For some reason, I woke up at 7:30 this morning. A few minutes after
I woke, I discovered that my cat, Tigger, was having trouble walking.
She was dragging her rear legs around. I called the vet and left a
message. He called back a few minutes later, and said I could bring
her in.
I got the carrier from the basement, and, as happens every year when
she sees the carrier, she got excited and 'ran' to get in it. I let
her in, but tried to explain that she had to wait because the clinic
wasn't open yet, so it was too early. (No, I can't explain why Tigger
is that rare cat who actually likes to get into her carrier).
She came out of the carrier after a couple minutes and we lay down on
the couch watching tv. I was petting her. She was licking my
fingers. Under the circumstances, I let her lick my nose - something
she loves to do, but I really dislike.
By 8:15, I couldn't wait any longer, so I got her into the carrier.
For the first time ever, she didn't want to get in. She tried to
struggle.
She was crying too.
I got to the vet's a couple minutes before they opened, and we waited.
Went in at 8:30, and was seen right away.
He asked if she ever went outdoors, if she had been in a fight. She's
never outside, except in the carrier, once a year for vet visits. And
I have no other pets.
He confirmed that her rear end was paralyzed, even her tail. He
checked her heart, and it was beating irregularly. He said that he
only sees one or two cases a year like this, and that it was
thromboembolic disease caused by cardiomyopathy. Basically, a blood
clot must have formed in her heart and then this morning it dislodged,
and has caused a blockage, which has caused the paralysis.
He did say he could refer her to a specialist, but that treatment will
just keep her alive and suffering longer. By this point, Tigger was
having trouble breathing, and she lost control of her bowels.
So, I spent a couple minutes with her, both of us crying.
Then I left so they could put her to sleep.
She was only about 5 years old. The vet figures it was genetic.
I've had cats before, and I'm sure I'll have cats again, but as some
of you know, I've always described Tigger as the best cat a person
could ever have.
I woke, I discovered that my cat, Tigger, was having trouble walking.
She was dragging her rear legs around. I called the vet and left a
message. He called back a few minutes later, and said I could bring
her in.
I got the carrier from the basement, and, as happens every year when
she sees the carrier, she got excited and 'ran' to get in it. I let
her in, but tried to explain that she had to wait because the clinic
wasn't open yet, so it was too early. (No, I can't explain why Tigger
is that rare cat who actually likes to get into her carrier).
She came out of the carrier after a couple minutes and we lay down on
the couch watching tv. I was petting her. She was licking my
fingers. Under the circumstances, I let her lick my nose - something
she loves to do, but I really dislike.
By 8:15, I couldn't wait any longer, so I got her into the carrier.
For the first time ever, she didn't want to get in. She tried to
struggle.
She was crying too.
I got to the vet's a couple minutes before they opened, and we waited.
Went in at 8:30, and was seen right away.
He asked if she ever went outdoors, if she had been in a fight. She's
never outside, except in the carrier, once a year for vet visits. And
I have no other pets.
He confirmed that her rear end was paralyzed, even her tail. He
checked her heart, and it was beating irregularly. He said that he
only sees one or two cases a year like this, and that it was
thromboembolic disease caused by cardiomyopathy. Basically, a blood
clot must have formed in her heart and then this morning it dislodged,
and has caused a blockage, which has caused the paralysis.
He did say he could refer her to a specialist, but that treatment will
just keep her alive and suffering longer. By this point, Tigger was
having trouble breathing, and she lost control of her bowels.
So, I spent a couple minutes with her, both of us crying.
Then I left so they could put her to sleep.
She was only about 5 years old. The vet figures it was genetic.
I've had cats before, and I'm sure I'll have cats again, but as some
of you know, I've always described Tigger as the best cat a person
could ever have.
VIEW 25 of 39 COMMENTS
As for the millenium bug, it was never going to do most of the things associated with it but reporters were feeding off each others disinformation which is why it saturated the news so much. The original article back in '93 said it "might" be a problem but that part got lost in the shuffle due to the distortion.