Jingles for a Barn Cat

[dressagetraks]

Hopefully nothing too serious, but that's what jingles are for. :yes:

Emily Dickinson, the queen of my barn cats, answered roll call lame tonight. She's not totally 3-legged, but she's quite lame with tentative efforts at weightbearing. No heat or swelling in the paw or leg that I can find. She was purry and talkative as usual - she earned her name for her eloquence and range by cursing at me for the full 45-minute drive home without ONCE repeating herself after I trapped her in the parking lot at work. She was hungry tonight as always (she's never forgotten being a starving street cat) and pitched into the meal.

This didn't hit my "weekend call emergency vet" standards, but I'll reassess tomorrow and see if it's better/worse/same. If worse, I'll take her in. Hope she just pulled something.

[Zu Zu]

Jingles for Emily Dickinson !!!!!!

[Zu Zu]

How is Emily this am ???? Jingles !

[dressagetraks]

A bit lamer this morning, still trying with that paw but grabbing it back up immediately. This morning, on palpating, I can get a definite reaction spot on the upper leg, not the paw, up about 2 inches below the shoulder.

We're going in soon as I get breakfast. :(

If she has to be kept in for a while, that might get fun. Emily is the alpha barn cat and has plenty of spark herself, and indoors, I have my ultimate diva blue point Siamese, who disapproves of everything on principle. The other Meezer would be interested and happy to meet someone different, but somehow I don't think Emily and HRH Rosalind would get along well.

[MunchkinsMom]

Jingles that it is something minor and that she gets well soon. I won't scare you with lame cat horror stories either.

[MountainGirl7]

Poor kit! Hope she feels better soon - that's no fun!

[dressagetraks]

I left her down at the vet clinic. They had a very busy surgery morning booked up, and they said one of the vets will check her out as soon as they get a chance. They really were having a busy day; the receptionist turned down two people who wanted non urgent appointments today while I was there.

Hope it's just something simple.

Emily reminded me how she got her name. She is quite eloquent. This cat can go on for 20, 30, 40 minutes without repeating herself. Incredible range and modulation. She was fine with me until I tried to put her in the carrier, but she did NOT want to be in a car, or at a V-E-T.

[scrtwh]

jingles for Ms. Dickenson

[RainyDayRide]

More jingles for Emily D.

Given how vocal she is, the vets may choose to check her sooner rather than later just to get her out of there.;)

[Zu Zu]

More EMILY JINGLES !!!!

[dressagetraks]

Heard back from the vet. Her leg isn't broken, fortunately. She had been bitten by something high on the leg, and it was trying to turn nasty. Irrigated and cleaned it out, antibiotics, etc.

I'm sure she gave them a running commentary. :lol:

Thanks for the jingles.

[Zu Zu]

That's what happened to one of my barn cats, Cowboy ~ last March. Glad you caught it early . Cowboy was given an antibiotic shot - two week type - thank goodness as he is vicious when you try to "pill" him !! Jingles for Emily to be feeling better soon.

[Guin]

Cat abscesses are truly nasty things. My vet actually gave me a big lecture when I brought in Mr. Kitty for the most recent one, and I admitted to cleaning it out without wearing gloves. (We've known each other for years, so I submitted meekly to the scolding.) Good to get Emily's wound flushed out professionally and some extra-strength antibiotics! :yes:

[dressagetraks]

We're home. Boy, was she ticked! :yes: I only thought she was vocal when I was taking her there this morning. Soon as she heard me checking out, she started YELLING in the clinic from the cages in back. You could hear her all through the building. She wanted me to have no doubt of her opinion of the vets and their ancestors and their ancestors for several generations back. One poor lady in the waiting room with a dog had the poor dog looking to hide. Hell hath no fury like a pissed off cat! :lol:

She settled down a bit on the drive, only cursed continuously for half the route, and at less than clinic volume, and then settled down to an occasional soliloquy. And then, when we pulled into the driveway, she started to purr. :yes::cool: She couldn't see out of the carrier, but she knew she was home. I put the carrier down and opened it, and she popped right out, shook herself, and then inquired where supper was.

She's got a nasty-looking wound on her leg where they opened it up, cleared out a large pus pocket, irrigated, and flushed. They did give her the long-lasting antibiotic.

