The Life and Death of "Wildchild"
Our kitty "Wildchild" wasn't feeling good. Listless and nesting under beds, dressers , cabinets and bleeding from her "girl parts ." The Veterinian ran tests yesterday called and asked that we bring her back today for more . So here I am waiting for them to open at 8:00. She's almost 16 but a beloved family member. He saw me in the car, motioned me in, and told me he would call once the tests were complete.
Got the call from the Vet later that morning. He said Wildchild needed an ultrasound and possible surgery. Tests revealed extensive internal bleeding from an unknown cause, and his X-rays could not identify the source. He recommended I take her to a Animal Hospital in Annapolis. I grabbed the cat carrier and off I went to the Animal ER. I approached the desk and of course they had paperwork to complete. That included a payment upfront ($747) with no guarantees, just to admit her, examine her and do the ultrasound. I imagine folks being unwilling to pay AFTER their animal has died behind the closed doors of the treatment room. "Sorry, Miss Puff didn't make it, that will be $747." I signed the papers, handed over my credit card, and sat down to wait. The Doctor finally called me back to an examination room. "Wildchild is bleeding internally and we are not sure why. We would recommend the ultrasound to see just what is going on, a tumor, an infection, or some other situation. It does not look good I'm afraid, but let's wait for the results before we make any decisions. I have to tell you, if surgery is indicated, at her age (16) she might not make it out of the anesthesia. We can't make any guarantees. We will talk with you before we do anything more invasive." She was frank, but kind. I was directed to return to the waiting room to wait for the Ultrasound findings. I called Coletta. I told her she better drop everything and meet me in Annapolis at the Animal Hospital. "You better grab Sade as well. By the time they arrived the tests were complete.
Wildchild was bleeding internally, very badly, possibly from a tumor or failure of another internal organ. Her red blood count was critically low (normal was 30, she was at 14 and falling). The ultrasound did not reveal any growths, but her liver was filled with cysts. With surgery and biopsies and blood transfusions in her future with no promises, we were forced to let her go.
We all three cried and got to see her and talk to her while the Vet prepared the consent papers and drugs. We three just stood around the exam table rubbing her head and back, all of us crying. She softly meowed to let us know she heard us as we comforted her. She was just so tired, she just laid there lifting her head occasionally looking up at us. She already had a catheter in her leg, so it was just a matter of inserting the lethal dose. She laid her head on the table, closed her eyes and was gone. Very sad.
We were "dog" people until Wildchild was dropped on us by our son who was moving to Canada. That was ten years ago. "Wild" was a cat who came when you called her, and asked to go outside, and thrummed on the glass to come in. She rode 5 hours to WV sleeping on the laundry basket, and loved roaming the grasslands around our summer home. She would wait until she heard a yawn or stretch before coming in to wake us in the morning, and performed this task by softly rubbing my cheek with her paw and meowing softly in my ear. She was a great pet, and loved us as we loved her. We are saddened by her death and will miss her a lot.