Friday, October 05, 2007

Do Cats Feel Pain?

I think they do, or why would a cat respond to teasing, taunting and cruelty they way they do?

Princess is very loving right now, but obviously "under the weather" after her surgery.

So far, she is not expressing a desire for the meds, but I will give them to her anyway. She has allowed some soft scratches and admiration. She is out of hiding.

I just hope all this doesn't send her back into hiding and scaredy-cat behaviors.

She has to go back in 2 weeks to have the stitches removed. There don't appear to be as many stitches this time, and the ear seems to be standing up a bit better than the other one. The vet did NOT give me the anti-fungal ointment this time, just some pain drops. I will probably put some antibiotic ointment on it to keep the area soft and keep the itching down for her. The antibiotics in the ointment will help her heal, too.

I'll keep you posted!

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Princess and her Ears

Princess is at the vet's today. Very expensive!

Princess has a hematoma in her ear. Basically, this means the ear swells up and fills with fluid. A cat's ear is mostly cartilage, with fine blood vessels and some skin and fur to cover it. Cats move their ears in all directions by using fine muscles at the base of the ear that pulls tendons and swivels the cartilage.

Well, one or more of the blood vessels broke and the space between the skin (usually very thin) was over 1/2 inch thick. I noticed a problem Friday, so took her in and had it drained on Saturday morning. I've been watching it fill in again, since. So, she went back to the vet's today to have it fixed.

What they did to the other ear (over 2 years ago) was to drain the fluid and put stitches to hold the layers of ear tissue together. She ended up with a cauliflower ear, but the swelling didn't return. The vet was very upset when she looked at Princess, so I figured it was pretty serious. When the other ear developed the same problem, I figured I'd better get her in as soon as I could.

Well, my beautiful Princess will have two cauliflower ears, but she will be fine. My pocketbook won't recover for several months, however.

I know we have to help doctors, dentists, vets and lawyers pay for their education by paying their fees, but it just seems to unfair that people who make so little have to pay for those who make so much. You would think that after 20 years of practicing veterinary medicine, the education expenses would be paid off.

The "itemized" bill was also for a lot of supplies. Paying retail sucks! I'm so used to getting things on the internet at wholesale prices, that the price they are charging for stuff is just highway robbery!

So, get used to paying very little & buy your supplies on the internet, too. They want over $20 for ONE flea treatment at the vet's office!!! Goodness! You can get 6 for $50 on the internet.....