Ordeal by Ear Drops
Made it to the vet and back! Saffron was finally able to receive his first vaccination. As I type, we're still waiting for him to get feverish and stop asking for food (greedy cat, that.) It seems that he can be snip-snipped (our euphemism for getting neutered) in a couple of weeks, when his reaction to the vaccine ripens and his production of antibodies reaches its peak. Since Saffron's a (former) stray, he'd only need 2 shots a month apart instead of the usual three required by kittens. I'd thought he would need to receive his complete course of vaccinations first before going for The Big Snip.
As for Cory, he has not fully recovered from his respiratory diseases so he needs meds for another two weeks. Rats. We'd hope to have him snipped soon. Especially after the altercation with Ginger, we were nervous about him starting to display male-aggression behaviours like fighting, spraying (marking with urine) and trying to escape to get at females in heat.
We also told the vet that Cory's been scratching his ears a lot. We had tried cleaning them previously but only got at the outside pointy parts, bearing in mind all those lessons we were taught when young(-er) about the dangers of inserting objects into ears. The vet had a peek in his ears, extracted some very yucky stuff (wax etc.) and diagnosed him with ear mites. Apparently you can probe around feline and canine ears without fear of perforating an eardrum since their ear canals are L-shaped.
So now we're to clean his ears regularly and administer ear drops twice daily. And since ear mites are highly contagious, all the other Spice Meows need to have the same treatment. If we survive the ordeal, we'll write about it. Or not.
All this makes me wonder about the conditions of strays. It's heart-breaking to think of the discomfort, if not the suffering they must daily endure, and to have to scavenge for food and avoid danger (from both animal competitors and uncaring humans) on top of all that. How wretched their lives must be!
Speaking of which, last evening, we managed to feed a marmalade tom we've spotted around our apartment. He's skinny and dirty and looks like he might have a slight limp. We've seen him sleeping under cars and facing off with sleek well-fed toms (which their owners nevertheless allow to roam unneutered, shame on them whoever they are). We hope to befriend this skinny marmalade, cos he's next on our list!
I can understand why most people choose to shut their eyes and hearts to the suffering all around us. Giving a damn can be expensive and exhausting, and frankly, there is no end to it (whether helping animals or people) whilst we still live in this fallen world. Whenever I'm asked during a bible study session why I think God allows suffering in this world, I always reply that it is so we'll look forward to the next world where pain and sadness will be no more. I suspect that people don't generally like that answer.
Anyway, on our way back from the vet's we stopped by a pet shop, and notwithstanding having spent RM77 (not including toll and petrol charges), purchased two more Safe Cat collars. A turquoise one for Pepa, and a lavender one for Cory. The lavender one was supposed to be Saffron's but lavender doesn't seem to become him so we've decided to wait for a saffron-coloured one to be available. (I think they like their new collars.)
As for Cory, he has not fully recovered from his respiratory diseases so he needs meds for another two weeks. Rats. We'd hope to have him snipped soon. Especially after the altercation with Ginger, we were nervous about him starting to display male-aggression behaviours like fighting, spraying (marking with urine) and trying to escape to get at females in heat.
We also told the vet that Cory's been scratching his ears a lot. We had tried cleaning them previously but only got at the outside pointy parts, bearing in mind all those lessons we were taught when young(-er) about the dangers of inserting objects into ears. The vet had a peek in his ears, extracted some very yucky stuff (wax etc.) and diagnosed him with ear mites. Apparently you can probe around feline and canine ears without fear of perforating an eardrum since their ear canals are L-shaped.
So now we're to clean his ears regularly and administer ear drops twice daily. And since ear mites are highly contagious, all the other Spice Meows need to have the same treatment. If we survive the ordeal, we'll write about it. Or not.
All this makes me wonder about the conditions of strays. It's heart-breaking to think of the discomfort, if not the suffering they must daily endure, and to have to scavenge for food and avoid danger (from both animal competitors and uncaring humans) on top of all that. How wretched their lives must be!
Speaking of which, last evening, we managed to feed a marmalade tom we've spotted around our apartment. He's skinny and dirty and looks like he might have a slight limp. We've seen him sleeping under cars and facing off with sleek well-fed toms (which their owners nevertheless allow to roam unneutered, shame on them whoever they are). We hope to befriend this skinny marmalade, cos he's next on our list!
I can understand why most people choose to shut their eyes and hearts to the suffering all around us. Giving a damn can be expensive and exhausting, and frankly, there is no end to it (whether helping animals or people) whilst we still live in this fallen world. Whenever I'm asked during a bible study session why I think God allows suffering in this world, I always reply that it is so we'll look forward to the next world where pain and sadness will be no more. I suspect that people don't generally like that answer.
Anyway, on our way back from the vet's we stopped by a pet shop, and notwithstanding having spent RM77 (not including toll and petrol charges), purchased two more Safe Cat collars. A turquoise one for Pepa, and a lavender one for Cory. The lavender one was supposed to be Saffron's but lavender doesn't seem to become him so we've decided to wait for a saffron-coloured one to be available. (I think they like their new collars.)
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