Uh-oh, kitty!

Roo seems to have hurt her tail somehow. Usually when I pet her she's fine with me running it through my hand, but yesterday when I did it she squeaked and got all hissy. My roommate remarked that she didn't seem to be holding up her tail the way she usually did (and as most cats do), and she seems to be right. I tried lifting up Roo's tail myself and she got squeaky and hissy again. Fortunately, Roo does not seem to be in any serious pain or distress.

I called the vet after hours and this morning they called me back, asking me to bring her in. I just took her there for shots which cost me a hundred dollars, so this is kind of annoying, but I'm worried that Roo's tail might be broken or dislocated or something. Since I am going to be leaving her alone for a few days when I go visit my family from Christmas to New Year's (I arranged for my downstairs neighbor to check on her), I want to make sure she will be okay for that time.

In other news: I've beaten twelve out of sixteen on Shadow of the Colossus. So far, numbers seven, ten and twelve have been my favorites. And I've developed a theory about why the land of the Colossi is cursed and why killing them may be a very bad idea...but time will tell whether I'm right or wrong.

Oy! Kids!

Well, I'm back from Roo's vet appointment. And guess what? She apparently broke her tail. Happy fuckin' holidays.

I don't know how she did it, although considering her penchant for running all over the place and climbing on (and into) things, she could have done it in a number of ways. I had to leave her at the vet's office and I'll have to pay somewhere in the neighborhood of $300 for x-rays, a splint and medicine. Fortunately I can pay that out of my savings, but it's annoying, especially since she just got her last round of shots a few weeks ago and I didn't expect to have to bring her in again for at least a year.

I called my dad on the way back from the vet and told him how much it would cost. He said I should have asked the vet about my options (in other words, whether it was really necessary to treat the fracture). Dad said that if he'd broken his toe, he'd ask the doctor whether it was necessary to treat it. I was kind of surprised to hear this from the man who, when his own pet cat was hit by a car, put on a tallis and tefillin to pray for her recovery. Of course, he was only thirteen or fourteen years old at the time. These days he's also a bit penny-wise and pound-foolish.

I said I wasn't sure about the severity of the fracture, and in my admittedly un-professional opinion, leaving it untreated could put Roo at risk for infection. Also, if she doesn't get the break in a splint, she could aggravate her injury. Since I'll have to leave her by herself for a few days when I go to New York, I really don't want to take that chance.

Well, I guess my Hanukkah money this year will be paying for Roo's treatment. But I don't regret it, if it means she'll stay comfortable and healthy.

Kitty Update

Well, the good news is that Roo didn't actually fracture her tail - she apparently got it caught in something and, as far as I can understand, pulled one of the joints too much, causing it to strain and become inflamed. She will only have to wear a splint for two weeks.

The bad news is that they put a cone on her head so she won't chew the splint. When I dropped her off at the apartment and went back to work (since I need to make up the time I spent schlepping her to and from the vet), she started walking backwards and/or sideways, shaking her head in an attempt to dislodge the cone. She also tried to eat from her bowl and couldn't do it. I'm leaving the cone on for now, but when I get home I think I'll take it off and see how she handles the splint. I can put the cone back on, if necessary, but I'm hoping I can discourage her from messing with the splint until she gets used to having it, like she got used to her collar.

I also have to give her painkillers for a while. I hope they don't make her throw up, like the ones I had to give her after she got fixed.