Spring has sprung

Sorry for the extreme lag in posts :( I can't believe how busy I have been. I think a classmate said that we've had 23 exams and quizzes in the months of February and March. It's horrible, and not over yet.

The weather was incredible in Philadelphia this past weekend. To celebrate, I took ET outside for the first time this season. I think he likes being outside, but he greatly dislikes the harness and as a result kind of slinks around on his belly.

Here's a quick photo of the sunshine and my handsome man



Here is one of ET and Lacey up in the windowsill enjoying a BREEZE!... sorry for the dark pic!



And a cute one of them hanging out on my bed.



It's pouring like crazy right now, and I'm enjoying a lazy afternoon with my cats, having taken and passed my Physiology exam (and therefore the class!) this morning. Now it's time to catch up on everything that got pushed to the side... ah.

Day 51

With 3 exams on Monday and 3 on Wednesday, I was only able to spare about 3 hours this morning at the cat clinic. We had originally planned to begin at 9am, so I got there nice and early. We thought the day was going to be quiet (I should know better than to say that) as we only had about 25 cats checked in by mid morning.

Before we got too comfortable with that small number, a trapper-regular came in... with 25 cats. She and some colleagues had worked with a hoarder to remove nearly all of the cats from his property. This situation is a prime example of why you MUST spay/neuter your pets.

There were cats and kittens of all ages, and some with some pretty serious medical problems. But among the bunch was a stunning momma cat with 5 babies, estimated to be about a week old. She was super calm and her babies were ADORABLE! It was pretty clear, however, that she was suffering from some nutritional deficiencies (as were most of the cats) as her coat was pale and thinning. Thankfully, they were able to quickly find a foster home... these guys are among the lucky ones today.

Day 49

Sorry for the lack of updating! Things have been busy, but everyone is well.

Lacey has developed a bad habit of door-dashing when I open the front door. Because of this she is now outfitted with a collar and tags, in case she ever managed to make a quick getaway. Hopefully this habit wont last long!

Here are the two kitties contemplating physiology.

Day 42

I can't report on the kitties, because I am not with them!!

I made a quick (and perhaps slightly hasty) getaway northbound after an endless month of exams, of which there are more right around the corner!

Thankfully, Laura and Alex were willing to play as cat sitter for my fuzzy children. They've watched ET before, but this is the first time they are watching ET + Lacey AND feeding them raw. Before I left I packaged up about a dozen single-serving raw meals and froze them to make the feeding easier. I know they are in good hands, and it makes me happy to know that they at least have each other to keep company (although Alex makes a great playmate too)!

Thank youuuu Laura + Alex!!

=^..^=

Day 39

Things are busy, so I will just post a cute pic I snapped of Lacey.

She has been laying on my lap while I work on the computer for the last hour. She manages to curl herself up into such a tiny ball.

ET is passed out at my feet :o)

Back to Anatomy.

Day 35

Lacey is much, much better. I don't doubt that she had some type of GI upset, likely related to the Clavamox. Despite acting more herself (curious, less lethargic) she was still off her food. She seemed interested; she would get all excited when I prepared ETs food and fed him, but wouldn't touch the dry or the wet more than just pushing it around with her nose.

I figured out what the problem was.

She was holding out for the good stuff.

She INHALED raw chicken today (first time I offered it to her since she started vomiting). I gave just a few small pieces, as not to upset her stomach with a large meal, and she scarfed it right down. Fingers crossed it stays down. She's currently sitting right next to me on my desk enjoying a very thorough post-prandial groom.

She and ET have been working on their relationship...



I think it's going well <3

Day 32

Well, Miss Lacey has not been feeling herself lately. She vomited on Friday. I didn't think much of it since cats do just throw up sometimes, but then that same evening she threw up probably a dozen times. She wanted nothing to do with eating and was not herself at all. I decided to take her to the ACCT clinic to get some peace of mind, as I immediately was concerned about a septic infection or an obstruction. She saw the vet, and the vet couldn't find anything in particular wrong with her. Lacey's abdomen was non-tender, she had gut sounds, and did not have a fever. They did give her 100ccs of fluid under her skin to try to perk her back up.

That evening (Saturday) she did manage to eat some dry food and keep it down. However, this afternoon I came home and found that she had vomited in the bathroom, and when I let her out she did it again three more times. Poor little lady.

I'm thinking she MUST have some sort of obstruction, since she has not pooped either. While it is possible she has a foreign-body obstruction (although I try to be really careful, as ET has a tendency to get into things he shouldn't), it also is very likely that she has a very bad hairball, especially since she has been doing a lot of grooming.

I have my last big test tomorrow, then I can be a full time nurse to the little lady. I'm going to pick up some Vaseline to give to her and see if that will help move things along. Of course, I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that she is back to herself by the morning!

ET knows she isn't feeling well, and has been really sweet with her. He's sitting outside the bathroom calling to her now, but she isn't trying to get out she feels so yucky :(