solid again. She seemed happy and healthy. She purred a lot and rubbed all over my arms as if to say thank you. I began giving her the probiotics from the emergency vet to build her gut bacteria back up. She was finally well again. I would take another week and a half to get well but she made a full recovery and became very demanding that i get started on that outdoor enclosure. I was glad she was feeling better but i had had the flu all throughout her ordeal and was needing to lay in bed now that she was out of death’s jaws. To anyone who says, “why do you treat your animals with natural medicine?” Its because western medicine fails us time and time again. They thought the dogs simultaneously got stung by a bee when they had distemper, and charged me $600 to tell me so. They couldnt fit the chickens with respiratory infections in for an appointment to get antibiotics for a month. They took $1400 of my money and told me “i dont know” about the cat. The reason i treat them with natural medicine is always because ive tried the western way and ended up broke and still with sick animals. Colloidal silver saved cricket’s life. A family member said, “next time you’ll know to do that first.” But i dont think i will. I always try to get the animals help from the professionals, because im not a vet and i dont know what’s wrong with them or what they need. The colloidal silver was a guess, and i only start guessing with someone’s health when all the experts have failed. We’re using my hysterectomy surgery money to pay for the cat’s emergency bill because unfortunately the conditions i have require the removal of my ovaries and in this country they wont remove your ovaries until you are menopausal, at which point i wont need them removed. So the surgery i need was denied and a surgery that wont help me was offered. Obviously i said no as chances of it helping are about 5 percent. So, i guess mind numbing pain that renders me unconscious once a month is just my lot in life. Western medicine has decided that its more important that i have hormones than it is that i have a stomach lining, kidneys, or a job, since employers arent usually thrilled about you being unconscious once a month when you’re supposed to be working. Im ready for menopause but in this country, i dont have a right to make that decision. You cant have them out unless you are trying to change your gender, and unfortunately, im not. I just need them out for medical reasons. But, the world isnt fair. Further demonstrated by the fact that my older friend with the same diagnosis was approved for her total hysterectomy and i get to watch her find the relief i so desperately hoped for in the beginning of january. I am happy for her. She said, “Don’t worry. It will happen for you some day.” Yup, i’ll be eligible in 15 years. So for now, the money i was saving for the surgery is being spent on my emergency room visits and ambulance rides when the pain becomes to much and cricket’s emergency vet visit. Sigh. It’s been a tough couple of months. At least cricket is alive.
