Sassy cats – Tuesday, Part 2 and (hopefully) the end of the dental procedures

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Sasha: This smells like a new kicky stick. The peep must have felt guilty for yanking out my teefs!

Recap: Sasha and Gus went to the veterinary clinic for dental procedures. As always stuff happens. You can read about it here.

The vet called in the afternoon after the surgery. For something simple like a dental, one of the techs calls to tell you the cats are coming out of anesthesia and doing fine. When the vet calls, it’s scary.

Gus: My teefs are great!

Gus, who we thought had dental issues and would require extractions came through with flying colors. No extractions. Just cleaning.

Sasha, who we thought just needed a cleaning, had four extractions, all loose and full of holes. They were all the way in the back of her mouth. Sasha is our drama queen so I knew this would be challenging. Also, the lump on her neck that they were going to take out at the same time was directly over her jugular. The vet did not want to chance a bigger emergency, and she felt confident it wasn’t cancerous, so she let it stay.

We picked them up and left a sack of money equivalent to a 747 jet. Both cats were still loopy (that’s a technical word for drugged). Gus was bouncing off walls and Sasha was wobbly and all wet. I thought she peed in the carrier. It happens when they get stressed but it didn’t smell like pee. She was drooling. A lot of drool. Just like those big drooly Newfoundland dogs.

The vet said to give them food around 8 p.m. Nope. They refused to eat. They finally ate around 10. I isolated them in the cat room overnight and hoped for the best.

In the morning, they ate and were let out of the room to roam the house. Gus was still bouncing off walls but Sasha immediately found a hidey hole in the basement. She stayed there all day. She didn’t come out for supper until around 8 (very late for her). She panicked when she saw us, and I couldn’t get near her. I broke her trust and would have to earn it back. The good news is that I didn’t have to give her meds.

It took four days until she was acting normally again. By Friday morning, she did her organ check at 6:30 a.m. (That’s where she walks on all my organs to make sure I react. Stepping on my bladder at 6:30 a.m. is not a good idea.)

The other bad news — Sasha had a blood panel done and her glucose came back high. Very high. She doesn’t have any other symptoms of diabetes but I’m going to watch her. Stress can cause glucose to spike, so fingers crossed for that.

The vet wants to see Sasha in six months because of the glucose but I’ll try to monitor at home. Checking glucose levels for a cat requires a prick on the capillary that runs around the edge of the ear to get a drop of blood. This will be a picnic for sure.

Lessons learned:

Morgan does not want to be an only cat. (You have to read Part 1 to understand this properly.)

It’s hard to tell who the healthy cat is.

A diva can switch from singing opera to a (sometimes bawdy) car trip song with no issues.

There is a hidey hole someplace here where a 12-pound cat can hide without being found.

 

58 thoughts on “Sassy cats – Tuesday, Part 2 and (hopefully) the end of the dental procedures”

    • No. Having had 3 diabetic cats, I don’t serve it but Morgan likes a few as a topping on her wet food. Probably from her days in the rescue. Neither Gus (urinary issues) nor Sasha (possible pre-diabetic) can have kibble.

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  4. I’m hoping it is just that Sasha was frightened. She reminds me of me. I am scared to death to go see anybody in a lab coat or looks doctor-ish. Laughing at your lessons learned. I hope you can all kick back and enjoy the holidays. Fingers crossed when you get the test strips and test her she has better results. Order up a pizza and have a good night… I think that’s what we are going to do 🙂

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  8. Wow, very eventful and quite traumatic! Lessons have been learned by all it seems. I hope everyone feels better soon and the holiday festivities can commence. Maybe Santa will leave some extra nip or treats for those who had to suffer a dentist visit.

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  9. Lots of excitement – none of it good at your house and right now Morgan is feeling blessed for no visits for dentals or anything else. I hope Sasha’s glucose spike was just nerves — do they have the equivalent of “Greenies” for cats? I remember one of our clients took his two dogs to work every day – he was talking to me on the phone, a message for my boss when one of the dogs choked on the greenie, so he had to go.
    He told me “he choked on the greenie – that’s never happened – ever” so I asked what a greenie was and he said a type of bone that helps dental decay. Maybe they have something similar for cats?

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      • Okay, that makes sense. Brushing a cat’s teeth (or even a dog’s teeth) sounds like a recipe for disaster in the form of bites and scratches. I took care of Marge’s cat once while she was on vacation. Missy liked no one except Marge – her kids came to visit and the cat ignored them. I went to Marge’s house every night after work to give her food and water and deal with the litter box. I am allergic to cats, so she couldn’t stay with us. The first night there I tried to play with her on the kitchen floor – using some cat treats like tiddlywinks. She watched me like I was crazy, but didn’t try to grab one as it went into the air – she then played dirty and scratched me on my forearm/wrist. Not funny! End of playing with Missy!

