Thursday, June 18, 2009

Mariah

Copyright © 2007-2009. Suburban Wildlife Garden. All Rights Reserved.

I hope all of you are having a pleasant summer. I was planning on sharing some fun images from my & my son's birthdays as well as my mother & sister's visit and our trips to the gardens in the area.

Unfortunately, all my plans have been put on hold because I'm taking care of my cat, Mariah, who is extremely ill.


When we took her to Lakeline Animal Care for her yearly checkup on June 6th she was just fine. Then the vet recommended a steriod shot for some 'cat acne' and I was unwise enough to agree to it. Five days later Mariah looked as if she was on death's door. We were told that the shot lowered her defenses enough to allow "a virus she already had" to attack her. She's not eating well and has already lost two lbs. I've taken her in for subcutaneous fluids and nebulizer treatments almost every day for a week. Today the head doctor finally saw her and sent the nebulizer home with me for treatments 3x's per day. I'm now supposed to try to force-feed the poor kitty in addition to all the meds I'm attempting to get into her.

Here's the nebulizer at the vet's office with Mariah inside getting medicated treatments for her lungs (she doesn't like it)...


We're hoping she'll get better before our vacation at the end of the month. I'd feel very guilty to leave her at the vets' for a week while we’re at the beach. It breaks my heart to see my little friend feeling so badly.


“The cat, it is well to remember, remains the friend of man because it pleases him to do so and not because he must.” ~Carl Van Vechten

Copyright © 2007-2009. Suburban Wildlife Garden. All Rights Reserved.

9 comments:

Morning Glories in Round Rock said...

I hope Mariah will soon be over her illness. It hurts so much to see our fur babies hurting and sick, we can't help but worry about them. I will be keeping her in my thoughts. Let us know how she does.

Dawn said...

Thank you Morning Glories in Round Rock,
You're right, it is hard to watch her suffer in any way. Last night, after I force-fed her some wet food with a syringe, she ate a little on her own. That gave me hope that perhaps things will improve for her.

~Dawn

Tina Poe said...

oh, that breaks my heart. I will keep your kitty friend in my thoughts and hope that she bounces back soon. I once gave my cat ear drops that the vet said to use even though there was nothing really wrong, and just in case, the drops would get rid of anything in his ear. He kept trying to clean his ear of the medicine and ended up throwing up for 8 hours straight, not being able to keep anything down. I felt so guilty.

A wildlife gardener said...

What a beautiful cat Mariah is..I hope she gets well soon. I have an affinity with all animals, and cats in particular. So, I understand your worry in leaving her at the vet's for a week. Talk to her and give her loads of cuddles before you go...

Here's the latest video of the Barleycorn garden in June...

http://ourlittlecornerofparadise.blogspot.com/2009/06/barleycorn-meditation-in-june.html

mss @ Zanthan Gardens said...

I'm so sorry that Mariah is ill. Poor thing. This must be really hard on you. Hope she will make a speedy recovery.

Dawn said...

Thanks Tina,
Sorry your cat also had a bad reaction to medication. I hope he had a successful recovery. It's so easy to feel guilty, but if we're not vets it's difficult to know when it's a bad call. Sounds like you love your cat, which is the most important thing.

Dear Wildlife Gardener,
You're so right about cuddles! They help a great deal, IMO. Now she seems to be feeling much better these last two days. It looks like she may be out of the woods, as they say. She was even fiesty at her vet visit yesterday for the first time since she's been ill. I took that as great news. :-)

I look forward to checking out your latest video!

Hi MSS!
Yes, I felt so sorry for Mariah and slept on the floor next to her when she was at her worst. Hopefully she has turned a corner now and will be good as new once again. I'm certainly relieved she's better before we leave for Galveston. Whew!

Many thanks for all your kind words and thoughts.

Happy Summer!
Dawn

Annie in Austin said...

Poor Mariah - glad to see in your comment she seems to be recovering, Dawn. It must be especially upsetting because you were trying to help her over a different ailment.

Wishing you some sea breezes in Galveston~

Annie

Dawn said...

Dear Annie,
Yes, I've experienced a lot of guilt for allowing that steriod shot which caused her so much suffering. Thank goodness she's getting better.

Wish you could join us on the beach! Hope you are enjoying your summer.

~Dawn

Jayne Wilson said...

I hope Mariah made a full recovery, Dawn. I just found your blog tonight. Before we got married, my husband had the heartbreaking experience of having his elderly cat die while he was away on business. Even though she was being cared for by a pet sitter, and he knew she didn't have long left on this earth, it still hurts that he couldn't be there for her at the end.