Twister, Some Last Photos Before He Leaves for New Home

I've become attached to this big orange guy. He's a sweetheart. Thursday morning, after I drop off cats at Countryside, I'll run him up to his new home in Portland with about the best owner he could ever imagine. Twister is a big sweet lovable bear, with huge soft orange paws. He adores my other cats and has not been aggressive with them. However, I keep them seperate, because I have some bitches, who might go at him, and I don't want them to be bitten and get FIV.

Moby is now over-nighting at the vets. Tomorrow he will be given barium, to see where he is likely partially blocked. The vet believes this is the cause of his diarrhea, as do I. I had given him fluids. But his stomach is full of fluids, the vet says. This is consistent with partial blockage. When he sleeps, he leaks diarrhea past the partial blockage. I am hoping it is hairball caused and not from swallowing a piece of a cat toy. Someone sent me some cat toys. Too late I realized they had felt feelers and dangler narrow strips, that break off easily and could be ingested. I gathered them up quickly, on Saturday, after getting the package containing the cat toys, but I hope it wasn't a piece of that he swallowed, because that could be more complicated to pass or get out than a hairball rope.

I had also given him canned pumpkin mixed in water, catlax, then minced carrots in water in the hours prior to taking him to the vet. He vomited up some of the pumpkin, but not the catlax or minced carrots. So, by morning, maybe his issue will be resolved without a more expensive procedure.

The vet said sometimes barium alone will open up the bowel and relieve a blockage. I had mentioned to him that his lower than normal body temp was consistent also with previous hairball episodes he has had in the past, and that treatment with metacopamide or something like that, solved the issue within hours.

What will happen July 1, when the new vets take over at Countryside? I still don't know. I asked about all the cats there, what will become of them. The assistant, who has been fired by the new vets, said the doctor was taking some with him to their new home in Tennessee but that some would stay. She hopes the new vet will feed them. I can't imagine that they would not, because it would be upsetting to a lot of people if they "disappeared".

But I still don't know if the new vet will raise prices or take Poppa funds. It's all up in the air and making me quite nervous. What would I do if I could not spend my time rounding up unfixed cats? I asked the fired assistant if I will be able to keep the July fixing appointments I've made and she said "keep them" and "you'll know the deal when you bring in the first cats under the new vet". So, whatever happens, happens.