Sick Kitten...

Sammie is very sick and the vet is supposed to call me later today. Sunday night we noticed that she was bleeding and that it was coming from her teeth. At midnight I called the emergency vet and took her in. They thought it was an infection and said that her blood was clotting slow but that she was probably ok. They sent us home with antibiotics.

Yesterday I discovered that kittens don't like antibiotics any more than babies do, and while you can mix the icky pink stuff with apple juice for the baby, the kitten is a different story all together. I noticed that she was really sleepy yesterday - I thought the medicine was making her feel bad. I know I always feel bad when I'm taking antibiotics. She slept with us last night and had more or less stopped bleeding and her breath smelled MUCH better. I thought these were good signs.

She had an appointment anyway today for declawing and so I took her in. She didn't vocalize at all in the car on the way - which I thought was a bit odd... We checked her in and they asked if I would consent to bloodwork before her surgery. There were two "levels" - partial and complete. Since she had been sick I opted for the "complete," asked them to check her teeth again while she was zonked out and then I went back home and took Bean to school.

They called about an hour later, I had just pulled into the parking lot at the station. Sammie has a fever and is dangerously anemic. It's either a parasite or some kind of poisoning - they have more or less ruled poising out at this point, but they are treating her for everything they can and her bloodwork is going to a bigger lab. I left work and went in to see her... I felt like such an idiot because I coldn't stop crying. Dr. Gary and Dr. Bill came out to talk to me and comfort me. They let me sit with her for awhile - she was the same as always. They had taken blood so there was alcohol on her fur and she had to clean that off first - there is nothing less graceful than a cat licking the fur just under her chin. Once she did that she settled in my arms and purred and when I started crying she put her paws on my face. She went to sleep so I took her back in and came back to work.

When I took Bean to school this morning we all still thought she was going in for claws so she doesn't know anything yet. I told her we could visit Sammie after school... we still will as long as there isn't anything really bad going on.

My husband is a wreck about this - residual grief and all that. I hope she recovers. I hope we can bring her home in a few days and pamper her little ears off. I hope Bean doesn't have to endure another death...

So hug your kitties tonight and send good thoughts to my baby.