HELP!

[Nicole]

Hey everyone....

I need some help with my kitty. I know, I know....but I know there's lots of knowledgable people around here, so I thought I could find some help.

So, I recently moved four hours away from home to finish school. I took one of my kitties (Lex Luthor) with me. He's about a year old, BIG and black. I love him. He HONESTLY thinks he's a dog. And so do I. Anyway, so on Friday, I was headed home for the weekend, and I noticed he had like, a small bulge on his right side. I thought, "Wow, Lex. Ate a little bit of food today, huh fattie?" And drove home. He was eating fine, pooping fine, drinking fine, happy, energetic, etc. He recently had a big growth spurt, so I just thought he was eating a whole lot.

Anyway, I came home last night, and his tummy is all bulged out to the right side! Like, the size of a tennis ball! I FREAKED OUT last night! But, I don't know what to do! My vet is four hours away. I called there today to try and talk to him, and the stupid witches that he has at the desk just gave me a hard time. "No, Dr. is in surgery. You can't talk to him. We don't know when he'll be done. Honey, you just need to decide if you want to make an appointment or not." I'm like, "HELLO? I'M FOUR HOURS AWAY. I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF MY CAT IS GONNA DIE BEFORE I GET HOME FROM SCHOOL TODAY." Grrrr....

Anyway, since I couldn't talk to my vet, and apparantly the women that answer the phone there are totally stupid, what do you guys think? Is it a hernia? There isn't any wound in the skin, so its not an absess or anything like that. Its inside him. He's acting totally normal. It doesn't seem to hurt or anything. Should I take him to another vet in town, or just wait until I get home this weekend? Does it seem like an emergency? I don't know anything about hernias....cou ld his bowel shut down?

HELP!

[dohertyswissy]

Honey, I have no idea what that is, but I'd take him to the nearest emergency vet.  Is there a possiblity that he swallowed something and now it might be stuck?  Cats can get bloat, albeit rare, and since he is acting normal, I doubt it, but better safe than sorry.

Man, oh man, are you having a week!  Let us know what happens to the poor guy. 

Oh, and I've added the witches at the vet to my hit parade.

[Nicole]

Oh, Heather. I totally wanna cry right now!

I missed two days of class cuz of meeting with my attorney. I failed an exam on Friday. (I just found that out) Last night, I got home, discovered this lump in my kitty, my cellphone charger quit working, so now I'm four hours away from everything (lawyer, boyfriend, vet, etc.) and my freaking phone won't work. I don't have a home phone, I'm going to have to go buy a damn calling card and use a pay phone or something for the next week.

When I got home last night at 2am, I thought all the horses had gotten out, so I'm out there at 2am, already freaking out about my kitty, my phone, my life, being sued, etc. and I've got a big bowl of feed trying to get the damn horses...then I call my landlady...she calls me back AN HOUR LATER at 3am (she works nights) and she's like, "No, the horses are fine, I put up the electric fence to keep them in..." GOOD TO KNOW. I COULDA BEEN SHOCKED LIKE CRAZY LAST NIGHT.

Anyway....I don't think he ate something cuz its getting BIGGER. I mean, its bigger now than it was on Friday. I have this gut feeling that its a hernia. (no put intended) But of course the ladies at the vet are like, "Honey. We don't know if its a hernia or not. Doc would have to see the cat. Just decide if you want to bring him in." I'm like, ya know, if you could tell me when I could talk to "Doc" then maybe I could make some sort of DECISION ABOUT BRINGING HIM IN.

I'm going to have a total panic attack. If you hear about a girl at the top of the bell tower at Indiana University Bloomington, you will know who it is.

I can see the headlines now...

"GIRL AND BULGING KITTY GO ON MURDEROUS RAMPAGE."

[dohertyswissy]

Oh, Nicole...honey, I just want to jump on the next plane to Indiana.  BIG HUGS!!!!   

