Skippy

We interupt our regular scheduled post to document a bit of news.

My boy Skippy from time to time would cough and sneeze up a great slew of snot.  He feels miserable for a short bit of time and then feels better.  I have always thought he has a remitting case of bordetella. The cough he coughs is almost a reverse cough to me that sounds like bordetella, and with the death of Bri so quickly by what looked like bordetella... well I don't think it was crazy of me to think it.

The past few days Skippy has been a little more adamant in his snuggliness.  I was late a few days to work because he had come up and snuggled on my chest and I couldn't bring it upon myself to kick him off.  Then yesterday when I came home from work he was looking miserable.  He coughed a few times, sneezed a few times, and then crawled up on my chest, put his head on my shoulder and he stayed there for hours.  I had to get up and take care of "personal business" but I just couldn't bring it upon myself to make my bladder happy at the expense of Skippy's happiness.  I had a Christmas party to go to, so I did eventually have to get up.  Fortunately my husband came home and helped.  He fed the kitties but unfortunately that didn't garner all that much interest from him.  That broke my heart.  He was wheezing, and when I picked him up it caused a coughing fit. I brought him some turkey and he ate that, so I left him and went to the party.

When we got home he was still wheezing and looking miserable.  I had a slew of things I had to do (that I should have done that afternoon but I was busy being a cat bed) and I couldn't go to bed right away.  Poor Skippy just wanted to cuddle with me, and he followed me around waiting.  Finally I brought him back to the bedroom while I got ready to go to bed, and Skip started sneezing and clearing the mucus quite dramatically.  All over the bed, over some clothes and all over Fleurp.  :(    I told him he needed to feel better in the morning or he was going to see "Uncle Brion" (aka the vet) well the morning came he was still wheezing and didn't eat breakfast... so phone call made (yes, even though I'm in my jammies and it takes me 30 minutes to get there I can get there in 35 minutes - HON!! Get Skippy in the carrier please - scramble scramble scramble)

He didn't make a peep the whole way down.  Once we got there he started purring and rubbing up against everything and he looked and sounded just fine!!  Not a smidge of temperature. but harsh sounds were heard in his lungs, and a spot was found on the x-ray.  so we are on meds for 14 days and we are doing a recheck on Christmas eve eve. 

Brion thinks it might be the start of pneumonia.  I asked about bordetella, and he said this could present like this. The meds he is on would take care of both.

So he looked and acted just fine for the vet.  was good the whole ride down and the whole right back.  Get home and medicate him, and poof he starts coughing and bringing up more mucus!  fortunately the pill stayed down.  He wouldn't take a treat from me (to help wash the pill down with) but did from my husband.  He's still not really eating, but he is enjoying the bits of turkey he's getting.