Friday, April 27, 2018

Why yes, I am paranoid, but I have reason to be



My darling Jack is coming up on sixteen, he is prone to urinary crystals, he has blocked three times, and he is now hypothyroid. So when I sat next to him yesterday afternoon and he appeared to be shivering I just about panicked. Nothing good comes from a shivering cat.

I watched him for a few minutes to be sure he was doing it and then decided to snuggle him to try to give him some of my body heat. Still, he shivered.

So, I got up and found my thermometers. I have two for cats and I didn't know if they both worked so I bought both of them to him and attempted to get a reading. He was NOT a fan. The first one read 98.0 (normal is 101ish) so I wondered if it had a good battery, so I took a second reading with the other. He was even less of a fan this time it was 97.5.

Now I'm taking stock. I thought of getting a glucose reading (and I so should have because the vet did and charged me $10 for it) but I was distracted and didn't do it. I got him some treats. He ate several of them but left bits behind - which is not like him. I thought I would break out a can of cat food, something he rarely can resist. He was very happy to have it and dug right in, but stopped after about four bites.

He was eating. He was interactive. He was happy but he was shivering. I had a low reading on two thermometers. I could sit and watch him or I could take him to the vet for a once over. Because of his age and health issues, I chose the latter. If it had been Muffin or Eli I probably would have chosen to watch instead.

We get to the vet and he is active and his charming self.  Their reading on him was also 98, so I opted to have the vet give him a once over. She didn't see anything glaring and gave me options to give pain meds in case he was in pain (she didn't see signs of it during the exam but it could be an option) do blood work to see if his kidneys were shutting down (but if they were shutting down to the point he would be shivering he wouldn't be as interactive) or bring him home and monitor. I opted for the later.

He got home, he DEMANDED more cat food (which I gave him) (and he ate most of it) and did a walk around the house to make sure all was okay at the house and then he went off to bed to sleep off all of the 'back door intrusions'.  Sorry buddy, but I'd rather be safe than sorry (at least now I know my thermometers are working)

Muffin is going to the vet today for a dental.. wish us luck

21 comments:

  1. Nothing wrong with a little paranoia. I'd have done the same with Katie. I know how to take care of her IBD flare ups on my own, but any symptoms outside of that will send me whipping down the mountain to our vet. So glad your boy is ok.

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  2. Good luck with Muffin. I'm glad Jack is doing okay.

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  3. It's so stressful when they are older. My human watches Binga like a hawk for any little thing (Boodie is almost as old as her, but she never seems to have any life-threatening issues). I hope Jack's temperature goes back up, and I'm purring for everything to go well with Muffin.

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  4. Oh Jack! You gave your human a scare! I would have done the same thing, but we don’t have any thermometers at home. May be wise to pick one or two up! Sending cuddles to Jack, to warm him!

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  5. I think we all can relate to the paranoia and in your situation, I'd have done the same. Better safe than sorry. I hope Jack is normal now, and we have our fingers and paws crossed for Muffin today!

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  6. poor Jack - but better safe than sorry. paws crossed for Muffin

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  7. How scary! I'm glad you took him in--better safe than sorry. I'm also glad he is doing OK. <3

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  8. It is better to be safe than sorry with older kitties. Glad he's ok.

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  9. You are amongst kindred spirits here, especially us parents of seniors. We watch every little thing, just in case. We hope this passes quickly.

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  10. Being paranoid is way much better than not. That's the rule we live by here. We hope he's temperature returns to normal. Purrs and good thoughts for Muffin!

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  11. dood.....ther wooda been lotz oh para noidz heer two, mom did rite N havin ya cheked.....muffin we hope all goez well with ewe two day at de eeeevil place.....sendin st francis' blessings two all, share N save de spare ♥♥♥♥♥

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  12. Better safe than sorry. Sounded like it might be serious to me! Glad the news was good.

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  13. Good lick today with Muffin ! Very glad you took Jack -less worry for all !

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  14. Knit him a sweater? I hope that Muffin's dental went well! We do lots of those despite the toothbrushing~

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  15. We do have a tendency to worry the humans, don't we? Yep, the mom drags us to the vet at the littlest sign that something may be off. But given that all three of us have some serious health issues, it's understandable. Glad Jack is doing okay...but we know you'll be watching him closely. (pee ess...what vet did you take him to? We know you were looking for one near you.)

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  16. Poor Jack. I would've done the same thing. We hope he's feeling better ... he's so handsome!

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  17. We're so glad to hear that Jack is OK. You didn't say that the vet really had any suggestions about why he might be cold. Hypothyroidism? We know you will keep him plenty cozy after this episode. Best thoughts to the handsome guy!

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  18. Here's hoping you can figure out what's going on with Jack. Our cats have had their share of distresses, also, so I feel for you.

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  19. Purrs for Jack and Muffin too. We sure hope Jack is feeling better today. Good luck with the dental Muffin!

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  20. Better to be safe than sorry. I hope Jack is doing better and that Muffin's dental went well.

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  21. Better to be paranoid than sorry. We hope you can figure out what's going on with your Jack!

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