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I'm a bad daddy.
My cat, Bob, has had leg problems for a couple of years now. It started when she got on top of the kitchen cupboards and jumped down. The very top. That little gap 12" from the ceiling on the *TOP* set of cupboards top. 8' down onto brick. She was limping for a while, but got better. A couple of years ago I noticed that it seemed to be bothering her every so often, and mentioned it to the vet at her next checkup. "Luxating patella" was the diagnosis - torn tendons that make her kneecap unstable. It was popping out to the side, usually inside. Normally only found in small yappy dogs. (I was so ashamed.) Treatment: major surgery, not really worth it unless it was causing her serious problems. She's already been through one set of this with her ear polyp that tried to eat her brain (some would argue it got part of it), and I was reluctant to put her through major trauma again if it wasn't really necessary.
Having been through two rounds of shoulder surgery myself, I know how it sucks.
A couple of months ago though, it started looking... worse. As in every time she hopped off the couch, he leg went wonky at an angle, and she'd stop, wiggle her butt, get it back in line, the gingerly continue. I decided it was time to get it looked at again.
Today we got the diagnosis - totally blown. Gone. Bone on bone, every step must be excruciating. Her patella has no groove left to ride in, and it just slips side to side at will. Owie. And yet she just... deals. Humans are such whiners.
So Monday we're calling the NCSU vet school to schedule a knee surgery, after which she will have to have four weeks of close supervision to ensure she doesn't injure it by jumping up and down on things she shouldn't... which is going to be a trick, since we have no place in the house that isn't filled with kitty jumpilicious platforms of one sort or another. We're considering just locking her in the bathroom. For a month. She'll go *INSANE*. *sigh*
And now, the bad news: we're not going to be able to come up to the NW until after this is done, which means that the plans for holidays are kaput. Oddly enough, my mother is also trying to schedule knee surgery about the turn of the year, we may have a second round of caretaking when we get up there. Luckily, we don't have to change mom's litter box.
Having been through two rounds of shoulder surgery myself, I know how it sucks.
A couple of months ago though, it started looking... worse. As in every time she hopped off the couch, he leg went wonky at an angle, and she'd stop, wiggle her butt, get it back in line, the gingerly continue. I decided it was time to get it looked at again.
Today we got the diagnosis - totally blown. Gone. Bone on bone, every step must be excruciating. Her patella has no groove left to ride in, and it just slips side to side at will. Owie. And yet she just... deals. Humans are such whiners.
So Monday we're calling the NCSU vet school to schedule a knee surgery, after which she will have to have four weeks of close supervision to ensure she doesn't injure it by jumping up and down on things she shouldn't... which is going to be a trick, since we have no place in the house that isn't filled with kitty jumpilicious platforms of one sort or another. We're considering just locking her in the bathroom. For a month. She'll go *INSANE*. *sigh*
And now, the bad news: we're not going to be able to come up to the NW until after this is done, which means that the plans for holidays are kaput. Oddly enough, my mother is also trying to schedule knee surgery about the turn of the year, we may have a second round of caretaking when we get up there. Luckily, we don't have to change mom's litter box.
no subject
I think, "gods, Tree is amazing."
:)