Ragdoll Cat Adventures Part 2

17th June 2022 Blog Post 19 Poor Charlie

Apologies I missed my usual Friday post this week but Friday was a bit of a dramatic day for the Ragdoll gang. When I got out of bed on Friday morning I noticed Charlie did not get up and come into the bathroom to see me like he normally does. The rest of them were there of course. So I went to go find him and he was on the landing laying there a bit listlessly. I thought maybe he was just a bit sleepy and it was very hot that night and the upstairs was very hot. 

Then a bit later on when I had showered and dressed, and it was breakfast time for us all, he still hadn’t come down, although he had managed to get to his tray and have a poopie and wee wee. I went back upstairs to check and he was still sitting on the landing. I called him and when he tried to walk towards me he seemed to be holding his front left paw up as if it was hurting him and limping. ‘Oh no!’ I thought he has injured it somehow overnight.

So I carried him downstairs and put him on the floor. He limped a little and tried to get to the kitchen and then flopped over again. I stroked him and I noticed he felt very warm. 

I went ahead and got breakfast for everyone but Charlie was not interested at all. He went and sat in one of the plastic boxes I have in the kitchen and then the next minute he wretched and threw up. Now I was really panicking. Something was very wrong. 

I decided to call the out-of-hours vet (as this happened at 4.30am). They said to bring him in as I explained how concerned I was as he is only six months old and the lethargy was very worrying and risk of dehydration etc.

The out-of-hours vet was about 30mins drive away so it was a bit stressful for him bless him. He cried all the way there. The vet examined him and said he had a high temp and probably an infection of some sort. His left paw was a bit swollen but not broken. Charlie was purring so loud that he had difficulty listening to his chest. He was worried about Charlie’s very round tummy (which he has always had) and he wanted to rule out any other nasty infections so he said it was best to admit him and give him some medication and fluids and do an ultrasound scan. So I had to leave poor Charlie there in safe hands but a bit heart-wrenching for me. 

What makes me laugh however, is how much I humanise them. When I got home, Jack, Tom, and Leo were looking at me strangely and they knew something had happened obviously. I explained to them he was at the vet’s and he was poorly and we are waiting for him to get treatment and have some tests done and then hopefully he will be fine. I know they are cats and they don’t understand what I am saying to them but I like to think they do. 

They did not seem as distressed as I thought they would be in Charlie’s absence though. I think Leo missed him a bit as he wandered about and was meowing. Once I engaged them in a bit of distraction play though he seemed fine. 

Got a phone call later on and the vet said so far it seemed like it was an infection but they were going to do the scan just to make sure and they explained they would have to shave him a little to do the scan and was that ok as he knew he was a ‘pretty cat’? I said of course that was fine! Its fur and it will grow back. I think his health is more important than his looks.

I was beside myself with worry though as I was frightened they would find something horrible like a mass or an abscess. They mentioned a disease called feline intraabdominal peritonitis and I stupidly googled it and found it is almost always fatal! Its caused by a coronavirus (not covid19) a harmless virus that can mutate and cause organ failure in a small number of cats.

So I was a bit distracted for the rest of the afternoon thinking scary thoughts.

I just cannot imagine my cat family with one of them gone, it is just too heartbreaking.

Thankfully, a bit later I got a call to say they had done the scan and they did not find anything and he just has a round tummy! They also said he was up and walking and his paw seemed fine. I was very happy at the news. Told the other boys but I don’t think they were that bothered!

Then went to fetch him at about 4.30 pm and the traffic was terrible as it was rush hour. The temperature had soared to 31 degrees celcius and my car’s aircon just was not up to the job so I was sweating buckets. Got there on time and picked him up. He seemed quite a bit sleepy and forlorn and you could see the shaved areas where he had had his IV drip and his tummy scan. Then had to crawl through traffic to get back home and he was yowling all the way which was horrible and I was concerned as I knew it was so hot in the car.

Eventually got him home and took him inside. Let him out of the carrier and he was very stressed and panting away. The other boys were not very helpful and they came up sniffed him and then hissed at him! In fact, the hissing went on for about an hour after I got him home. Especially from Leo. I realized it was because Charlie smelt of vet e.g. disinfectants, but I had not anticipated them doing that so that was a new experience. And poor Charlie. After he had calmed down though he was much perkier and he did hiss back at them.

He managed some dinner and had a wee (weeing out all the IV fluids I think) and then was more settled. 

I stayed downstairs that night and slept on the sofa. The upstairs was roasting anyway. They were a bit confused by this change in routine but they all slept somewhere nearby in the lounge and the hallway. Charlie was fine overnight.

Then this morning I took him back in for his follow-up appointment at 8.45 am. At least on a Saturday the traffic is not as bad. The weather had also changed and it was rainy and cooler although my house is still warm. Got there early so we sat in the little ‘cat and small animal’ waiting room (which by the way I thought was a really good idea) and I put the cat carrier on the table next to me so I could be close to him. He was ok and purring away and trying to knead my arm through the door bless him. Ragdolls are so laid back that they actually do not seem that scared when they are at the vets. It’s just the car they don’t like. 

Then the vet called us in, had a good look at him and I said he was eating and playing and seemed better. Checked his temp and it was about normal. He gave us some antibiotic tablets which I need to give him for the next six days and showed me how to open them his mouth and put them in (that is going to be interesting!) Then off we went back home. 

Leo and he were playing for the rest of the morning. Leo was being very naughty and trying to bite my toes. I think they were making up for a day of not playing very much or could be letting off some steam after the stress. Jack and Tom were a bit bemused by it all but they seem to like their normal selves. They are all sleeping at the moment as I write this.

I am so glad Charlie is getting better. I wish I knew what had started it all but I will probably never know. You forget sometimes just how fragile and vulnerable they can be and as the vet said, you can’t watch them 24/7 so they can sustain injuries and then hide them from you as cats tend to do. I do try to keep a close eye on them but you can’t all the time. Oh dear, I will always be an anxious cat mummy! I am so glad this story has a happy ending and remember cat owners out there to be vigilant and watch for any out-of-the-ordinary behaviour. (also check out the Leo and Charlie photo gallery for the latest pic of Charlie and I will post some more funny videos on YouTube of them playing)