Feral Fables

About 9:00 on Saturday night I noticed Jingle did not seem to be himself. He appeared lethargic and disinterested in playing. That is not usual for him, especially at that hour of night. I quickly went online to look for information on "bite wounds" and found a site with such info that scared me to death. cat bite wounds) What I was seeing in Jingle was exactly what was described in the article. For a couple of days the cat feels and acts normal. Then a fever begins to develop as the bacteria moves in and begins forming an abscess, an accumulation of pus under the skin. If not caught and treated it can lead to a very serious situation requiring surgery and or death. I have had experience with an abscess in a cat before when drainage tubes have to be inserted at the wound site. Believe me--------it is not pretty. And, it is very difficult for the cat who has to wear a collar until healed.
(This is "Hope" a cat we rescued off the street from a neighbor's yard. He required three drainage tubes in his hind quarters for several days from a bite wound abscess. I am Happy to say he recovered completely and awaits adoption at "The Cat Network" rescue. ("The Cat Network")

Anyway-----I rushed Jingle to the Emergency Room (The Animal Emergency Center). He does not like riding in a car and is very vocal about it, however on Saturday night his protestations did not have usual vigor. When we arrived, the clerk behind the counter looked at me and heard the meows and said, "Your Debra, right? With Jingle?" That shows you how many times I have been there before with my daring little boy. They are great at this Center. Very friendly, thorough, understanding......three of my cats have been treated there over the years. Jingle had a slight fever and what we originally thought (and prayed) were scratches, did turn out to be a bite. An abscess was starting to form over his left eye, as I suspected when I saw him at 9 pm. The Vets sedated him slightly and drained the abscess, gave him an anti-biotic and some pain medication and released him home with me. We had to set-up the crates at home as he had to stay confined until I could get him to another vet for an injection of "Convenia", a long-acting antibiotic that some centers and vets don't carry due to the cost. Of course this meant a night of howling, crying, and trying to get out of the crate before settling in to sleep. I went to bed about 1:45 a.m., definitely not typical for me.

Yesterday (Sunday before a holiday)-------I had to find a vet who carried the medication. Luckily I found an ER in Waukesha (a good 45 minute drive from my house) who had it. We loaded up Jingle and got going. Now Waukesha is the kind of place no one wants to drive in-------one way streets that are twisty-whindy, streets that have multiple names....... once you get into Waukesha, it is kind of like the twilight zone------you don't know how to get out. So of course, we get lost on the way, called the center numerous times for more directions, back-tracked and started again, got stopped by a train------------all the while Jingle is crying and crying in his carrier like he was being tortured! Finally-------we got there, they took Jingle, did a quick exam, gave him the injection and sent him home. The vets said the wounds looked good and he should be able to got out when we got home. Jingle was delighted of course, but he still had to cry and howl all the way home!

When we got home and I released him from the carrier on the deck, you'd think he would run as far from me as he could, but he didn't. He just wanted to swish against me and rub his cheek on me for reassurance. Then he walked around the yard, doing the same thing on his favorite plants and bushes. Then he settled in to rest.......finally! And me.......???? First I went to get an ice cream sundae, which I totally deserved and then------I did the same thing (the resting, that is)       :-)

That's life with my feral colony!