Cat sitting

Friday, May 12th, 2006 10:50 am - Cat sitting I have been taking care of my neighbor's cat for more then a week now. My neighbor, "B", is a nice person, and I don't mind doing this for her, usually. It's just that this time, "Mr. Fuzzy Pants" is not feeling well. Last Thursday "B" was to leave for her big trip overseas, very exciting! Wednesday night she came to my house to give me her itinerary, and to tell me that "MFP" had not been eating for almost a week, so she was going to take him to the Vet on Thursday morning. The same day she is scheduled to go away. MFP is a sweet older cat who has never been known to miss a meal, if you know what I mean. So, Thursday night I go over to "B's" house to check on "MFP". He seems fine, and is winding madly around by ankles and crying for attention. I look around for a note, and I find one. Dear "P", I took MFP to the Vet, and she isn't sure what is wrong with him. She took blood and will know the results in a couple of days. Here's where the note gets bad. The Vet decided that he should be on antibiotics (GASP), so I know this is horrible, but could you please give this to him for TEN DAYS!!!! OMG...ten days of giving a cat anything but food is awful!!!! "B" apologized over and over again in the note. Along with the medication, there was a special canned food to give MFP. When the special food ran out, I was to give him tuna. If MFP didn't eat tuna, then something serious was wrong with him. In a big green medicine container, was the antibiotic. An ugly brown mixture and a syringe, MFP was sure to hate this combination. I looked down at him. He looked so hopeful, like he was just so sure I had something wonderful for him to eat, like I have in the past. I picked him up and put him on the counter. He is not allowed up there, so he should have been suspicious, he was still happy as a lark. I get the medicine and suck the right amount into the syringe. Ok, I look at him; he looks at me, still happy. I put my arm around his body and scoot him close to me. Holding his head, I tilt it and try to get this junk in his mouth. He is immediately not pleased. MFP starts to wiggle and squirm, and I am afraid I will get bitten or, even worse, unable to get this stuff in his mouth on the first try! So I squirt it in as fast as I can and let go of him. If looks could kill, I would be dead right now. My sweet feline friend was pissed at me. "Ohhh MFP, are you ok?", I say, as I rub his head and scratch his neck. I started to think, maybe he is holding it in his mouth and he is going to spit it out. Its worse then that. He starts to foam at the mouth. Brown, yucky saliva starts to drip from his mouth while he is shooting daggers at me with his kitty eyes. CRAP!!!! I forgot that cats do this. My old cat, Keyma (may she rest in peace), would do this too when she had medicine or got upset. I grabbed some paper towels and start wiping his furry mouth. Oh LORD...it just keeps coming and I am starting to think maybe he is allergic or something. Finally it stops dripping from his mouth and he seems ok. I clean him up with a wet paper towel and get his food for him. The Vet food looks disgusting. Tan colored and super mushy. MFP eats it though and I wait awhile to make sure he is ok. The next day at work, I am telling my co-workers about MFP and I decide that I will call the Vet and ask if the medicine is really necessary for the cat. She tells me that MFP has a dental problem, and if he doesn't get the medicine, his kidneys will shut down. GREAT! I tell her that MFP is not happy about the medicine and he drools most of it out after I give it to him. She tells me there is another thing I can squirt in his mouth that will sort of numb his gums and tongue, making it easier for him. Easier for him?!?!?!? What about me?! Then the Vet adds that MFP is a "Caution Cat". What, are you kidding me? He is not a caution cat, he is as sweet as can be. You want to see a caution cat, I will bring over my "Kitty Boy", and he will slice and dice you if you try and do this to him. She warned me that I should really burrito wrap MFP in a towel before giving him his meds, just to be safe. OK, I say. Now getting anything from a Vet requires money. UGH, I don't want to pay for this new medicine! I tell her I get out of work at 5pm and I am in Palo Alto, she is in Sunnyvale. She says they stay open till 6pm. Ok, I will try and make it, I have to pick up my daughter from my Mother's house in Mountain View first. Then the Vet tells me that she can have someone from her office BRING the new medicine to me where I work! What? Are you kidding me? Doctors for humans aren't that nice! They brought the medicine to where I work at about 2pm, no charge I might add! When I got home that night, I was dreading going over to see MFP. When I did go see him, he was his happy self. You would never know he had a major tooth ache. I took the new medicine out and picked him up, put him on the counter again, he still wasn’t suspicious. I wrapped him like a burrito in a towel and squirted the new stuff in his mouth. He didn’t seem to mind it, no drooling. I got his bland mush food ready while I waited for the stuff to numb his mouth. Then I started to give him the yucky stuff. He was pissed, again. I unwrapped him and got the paper towels ready to start the drool clean up. Same dirty looks, same drool. I put him down on the ground and he sat there, making coughy noises. Then he perked up and started to eat. Next day, same routine. You think he would run when he sees me coming, but he never does. This time when I put the mush food down for him, he started to paw at the ground, like he was burying his poop. I look at him and he looks at me. “You don't like it anymore MFP?” He scratches again at the kitchen floor, trying to bury this crap I expect him to eat. Two days of this junk and medicine is too much to ask of me woman!!! Ok I tell him. I get the tuna can and I decide that he can have half mush and half tuna. He agrees that this is a good idea. He eats and is happy. I am on day nine of ten days worth of medicine. I am so happy, only one more day!!! "B" comes back on Monday, I can't wait.