The Ups and Downs of Having Pets...

I grew up in a household that always had pets. We had dogs, cats, hamsters, fish, and a ferret at one point (they stink, I don't recommend it). Once I moved out on my own, and had the opportunity, I got Sony. He makes me laugh more then any pet I've ever had before and while I had to go through some "training" with him (i.e. - not scratching furniture), he was/is a great first pet. He comes when you call his name, he can play fetch, and he's very sociable with people and other animals. Sony is an Ox! We've had very little health issues with him and he eats just about anything you put in front of him.... I compare this to having children. The first one is usually pretty easy to get along with and they trick you in to having more kids that end up being rotten.

After having Sony for about two years, I noticed that he was becoming very "clingy" to me. He would cry and chase after me whenever I left the house and would start tearing things up if I was gone for more than a day. After getting some advice from other pet owners, I decided it was time to get a second cat; a playmate for Sony.

Enter Bose (aka - the Rat, aka - the Baby). Bose came from a litter of kittens that my Nannie and Granddad's barn cat had back in 2007. He was so cute! Jet black, long-haired, "talkative", and he fit in the palm of your hand. We brought him home and Sony was NOT happy. He didn't want anything to do with this little, ankle-biter that was invading his space. Fortunately, that only lasted a couple of days because they ultimately became best buds; phew! Sony took over as the father figure and taught the Rat everything he knew.

August 2010 - Sony and the Rat have been inseparable for three years now. They wrestle like brothers and spoon like they're, well, homosexual. Anyway, the Rat has developed some digestive issues over the last couple of years. Basically he throws up about 2-4 times each week (gross, sorry). This past weekend was a little different...

Sunday morning, Jeff and I woke up to what we thought was going to be a nice, quiet day at home. We had some errands to run and some housework to do and that was it! (HA! Yea right...) So I woke up around 8:30am and fed the cats as I usually do. They both ate and Bose puked about 30 minutes later - normal. I just cleaned it up and went about my morning. The part that got me worried was that he threw up again about 20 minutes later - not normal. I wasn't going to let it bother me until I noticed that he was also having the *ehem* runs (sorry, gross again). Sooo, I called the vet and they wanted him to come in.

At the vet, he was running a high fever (about 105 which is 3 degrees higher then it should be) and he was continuing to throw up after getting fluids administered. Something was obviously wrong with him. It's amazing what goes through your mind at this point. "How much is this going to cost?" "How much are we willing to pay?" "What will we have to sell?" The original estimate for Bose's treatment plan came to $1,500!!!!! I almost past out. There was NO way in hell that we were going to be able to afford that so after some thinking, talking with the vet, and a few tears, we decided to go with a more "basic" package - $557.... ugh, still hurts.

All tests for fatal and contagious diseases came back negative. This is a great thing for Bose and a really great thing for Sony who is a healthy cat. Also, Bose's Xrays came back negative for any obstructions in his intestines. Based on what they found, they assumed that he must have an infection because of something he ate so they sent us home with antibiotics and directions to switch him to wet food versus dry food.

Day 1 back home was horrible. He threw up everything he took in (only water) and literally slept in one position for hours. We couldn't give him his medicine if he wouldn't eat so we had to wait it out.

Day 2 back home was equally as horrible. He was eating, drinking, using the bathroom, or even throwing up. He was just laying around like a bump on a log. Jeff and I were torn because we couldn't afford to take him back to the vet and we couldn't give him medicine if he hadn't eaten. We decided to try and force feed him. We had a small syringe that was given to us with the meds and we mixed up his wet food with water. Thankfully, we got about 3mL in him and he kept it down - hallelujah!

Day 3 (this morning) - Bose is a different animal. He's walking around and talking again and he actually ate on his own! Huge accomplishment! So I decided to give the medicine a shot. I mixed it up in his food - sneaky, sneaky - and he didn't even notice!

Anyway, I know that was a long story but this is my baby we're talking about. I've never had to deal with a sick animal and it's heartbreaking not to know what to do to help him. We're not out of the woods yet so my prayer for today is that I come home to NO PUKE. Eating only works if he keeps it in. Keep your fingers crossed. I don't know what Sony would do without his buddy.