An Update on Cata

Assalamu Alaikum!

We are sorry we don't have a proper post today but we have been quite busy this week. This post is an update on our cat who has had two major visits to the vet since we last wrote about her. The first was some weeks before Ramadan and the second was just a couple of weeks ago.

The first visit was because Cata got into a fight(which very rarely happens, alhamdulillah). She was scratched on her side and the area swelled up with pus. She went off her food and became very tired and weak.

We took her to the vet and they had to put her to sleep to remove it. Sedation is not usually dangerous for healthy animals but obviously it should be avoided when possible. When she returned she was groggy and unlike her usual self. She was also wearing an e-collar to stop her from licking and getting at the wound. We don't have a photo of her wearing it but it was made of plastic and looked a lot like the photos below.

Cata had never worn the "cone of shame" before and found it extremely uncomfortable. She kept knocking into things, found it hard to eat and couldn't lie down comfortably. She kept trying to lick her wound and then we realised that there was a big problem. The edge of the cone was scraping at her wound, causing it to bleed again!

Hanifah and Maryam decided to make her an e-collar out of felt. We thought it would be more comfortable but would still serve it's purpose of preventing her from licking her wound. So we carefully measured her neck and made her a new one that same day.

By the way, the felt we used was stiff and thick - the regular kind would have been too floppy. You could immediately see how much she preferred the handmade e-collar. It meant that she could lie in any position she wanted and didn't get stuck as often because it was quite flexible. We showed it to the vet and they thought it was a good idea, alhamdulillah, so she was allowed to wear it!

The above photos are not of the e-collar's final look. Maryam tidied it up a bit: made it a little smaller and prettier. So after some trial and error it was done, alhamdulillah! She recovered and the "cone of shame" came off.

Then two weeks ago she had to have some teeth pulled out as they were hurting her. We mentioned in a previous post that she has always had trouble with her teeth. However, it got so bad that she would cry out in pain every time she tried to eat. Eventually, she stopped eating completely and we were obviously very worried.

We took her to the vet again and they removed around 9 teeth. Alhamdulillah, it went well and a rather drowsy Cata came home. The vet let her wear our handmade "cone of shame". This time, it was to stop her from scratching at the stitches in her mouth.

We have been busy looking after her, making sure she has her medicine(which she hates), being careful she doesn't manage to pull off her e-collar, etc.

Alhamdulillah, she is better now although we still need to keep an eye on her. She no longer has to wear the e-collar, which she is pleased about! Because after all, even if it's handmade, it is still a "cone of shame"!

Well, that is all! Taking care of a pet can sometimes be a handful but it is worth the reward, insha'Allah.

Take care and Wassalam,