Tommy's Outcome (Feral cat gone MIA now home)

[Traci]

Signs; Tommy is underweight, this is a red flag of a common symptom of illness. It could be worms or liver problems or malnutrition, it could be nearly anything, but you can't wait around to find out, these conditions worsen considerably in a short amount of time, and only your vet can determine upon a thorough exam.

[UrbanCowgirl]

Okay, good news. Gary has caved in and said we can take Tom to the vet. This is a good sign that we can keep him. We have an appointment for tonight. Unfortunately, Tommy knows what the carrier means, and has gone into hiding. So, wish us luck in capturing him .. again.

[Traci]

Good to hear, let us know what your vet says....

[UrbanCowgirl]

Don't worry, I will. You all have been a big help to me.

[UrbanCowgirl]

Okay, we took Tommy in to the vet. Just got home. Weight-wise, Tom is fine. The vet says that he'll fill out no problem. Apparently, he wasn't as thin as we thought. Tom's face has always been long, but before we lost him, it was a bit fuller from the fur and a proper diet. Well, the vet says that Tom hit a growth spurt while he was gone, therefore he's gotten quite a bit longer. He thinks Tom has some Siamese in him because his face is long, thin and a bit small for his body.

We had some blood work done on him. He's tested negative for any known diseases that their machine can track. (Feline Leukemia, Feline Aids etc ..)

His nails are all nice and short now, making cuddling a lot more comfortable.

He has a bit of gingivitis, and two bad teeth. We have him on antibiotics now. It should clear the inflammation, and hopefully help fix the teeth up. If not, we're going to have to have them removed since his breath reeks.

We plan on giving him a bath in a couple of weeks. You know, after he feels more at home. Until then we're going to try one of those water-less bath powders. Make his fur soft again. We're also getting him micro chipped, and I'm buying him a tag to go on his collar. Same for Jaden. I have to get her a tag still.

Other than that, he's perfectly healthy and our vet says we can introduce him to Jaden tonight if we want. I let Jaden look at him through the carrier and she was just ... really friendly. He was looking at her like ... "wth ... ?" It was cute though. I'd like to bring him up later. Right now he's down stairs pouting.

[Traci]

Glad to hear you got him seen, thanks for doing that, aren't you glad you did?

What are the tags for? You ARE keeping them both indoors only now, aren't you?

[UrbanCowgirl]

I am happy. Now he can at least come upstairs and not be alone in the basement.

Oh yes, they are definitely indoor cats. All of mine have been. The tags are a precaution. You know, in case he gets out again. The first time, he sort of slipped out. We're not sure when or how he did it to be honest. I didn't realize Tom wasn't in the house until the next morning. I thought he was downstairs playing with the snakes as he liked to do.

And Jaden is a curious little thing. She tries to get out all of the time. I would like to leash train her. You know, with the harnass kind. That way she can play in the grass, but still be ... attached to me, unable to run away. Tom's too scared for something like that.

[slvrwhispr]

Playing with the snakes...? I'm sure you don't mean that he's in any sort of danger, but you may have noticed we're very protective of all felines here, and if you could elaborate in such a way that makes us not worry that he's actually, you know, playing with snakes, it would probably be a good thing.

[UrbanCowgirl]

Lol, oh no worries. They're just harmless little garter snakes. They somehow get into our basement. Late fall and winter is when I see most of the snakes. Summer and spring, not so much.

There's a dirt room down there that I was planning on turning into a darkroom some time. That's where they seem to gather.

Tom, like Raja before him, likes to catch the garter snakes and place them in my shoes. It's amazing how many snakes I've had to fix up and then release in the years we've lived here.

I've never seen anything venemous, apart from spiders, in the city. But I'm sure they're here some where. In the event that a venemous snake does get in the house, which is unlikely, I assure you I know how to handle snake bites for both people and animals. While in the country, I like to go searching for those amazing animals and play with them. They make excellent photography subjects.

[Traci]

I assure you I know how to handle snake bites for both people and animals.

The only way to handle a snake bite in a pet is to get the pet to an emergency vet facility immediately. Snakebite Toxicity. Same for people, to an emergency hospital immediately.