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  10. Oh boy. Such stress those poor kitties had to go through. I’ve long wished we could communicate and explain what’s happening to them and why.

    On a pet-related note. I had a trauma with our dog Tre on Thanksgiving. It shook me to my core and don’t know if I can write about it for my blog. At least not yet. Briefly, on our leisurely walk Thanksgiving morning, a loose Pit Bull attacked him. Long story, but he’s okay. He does have a wound and is being treated with antibiotics and pain meds. Whew. There, I said it.

    Thanks. Hope Sasha does well.

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  11. Oh my goodness! Poor Sasha, and poor you! Glad Gus came through all right. That poor boy has already had so many issues. Hope that Sasha comes through this all right and it was just the stress.

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  13. Oh, man, you weren’t kidding about the drama. So sorry to hear about the drama. Glad at least Gus is okay this time? I guess Morgan is only a perfect cat when she has company. Fingers crossed for Sasha!

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  14. You’re right, you just never can tell what a vet trip will yield when it comes to who’s healthy and who’s maybe less so. Sending good vibes the glucose spike was stress related rather than a trend. Stress is never good for pets, they don’t understand we’re trying to keep them healthy. Hoping there are no more vet trips any time soon.

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  16. I brush my cat’s teeth every day, so I don’t have too many problems with their teeth. I use Virbac Poultry flavor, and all of my cats have been crazy about it: I can give it as a treat. My older girl Spooky, has a heart problem, so she can’t have anything done, as it might kill her: she has a very bad heart.

    I have had a few cats that got extremely agitated when they had to go for a ride, and my vet recommended Gabapentin. It really does help with the visit, and the cats are back to normal much faster.

    This is off subject, but I wanted to share my discovery. I have to give halves or quarters of three different pills twice a day to Spooky. I used to have so many problems giving her the pills, as they were so small, and, if I didn’t get the pill in her mouth just right, she was running all over the house with saliva ropes coming out of her mouth. I found a solution: empty capsules.

    I can fit all three of the pills in one cap, so I only have one pill instead of three. If it doesn’t go down the first try it doesn’t cause any problems, because there is no bad taste.

    Spooky used to run away anytime she saw me with a piller, and I had to vary the time of her meds, as she knew what I was up to. Now she doesn’t mind one bit.

    I hope all goes well with your kitties. Cats are the best creatures on the planet IMO.

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    • I can’t imagine my cats letting me brush their teeth. I used gabapentin before the trip. It works for Gus but as much for Sasha. I had a cat a while back that I did the multiple pills in a gel cap too. Worked like a charm and no bitter taste. Cat people can usually figure something out.

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      • I start them out by just having them lick it of a kid’s toothbrush. Then, after they are used to it, I start brushing them. I think the enzymes in the toothpaste help whether you physically agitate the teeth or not.

        You may need to up the dose on the Gab. Spooky’s cardiologist recommended 50mg the night before and 100mg two hours before being stressed. Spooky weighs 10 pounds. Of course ask the vet before you change the dose.

        Oh, happy belated Thanksgiving BTW.

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        • Ok, that’s helpful. Gus takes 50 mg 2 hours before and that works. I gave Sasha (first time) 50 mg 2 hours before also and It wasn’t enough. She’s 12 lbs. and Gus is 15 lbs. My vet recommended 100 mg but since Gus did well enough with 50 that’s what I did.

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  19. Sounds like a stressful time for all, cats and human. Jack had to have 3 teeth extracted, all on the same side, several years ago. Since then he has difficulty eating dry food and often vomits after eating. But he insists eating Sophie’s! I try to be sure he gets his share of canned food but it is a challenge.

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    • Gus has urinary issues and now with Sasha’s glucose spike, I don’t feed kibble. Only Morgan can get it once in a while. Getting each cat to eat their own food is hard. Most times it all comes from the same can but it tastes better when it’s someone else’s. Gracie only had 2 teeth and she ate her kibble whole. Even she was mostly on wet food.

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  21. I know you and the cats are happy the dental thing is over – and I’m really glad you are able to check Sasha’s glucose at home…..I bet you’re right – if it goes up when they’re stressed, she had plenty of reason for hers to be up. BUT if it’s still up 11 days after her “panic time” – would it be back to normal by now? Hopefully now that we’re on the countdown to Christmas all will be calm and everyone including the cats can enjoy things at home. Sending hugs……I think you all need one!!

    Pam and Teddy too

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  22. I’m really glad you can check glucose at home given Sasha’s dramatic response to vet care, You’ll get a much better idea of what’s up, and hopefully the high glucose was stress-induced and not diabetes. It’s always something with the critters. Let’s hope it a little something and not a big one!

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