Take a deep cleansing breath.  We are here to help you, sweetie!  Let's take this one step at a time.  That always helps me when I'm feeling super stressed out.

Step 1:  Don't worry about the exam or the crazy whacked out troll who is suing you.  There ain't a darn thing you can do about it right now.  I know it is super stressful, but just try to put it out of your brain.  I find a good vodka/tonic helps.   

Step 2:  It is obvious the witches at your vet aren't going to help you.  (When you do see your vet, I would complain LOUDLY about the rude, inconsiderate treatment that you have received.)  Get the phone card and locate the nearest emergency vet.  Call them and explain what is going on.  See what they think.  If necessary, bring the baby in.  Knowledge is power.  Once we know what is wrong with him, we'll all know how to deal.

Step 3:  Post on BPO what's going on.     Just kidding, but as soon as you can.

Step 4:  If possible, try to get a new cellphone charger.  It worries me that you are up there alone with no way to contact anyone.  Also, you can be in constant contact with the emergency vet and your home vet, provided Lex needs an overnight stay.  Plus, you can talk to Mark, which will probably make you feel better.   

Hope this helps, honey!!  Deep breaths!  You are going to get through this!!! 

I've got an emergency bottle of Bombay with your name on it, if needed. 

[Kiahpyr]

Take your cat to the vet now! One of my moms cat just died from cancer. It started out like what you described with Lex. It was a big abscess. She had to be put to sleep. I'm not saying this to scare just want you to know that it could be very serious. I hope it's not! Let us know what happens. Poor kitty!

[Nicole]

Jenn, Heather, April....

Thanks for bein here girls. This is going to sound so stupid, but you are like, the only friends I've got right now! I don't know anyone here at school, and don't really want to! They're all young and stupid and don't have any concept of real life. Thanks SOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOO much! And thanks for remembering that my favorite is Bombay, Heather! That made me smile BIG!

Ok. So, I'm going to take Lex in to the vet tomorrow. Its been an absolute mess trying to get a hold of a stupid vet today. I walked over to the Bloomington Cat Hospital, cuz they specialize in cats, and I've taken other kitties there before and they seem pretty good. Did I mention I WALKED ALL THE WAY OVER THERE? Let me explain....

In Bloomington, IN there is NO PARKING. So, if you happen to live on a horse farm way far away from campus and you absolutely HAVE to drive, your only option is to park at the Stadium, which is on the far north side of town, and ride the campus bus into town, leaving you without a car. So, that's the deal.

Anyway...so I walk over to the cat hospital. They're closed. They closed at noon. Its 12:30. I've got a class in an hour, and I still have to get on the damn bus and ride out to my car to switch books and stuff so I don't have to carry everything I own around with me. (And then ride the damn bus back into town)  I hoof it back to the bus stop, ride out there, use a little more of my precious battery life to call my vet. "No, Doc is still in surgery, sorry goodbye." My blood is boiling, I'm almost in tears. I try to call Mark like a million times but he doesn't answer. So, I go to class. Two classes. Call vet between them. Guess what? He's still in surgery. 'Magine that.

Anyway, so I finish up with class, find someone to give me the notes from Monday cuz I had to miss cuz of that troll (heheheh..that's so perfect) negotiate the return of the notes...rush back to the bus, and drive home. Let Cabeza out...

I finally got a hold of Mark. I'm going to take Lex to the first vet I can get him into tomorrow. Mark is just going to call whatever vet I take him to and put it all on the credit card. That was another thing I was freaking out about, I'm a broke-a$$ college student. Anyway....

So, its like...this soft, mushy bulge. Its not consistent in size...that's why I thought it was a hernia. It actually feels like I would imagine intestines to feel. Its definitely not bothering him. Which kinda bothers me, cuz yeah, it seems like a hernia would hurt bad.

Well, I'll post tomorrow and let you all know what the vet says. Hopefully its nothing. Maybe he's pregnant...heh ehee....

