The love I feel for this guy is the closest that I can relate to motherly love. I’ve had him since he was wee, and every day with him is better than the next. He’s the sweetest, cuddliest, and sleepiest cat I’ve ever cared for, and he shows me more love than I ever thought possible from a cat.
He cuddles with me while I sleep, and sometimes he even lets me use him as a pillow. Not for very long, but still! He follows me around the house, he comes when I call him, and he talks to me constantly. He loses his mind if I do anything in the restroom without him. And to extra prove that he is My Own: he loves helping with chores.
This cat, my Oedipus, is family. He’s my angel, and he is my baby boy. So on Friday afternoon when I noticed his white fur yellowed with pollen I lost my effing mind.
I didn’t know how toxic lilies were before this ordeal. They are extremely (and potentially fatally) poisonous. Even the smallest amount ingested can cause their kidneys to fail. Please please please read up on lilies if you have any feline family members.
We keep all plants away from our cats no matter what they are, but somehow Oedipus managed to get to them. He rubbed on the flowers, and got lily pollen on his cheek and neck. The fear was that he may have ingested some of the pollen while grooming himself. He’s a great little groomer!
I got him to the vet immediately where they bathed him, and hooked him up to an IV. He was given fluids from the IV for three days to flush out any toxins he may have ingested.
Now he has shaved spots on both arms and one leg! He looks real punk.
They monitored him carefully, and took blood tests everyday. It was a rough situation for all of us, but the clinic was incredibly kind and patient. They gave him the biggest cage in the cat quarter….
….and allowed us to visit whenever we wanted. We were there at least 3 times a day.
These pictures are hard for me to look at, and this post is hard to write. It was the most nerve wracking experience I’ve ever been through. Lily poisoning is often delayed so while he was acting like himself we couldn’t get comfortable. It was heartbreaking to see our little sweetheart hooked up to IVs, caged, and wearing a cone. It was an emotional roller coaster that I wish I could say was over.
They tell us that the worst is over, and I know they wouldn’t have released him otherwise. He’s shown no symptoms, and he’s acting completely like himself. However, we still have to monitor him, and he’ll be going back to the vet for more blood work, and a urinalysis.
The concern now is whether the lilies did any kidney damage, and if so how much. His kidney values were in the normal range the whole time he was at the vet, but they were on the higher end of normal. We’re not sure if that’s where he is naturally, or if the lilies did a little damage.
(This is the shade I get when I act like a Smother.)
I’m still anxious despite being told that he’s ok. The implication is that if his kidney values go up he may need medication. And that’s ok, right? Lots of cats have kidney problems, and their humans aren’t given the chance to medicate before their kitties get sick. If this is the case we’re kind of lucky to be catching it now. Yet, I’m still so anxious.
He’ll have his values checked tomorrow, and next week along with the urinalysis. We’ll know more then. I’m sure he’ll be fine, but until I know for sure I think I’ll continue to feel crazy. For now I’m just ecstatic that he’s home, and beyond thrilled that he continues to behave like his sweet self.
His face just cracks me up sometimes!
Please send my little man great vibes. Even if everything is ok, going back and forth to a vet has to suck for him.
Meanwhile, I have a review for some delicious raw cookies coming up plus an incredible Spring pie recipe to share. Assuming all goes well, look for those on the blog later this week!
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