18 January, 2015

Feral Vet Visit


Saturday morning, the hubby and I managed to trap both Patty and Sweetie, using the drop trap.  My ruse of placing the trap, covered in landscape fabric, over the feeding station worked again!  Fortunately, the veterinarian could fit both cat exams into her schedule.

Sweetie, wrapped in a sheet

Under the cover

Patty, after his turn

Back home again!
Patty was quiet, and acquiesced to his exam without using a tooth or claw.  His lump turned out to be a bite wound as I thought, but it has pretty much healed.  No abscess, thankfully.  He received an antibiotic shot for good measure, as well as a rabies shot, a dewormer and flea treatment.  He's about three years old.

Sweetie was true to her feral instincts, and was too fractious for taking her weight or a good listen to her heart and lungs.  She...um...expressed her anal glands instead of being Patty-like...that'll teach us humans to mess with her!  She was given a rabies shot, the dewormer and flea stuff too.  The vet said her teeth were terrible, and placed her age closer to seven years.

Both were ear-mite-less and flea-less, which was a pleasant surprise.  We discussed Patty's scratching and the vet figured he's allergic to flea bites.  She figures that Sweetie could have either asthma or some lung complaint, but there isn't much one can do for either issue in an outside cat.  Both cats sang the song of their people...one at a time...on the way home.  I placed the traps-turned-carriers onto the back deck, and opened them.  Sweetie ran off quickly, but Patty just walked around meowing.  I placed a bowl of cat tuna and another of kibble on the feeding station, and left them alone to recover.  Within 20 minutes, both were eating.  Last night and again today, they are behaving normally.  

YAY!!

Pretty much good news, for ferals living outside.  Am considering another trapping expedition this summer, to get Sweetie's teeth worked on.   I would never have tried trapping in the winter due to the cold temperatures, if it hadn't been for that lump on Patty's chest.  Seriously, the best $149.49 I've spent, although I was pretty much knackered for the rest of the day, from the stress and the physical intensity of crawling on the deck while coaxing each cat from the drop trap into the metal carrier-traps.  The hubby was the perfect wing man, and he cleaned up the deck while I was at the vet's.  I treated him to lunch at our favorite place for his help, and I fell asleep in the car as he drove home. 

15 comments:

  1. We're so glad you were able to get both of them to the vet...and neither had any major issues. Now let's hope they forgive you for all of that. ;)

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  2. We are glad the lump was not serious and that you got both kitties to the Vet.
    They are so lucky to have chosen your place. Purrs you enjoyed your nap ;)
    Purrs Georgia and Julie,
    Treasure and JJ

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  3. You and the hubby are great people. I am glad it all worked out at the vet.

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  4. I'm glad Patty's lump was not something serious. And I hope you can get Sweetie to have her teeth cleaned in summer. You all had a big day...you must have been really exhausted. I wish you a wonderful new week!

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  5. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for taking care of these two. We're very happy to hear they made it to the vet, got treatment and a once over!

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  6. Thank you for caring for these outdoor kitties. My parents cared for any stray that ventured into their yard. First order of business was always a trip to the vet for spaying or neutering. My mother even ended up the hospital once with sepsis from a cat bite. It isn't a job for the faint of heart!

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  7. Thank you for your comment! I use a program called GIMP to add captions in the photo. You can download from gimp.org for free :-)

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  8. God love you! You are an Angel! Glad that overall it went swimmingly and sooo happy the kitties forgave you right away!

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  9. Except for the bad teeth, it all sounds like great news that the kitties are pretty healthy and doing well. Congrats on the successful trapping & vet visit.

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  10. Concats to you for a job well done! We love that you're such a caring cat lady!

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  11. Glad that, for the most part, Sweetie and Patty are doing O.K.
    Bless you =)

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  12. Wow, you are one dedicated cat lady. Kudos to you for your efforts. We're so glad both were in good shape.

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  13. patty N sweetie, YAY iz rite...that yur vizitz be over; N glad ya getted sum most lee grate mews....ewe noe de food ladee loves ya... N does thiz coz her cares, may bee purrhaps next time ya have ta go two de place oh eevil for yur yeer lee chex up ewe both can sing...ewe R my sunshine ♫♫♪♪♫♪

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  14. Nice job on the trapping! Yes, Zolie is spayed. I trapped her 3-4 summers ago after she presented me with 5 litters of kittens over the course of about 3 years. She was in the first stages of another pregnancy which the vet discovered when he opened her up. She was pretty ratty looking and in rough shape from so l many litters and and non stop nursing. Now she's sleek and healthy, but still very feral and unapproachable. But we love her.

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  15. sounds like good news. glad both are doing well. taking care of feral cats can certainly be stressful, these two are lucky to have you!

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