I call him Ralphie a lot. I know it’s sickeningly sweet, but I can’t help it.
Ok, here’s the follow-up eye appointment story: I was supposed to bring Ralph back to the vet a week after his surgery so he could get his stitches out. Dr. Ron seemed to think that this procedure could be done without anesthetic….. maybe. So Thursday at 4 we walked in the door.
Dr. Ron and Dr. Dan took us to the examining room and once again praised Ralph for being a really good cat, which made me realize what horrible cats I have previously subjected these poor guys to. I told them that I could stay in the room for this or wait outside, and Dr. Dan said, “Actually, I think this is going to be a three-person operation: One to scruff him and hold his eye open, one to hold his paws, and one to remove the sutures.” Dr. Ron asked me, “Do you want to do the sutures?” I laughed but said I’d had too much coffee. I like funny vets.
We all gathered around the patient: Ralph was sitting up on the table; I was behind him holding his front legs immobile; Dr. Ron had him by the scruff of the neck and was holding his eyelid open, and Dr. Dan was coming at his eyeball with a tiny pair of nail scissors. Ralph flinched rather significantly and Dr. Dan paused.
I dropped his paws, backed up and said, “Nope. Nope. Let’s just knock him out.”
I did not want to be the one to goof us this procedure and watch him smack his eye into pointy scissors – the eye that we had worked so hard to save up until now. I am always warning preschoolers to be careful with scissors, so I felt I owed the same to my cat.
Dr. Dan and Dr. Ron agreed, so I left him there. It was late in the day so he had to stay there overnight. Poor kid, he was away from home for a sad, sad sleepover. He charmed the receptionist, though, who said he was having conversations with the cat a couple of kennels over the next morning. Great, not yet five months old and he’s already dating.
It turns out that it was good that they knocked him out – when they took out the stiches Dr. Ron found another little cluster of hair follicles that he removed from the sclera (no stiches needed). I’m not surprised – hair grows in cycles and there might be dormant follicles now that I’ll find later.
That poor, awesome, charming, giant cat.
Brad says
Whew! I think I would have had him knocked out too. I’m glad he’s okay.
Lauren's mom says
Aw-w-w! I love the “arm around my brother”. Good picture.
Peggy says
How sweet! Good preschool teacher -- never let anyone with a pointy scissors near an eyeball -- Dr. or not! (I’m a preschool teacher too)