Lester: Monday Update

Oh, Art, I'm so very sorry to hear that. We are purring extra-strong purrs
and sending the very best of wishes for a miracle to happen to Lester - we
are thinking of you both,
--
Polonca & Soncek

"Arthur Shapiro" wrote in message
news:NbLwb.3664$ZE1.457@fed1read04...
snip If this cat comes home with me tommorow, I'll be astonished. Maybe
to an
urgent care center, but I can't see him coming home right now. I hope he
makes it.

Art

"Arthur Shapiro" wrote in message
...
In article , m. L. Briggs
wrote:

-- The "howling dog" worried me. Was he causing Lester distress? Also
-- was he suffering? Have you had time to give to Phunny

Well, the howling dog (whose cage was labeled "muzzle tumor" seemed rather
out
of it - he made no effort to make contact with me, standing by necessity
directly in front of his floor-level cage. His bedding seemed to have
lots of
blood stains, whose source wasn't obvious, and he had several IV lines.
I
can't say that Lester was obviously bothered, in that he (Lester) didn't
jump
or flinch or react during the howls. There appeared to be a lot more dogs
than cats in this large room. Lester used to live with my pit bull in his
early years here, although Neptune (the dog) died 11 years ago. There was
never an issue with dogs, so I'd say it is more a nuisance noise than a
source
of terror.

At the risk of overburdening the newsgroup with Lester, I called this
morning
for an update, and reached one of the techs, not my surgeon. She thought
Lester was acting a little more sprightly, and appearing a little
healthier,
than yesterday. They had given him a litter box, finally, and he used it.
He's still not eating, but they're using the nose tube. No test results
yet.
To my surprise, she said that if he comes home tommorow evening, the tube
will
stay, and it won't be a big deal for me to use it. I have another 7 pm
appointment to see him.

I still haven't purchased any special food for Phunny, but have given him
lots
of attention. I decided to sleep on the couch last night, as sometimes
the
change of location and the different feel of the cushions gives me a
better
night's sleep, and I was crowded by Milo, Calico, and Watermelon (who kept
trying to push me off the edge). Phunny cuddled with my wife all night.
Again, he has no idea that he's sick (or potentially sick), so this isn't
an
urgent situation. When I picked him up this morning, I was concious that
he
was somewhat less muscular and more flabby than in the past, which goes
along
with the vet's observation that heavy muscle tissue is what tends to
gradually
disappear when cats (and ourselves) age.

Art

Continued purrs. You are NOT overburdening us. I was about to ask if there
had been a Tuesday update! We are there with you.

Karen

(Arthur Shapiro) wrote:

In article , (LOL) wrote:

I have noticed that no one else in this thread has mentioned anything
about your having to find another place for him over the holiday - is
that the usual thing? It's not here where I live

Well, this isn't apparently a typical "open when the normal vets are closed"
emergency center - it's a large surgical and diagnostic place, so I guess I'm
just mildly surprised, not shocked.

I went to see him last night, and was quickly brought back to reality. I
don't think he's doing as well as I expected. He was in a cage in a
surprisingly large room, which may have also been the operating center. There
were numerous techs on duty in this room. Underneath his cage was a large,
constantly howling dog. Lester's cage was flagged with a big, orange CRITICAL
sign.

I'm sure he looks worse than he really is, considering what he's been
through. But I also think it's surprising and more than a little
inconvenient that he needs to be moved out during holidays. We'll
keep purring for Lester.

"Takayuki" wrote in message
...
(Arthur Shapiro) wrote:

In article ,
(LOL) wrote:

I have noticed that no one else in this thread has mentioned anything
about your having to find another place for him over the holiday - is
that the usual thing? It's not here where I live

Well, this isn't apparently a typical "open when the normal vets are
closed"
emergency center - it's a large surgical and diagnostic place, so I guess
I'm
just mildly surprised, not shocked.

I went to see him last night, and was quickly brought back to reality. I
don't think he's doing as well as I expected. He was in a cage in a
surprisingly large room, which may have also been the operating center.
There
were numerous techs on duty in this room. Underneath his cage was a
large,
constantly howling dog. Lester's cage was flagged with a big, orange
CRITICAL
sign.

I'm sure he looks worse than he really is, considering what he's been
through. But I also think it's surprising and more than a little
inconvenient that he needs to be moved out during holidays. We'll
keep purring for Lester.

He may actually do better at home in familiar surroundings. It is sometimes
the case. I sure hope he is on the mend.

Karen

"Arthur Shapiro" wrote in message
news:NbLwb.3664$ZE1.457@fed1read04...

I went to see him last night, and was quickly brought back to reality. I
don't think he's doing as well as I expected. He was in a cage in a
surprisingly large room, which may have also been the operating center.
There
were numerous techs on duty in this room. Underneath his cage was a
large,
constantly howling dog. Lester's cage was flagged with a big, orange
CRITICAL
sign.

He had a nice sheepskin rug with a heating pad. No litter box, which
surprised me. He was clearly woozy, and they told me that was fhe
sedatives
and pain killers. I'm not sure he knew who I was, although he accepted
the
affection and nibbled a little of the catnip I brought. The feeding tube
appeared to be stitched to his head in three places, and there were IV
lines
going into his foreleg. I was really sobered by just how sick, weak,
and
old he looked. I was going to post a picture, but nobody here needs to
see a
cat that looks that bad.

If this cat comes home with me tommorow, I'll be astonished. Maybe to an
urgent care center, but I can't see him coming home right now. I hope he
makes it.


Aaaw, poor Lester. Purrs continuing that he gets better soon and comes
home.
--
Britta
ROT13 to reply
Check out pictures of Vino at:
http://photos.yahoo.com/badwilson click on Vino and "friends" album

(Arthur Shapiro) wrote in message ...

(lots of snippage)


At the risk of overburdening the newsgroup with Lester,


Not possible! We *want* updates, and worry when we *don't* get them.
We are continuing to send loads of purrs to your Lester from here in
Georgia; I was sorry to read that he doesn't look well, but I am
hoping that the appearance doesn't reflect the reality.

------
Krista

Poor d*ggie! I'm so glad Lester is doing better.
Best wishes and purrs,
--
Polonca & Soncek

"Arthur Shapiro" wrote in message
...

Well, the howling dog (whose cage was labeled "muzzle tumor" seemed rather
out
of it - he made no effort to make contact with me, standing by necessity
directly in front of his floor-level cage. snip I called this morning
for an update, and reached one of the techs, not my surgeon. She thought
Lester was acting a little more sprightly, and appearing a little
healthier,
than yesterday. snip