"Buster" is Home but "Oliver" Isn't

BUSTER'S "CASTLE" FOR THE NEXT 2 WEEKS



A CLOSER VIEW OF BUSTER (He looks contented, don't you think?)


Yesterday was another busy day for me! I had NO sleep the night before, staying up all night, as I was afraid I wouldn't get up in time to get Oliver at 7am.

First, I had to pick up Oliver at the Emergency Vet Clinic at 7am and take him to his own vet for the day to keep the IV fluids going in him to keep his kidneys flushed. Okay, he was set now til 5pm! (The Emergency Clinic is closed during the day.) So it was back home for me to take care of all my other little fur kids and get myself ready to head to Greenville to visit Buster. I like to visit every day so they don't think they've been abandoned.

At 9:30, Buster's doctor phoned and said he wanted to let him go home. He said they tend to do better once they are home. So we arranged a time for picking him up early afternoon. I then called Stosh, and we made plans to get one of my big pens out of my storage room and take to Tammy's for Buster. He is under strict exercise restrictions for 2 weeks. No running, no playing, no stairs, no other pets around him, on a leash if taken out of the pen at all, under human control at all times, etc., etc. (They had the word "strict" in bold print on his discharge letter, too.) So we got that all set up in her living room for him.

Then, off to Greenville we headed! It was another very hot day in the 90's with dark clouds rolling in. (I never did get to see the TV weather to get the actual temp, though. Too busy and too tired to even care!) So we arrived there and met with Dr. Jevens, who is just theeeeee best, and he went over all the discharge instructions and meds with us. I wish they treated humans there as everyone is just so loving and compassionate, plus all the doctors are just "top notch" in my book! (They have 13 specialists there and are looking to hire 2 more! Guess that says a lot for their reputation! People from all over the South bring their pets there.)

Buster had a quiet ride home. As instructed, I gave him his pain med upon arriving home, and his antibiotic wasn't due until 8pm. He wasn't allowed food for 2 hours after arriving home, probably since he was excited from the trip and all. So I took a little rest on the sofa and watched him adjust to his new "pen/castle." (I call it a pen, others call it a crate.) He checked it all out, believe me! It was really quite interesting to watch him. Poor little guy, he's been through so much this week. Finally, he decided to accept it all and laid down on his pillow. I, myself, could have stayed right there on that plush leather sofa all night! It felt so good to get off my feet!

I had to leave him to go get Oliver at 5pm and return him to the Emergency Vet Clinic for the entire weekend so he could keep receiving his IV fluids. Then.....I headed for home. It was 7:15pm when I finally turned the key in my door...another verrry long day! It was so humid, as there must have been a rain shower while we were in Greenville, from puddles we noticed along the streets. It felt like a sauna outside! I was so glad to get in for the night! I was dragging with no sleep the night before, really whooped! And.....I had all my cats waiting to be scooped and fed, which takes me from an hour to an hour and a half at night to do.

My daughter, Tammy, got home from work shortly after I had left there and said Buster had removed his wrap from his IV line all by himself as it was laying on the pen floor. We usually leave that wrap on until bedtime whenever they have had an IV line removed. She said he cried and tried to get out of the pen when he saw her. He hadn't seen her since Monday! So she laid on the floor beside him and stuck her arm in to touch him, and he loved her arm all up, kept rubbing his head all over her. She said it was as if he couldn't get enough of her. They have such a strong bond....I have never seen a cat so attached to anyone in my life! She then fed him, and he ate it all, she said. Later, she noticed he had done a little poo-poo in the litterbox! So guess the surgery in that area was a success.

I phoned to see how Oliver was doing this morning, and he, somehow, had torn his IV line out during the night! So the vet on duty said they were going to leave it out and just see if he would drink water on his own. He's there to receive IV fluids, not a few laps of water! So I phoned Oliver's personal vet who will look into that matter. The vet who took care of Oliver at the emergency clinic Thursday night will be on duty again at noon today, so I believe he will put in a new IV line. How that cat could even get to that IV line is beyond me, as he had on that big rigid plastic collar! He wasn't even able to see that line! I worry so when I have to leave them overnight like that!!!


OLIVER


I also called to check on Buster this morning, and he had put in a good night. So guess things are moving in a positive direction there! Now if I can get Oliver back home and healthy again, we will all be happy! That is, until the next episode comes along! Back to the emergency clinic Monday morning at 7am to get him, and then my running starts again!!!