I had already thought of the germs, looking at that spot tonight. Last night and this morning both, I was palpating that leg, trying to feel anything, doing this with bare hands. I will renew my mental post-it to STRICTLY wash my hands on coming back in after handling animals, in particular ones who might be injured/sick.

Here's Emily, just so you get a picture to go with the name. Shame you can't hear the voice. She is QUITE eloquent.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk8/dressagetraks/Emily.jpg

And here is the leg from tonight. :eek:

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk8/dressagetraks/EmilyFoot0831092.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk8/dressagetraks/EmilyFoot083109-1.jpg

[Zu Zu]

Thanks for update - thank goodness you took her in - looks nasty! She is quite elegant looking. Hope she is feeling better soon.

[Laurierace]

Abcess is where I would have bet my money. Glad she is on the mend.

[pintopiaffe]

Awww... You could hear her all through the building. She wanted me to have no doubt of her opinion of the vets and their ancestors and their ancestors for several generations back. One poor lady in the waiting room with a dog had the poor dog looking to hide. Hell hath no fury like a pissed off cat! :lol:

I can SOOOOO relate having been recently 'found' by a poet and politician.... :winkgrin:

I am glad it's not TOO serious. Sending 'get well' thoughts and prayers her way. Tell her her soul sistah is in the Northest-eastest-of-the-Nawth-eahst... and wishes her a quick recovery...

[Buffyblue]

Ooh that looks huge! Good thing you took her in, even though she wasn't too happy about it! I've taken many a barn cat to the vet with the same problem! Hope she's all better soon.

[MountainGirl7]

Poor kitty! Sure glad you took her in - hope she feels better soon. Somehow the barn is always less cherry when someone is under the weather.

[BlueEyedSorrel]

Awwww, Emily looks just like my Nora, who is also quite the talker. She was named for a children's book, "Noisy Nora" that my mother read to my sisters and me frequently.

My family had a barn cat with a similar abcess on his leg. He decided to live next to the food dish and only move to hop 3 legged lame to the litter box and back. Obviously we were alarmed and took him to the vet. Vet removes Mr. Kitty from the carrier, places him on the floor and says, "let's see if he'll walk for us." Mr. Kitty, after barely moving for 2 days, takes off like the proverbial bat out of hell, jumps the half door of the exam room, lands in the back part of the vet's office and proceeds to lead the staff on a merry chase. The 3 legged lameness TOTALLY vanished when adrenallin hit his system.:lol:
BES

[li'l bit]

NY Jingles.

[dressagetraks]

Emily showed up to dinner call tonight with a . . . um, I'm not sure what it used to be, but it was definitely a former something. :winkgrin: There was a mighty ticked-off squirrel in the front yard tree, making more racket than I knew a squirrel could make and facing her, albeit from a safe treetop distance. Maybe she had a baby squirrel? :confused:

Anyway, she is obviously feeling much better tonight. All purry and talkative as usual. :lol: Not cursing any longer, though. She is down to only slightly lame, and the hole in the side of her leg, which is indeed as big and icky as it looked in pictures, is starting to close.

She's the ringleader of the outside bunch. Hopefully she'll have many more years here. She's 6ish, I think. She would probably still be hunting daily when she is in her teens. Nothing like a good barn cat. :D:cool:

[Zu Zu]

GOOD JOB EMILY !!!! What A HUNTER !!!!! Jingles !!!

[Zu Zu]

Any update on Emily ??? What?? rather how many ? did she bring intoday? Jingles continue for her recovery.

[dressagetraks]

Couple of field mice. She is feeling better, and the leg is looking better. I did note this afternoon that she was under her favorite bush with both front paws tucked in, was folding that one right below the wound without any apparently discomfort.

Since she was shaved for drainage and debridement, she does look like 1/4 of a Poodle. :lol::D The skin of the leg and then the paw pom on the bottom. :lol:

[Zu Zu]

Any update on Emily ~ she ready for a long hunting weekend ?

[dressagetraks]

Emily is 95% sound on that leg now, and the incision site is healing nicely. Everything looking good.

Medically, that is. Physically, she still looks like 1/4 of a Poodle. :)

[Zu Zu]

Great news ~ thanks for update on Emily. Jingles continue for total recovery ~ including hair re-growth. It did take at least a couple of months before the "poodle" disappeared from my cat, Cowboy ~ and he was SOOOO embarassed !!!!!