Feline Friday with Tama

Tama-Chan: Well, Dear Friends, that was quite the day! First of all, the buffet shut down on Wednesday evening at 8pm. #1 was very sweet in that, rather than lock me up in a room, she removed all food from the house for everyone at 8pm! She told me that we would be leaving before 7am yesterday morning to go and get my tests done, and at 6:45, I was waiting for her in my carrier!

 

We had an initial consult with a Dr. G when we arrived:

 

And he recommended that we start with an x-ray of the lungs and a full blood panel .

"Hmmmm.. not sure I like the way this is shaping up..."

 

The x-ray showed that there was serious congestion in my lungs and the decision was made that both a scan and a tracheal wash were advisable to establish the exact state of affairs and also send some bronchial liquid to a lab for analysis. This was to be done under full anesthetic, so #1 gave me a kiss and I was taken round the back. well, one does have one's pride, you know? I bit one of the vet techs in the bum and tried to make a run for it, but, alas, they caught me. A different, more senior vet, did the tests. Her first name is Morgane. Don't you think that sounds a little magical? Anypaw, I drifted off into LalaLand, and when I woke up, #1 was there, talking to me. I had a little blankie on me and was feeling pretty woozy.

 

You can see in that last shot, the oxygen machine that blew sweet air into my cage as I woke up. The vet said I had done really well. Here are two of my scans:

Now, let me tell you something. They say that is my insides, but here is what I see in this next one: It's the entrance to the Double-T Ranch, with a big turkey-like bird under the gateway. Don't you think so?

 

Kidding aside, the scans and tracheal wash did show that I have a bad infection, with some serious bronchial congestion. But we will have to wait for the results from the blood tests and sample taken from the tracheal wash to find out the exact cause. It could be bacterial or worm-related. Other than that, my general state is excellent except for slightly elevated blood sugar (which they said could be due to stress) and "advice" that I should lose some weight. Whilst we wait for the results, however, we will have to do a full-on worming regimen which will include Panacur (more familiar to horse owners, I gather!), and Stronghold. I am also being out back onto diuretics until #1 gets back from Japan as they do bring relief and, right now that is the best thing for me. The Panacur pills, which I take for three days, are huge, so #1 is relieved she will still be here to try and get them down me.

When I got home, I still had a rather fetching bandage around my arm, but it has now come off:

 

And, after a lovely meal, I spent the evening napping in my usual place:

 

Now whilst all of this torture was going on with me, Tommy was out and about with #1. They came across this place:

 

And this great store where # did a bit of shopping for us:

 

And Tommy made lots of friends in the waiting room:

And that, Dear Friends, was my big day. We are glad to have taken this major step forward in figuring out how to deal with my problem. Thank you so much to each and every one of you who took the time to cross a paw, send a vibe, or leave a sweet message. It makes a huge difference to all of us here, starting with me, Queen Tama!