The Vet Visit
I’ve mentioned that we have three cats. Two older cats and a 1-year-old. Part of the rationale for getting the kitten a year ago was the hope that her energy would encourage the other two to be more playful. So far, it is working.
Sunday night (it’s a Tuesday as I write this), one of our older cats (I’ll refer to him as Jose, not his real name) came to bed with one of his ears laid down. I assumed he had been roughly playing with the kitten. Monday, late afternoon, I saw him with that same ear down and decided to take a peek. His ear (not the canal but the ear itself) was swollen to the point of closing off his ear canal. I called our vet and brought him in first thing this morning. Our cats are indoor only, so we don’t regularly update their rabies vaccine. Taking Jose to the vet meant we had to get his immunizations up to date as well as whatever treatment he needed for his ear. I knew it wasn’t going to be a cheap fix.
I got him into our cat carrier. He started loudly screaming. I carried him to my vehicle while he rhythmically screamed, and it was then I started to contemplate the trauma I was putting him in.
Ten years ago, we rescued him from Helping Hands Humane Society as an almost 2-year-old. He feared us at first. In fact, our son stopped by right after we got him and he had to put on a lobster potholder glove to even try to pick him up. He has a visible scare on one of his back feet that obviously came from his time on the lamb. I believe he was a well-loved pet that somehow got separated from his owner and, after a period of street living, was turned into the Humane Society for adoption. I’m proud to say over the last 10 years he has accepted and returned the love we have given him and is a reserved but social cat.
Back to car ride to the vet. I wasn’t surprised at the initial screaming but expected he would calm down during the ride. He did not. I started estimating his top speed (when he has the zoomies) is probably 5 mph, but in my vehicle, we were going ten times that speed. That, combined with being restrained in the small carrier and his prior history before us, made me realize he was really experiencing terror.
I knew he needed to see a medical expert and the treatment would involve draining the trapped gunk under his ear skin. I knew it was going to involve catching up with services that, being indoor only, we had chosen not to regularly keep up with, making the visit expensive. However, my intentions were pure and out of love and concern for his wellbeing. I also realized he wasn’t going to like it and would vocalize his displeasure.
“But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.” - Isaiah 64:8 ESV
“The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.” - Jeremiah 18:1-4
Jose was diagnosed with a subdural hematoma, likely caused by scratching his ears (or shaking his head) due to an ear mite problem. He came home this morning with the hematoma drained and medicine to take care of the ear mites and an antibiotic. The same medicine will be used on our other cats to ensure they don’t share any ear mites. He should start feeling better quickly.
I hope I remember the next time something is going on that makes me uneasy or in pain or frightened, that God is working all things to mold me into what he has planned for me to become. He loves me and has my best interest at heart. That implies that while I may only be aware of the superficial impacts to me (and those may not be fun), he has my growth and joy in mind. A pet implies ownership and while I use that term with Jose, I could have easily used the term heir. Heir is what we are with Christ to God.