Oh, and after my math homework is done tonight, I'm definitely going to have a stiff drink.

[Nicole]

Oh man! I'm so glad that I don't have to get one of those loans. And, I'm so glad that my honey will just put it on the credit card. When I finally got a hold of him tonight, I was like, "What am I gonna DOOOOOOO?!" And, he's like, "Just take care of it all tomorrow. Its ok." But I'm goin, "I don't have any money!" And he started laughing and he was like, "Are you serious? Why would you worry about that! I'm just going to put it all on the credit card. Just get him into the vet right away!" What a relief.

I wish I could stay on campus (where I am right now) and have a stiff drink with everyone. But unfortunately, they don't serve alchohol on campus and I don't have internet at home. So, you can just pretend. hehehehe!

[brigid67]

Poor baby - you are having a rough time..  I am so sorry.  If there is anything I can do - please let me know. 
A hernia i a weakening in the muscles allowing intestines to slip through. It can start out very small - something you may not notice right off.  But the worrisome thing is when it becomes larger in size - especially all of a sudden.  Means that the weakened area has grown and more of the intestines have slipped through.  In this case you worry about strangulation of the bowel.  If that is what it is - it does need to be taken care of right away.  If the blood supply to the bowel gets cut off then that section of the bowel can die.  So as soon as you can - definately!!  As for the other things - just one thing at a time.  All you can do is what you are doing.  Get your kitty well and a cell phone charger....eve rything else will fall into place.
Timmie

[Kiahpyr]

Hope all goes well with your kitty. Keep us posted.

[Nicole]

Yeah...I'm freaking out about the hernia thing. He's going right away. Thanks. The problem with the phone is that something will not allow it to charge. I took it to the CIngular store tonight, and they told me I've got to send it in and get a new one. GRRRRRRRRRRRR

[Jessdryden]

Our little kitty had a hernia and the symptoms sound very similar.  We had just moved to LA for my first real-after-college job.  One morning I reached to pet our kitty and there was a tennis ball sized lump hanging down from his belly.  I totally freaked out!  I had to go to work for a meeting (and I'd only been there a couple of weeks).  We took him to the vet and it turned out that he had had a hernia for quite a long time.  The vet said that the edges of the torn muscle were completely healed.  Apparently, the intestines could only fall through if he stood in a certain position.  Mostly, he was lying in my lap or on the bed, so we never saw it.  In retrospect, I think that he had been injured at least a year earlier when his littermate (and best friend ) was hit by a car.  At any rate, the vet was able to repair it and he was fine (still is  ).  Although I think your kitty is in for a trip to the vet, hopefully it will turn out fine!  We're sending good thoughts your way!

[Tulsas' Dad]

You're a lucky lady to have such a wonderful BF.
My (former) GF freaked when I borrowed a cigarette.
Bought her a whole carton the next day, and she didn't say thanks, she wanted to know where I got the money!
Hope the kitty is OK!
J & T

[Nicole]

John, what a beast! Mark is a sweety.

Everyone else...thanks. I'll post right away when we get back from the vet!!!

[newflvr]

Wow, Nicole, you are having one of those "I'm in the pit of life and it's all caving in on me and there's no way out but UP" kind of periods.   The ONLY good thing about it is that someday, you really will look back and laugh about how awful it was!  It does sound like Lex has  a hernia and as long as you get him checked right away, he'll probably be just fine after a minor surgery.  They just go in, push all the bits back in, usually  put a net in behind the muscles and suture it all up.  Your boyfriend sounds wonderful and with all the offers of Bombay gin and pals to drink it with  (even virtuallyl!) you have all the makings of a rebound.  Just keep putting one foot in front of the other and you'll get through it all!!!  Promise!!!

[Nicole]

Thanks, Newflver....

You know, I'd really be all better if you convince Rhoda to give me a Landseer pup.....that would make it all better. 

Oh. Did I mention that I also have poison ivy? ON MY NECK.