I hope he's feeling much better. Hugs and prayers for you both.
elizabeth On 1/8/07, [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Bandit is 3.5 years, 15 pounds, and neg/neg. He's healthy, but overweight. Saturday night we came home, dished out the nightly feeding to eight cats, and when we opened the door to where he and his brother eat, found him lying on the bathmat. He wouldn't get up, and when stood up (very gently, my hands by him so he woudln't fall), wouldn't walk. Well, he tried a little but seemed to be in such pain that we quickly put him on the warm waterbed, which the cats all find a comfort zone. When I felt him, it felt like heat was radiating from his left rear knee, and possibly from his front left paw. He was extremely lethargic. However he did respond with affection to the attention he was getting. He did *not* feel hot. We thought perhaps he'd fallen off the cat tree in his sleep (top perch is about 8 feet high, he has fallen off of much shorter places in his sleep). So (it being midnight), we locked him in our bedroom with us and all the amenities. He slept snuggled up to me all night, which he never gets to do these days (we have to lock them out with the kittens here or there's no sleep to be had). The next day he seemed much less lethargic, and more like he'd hurt his leg. He could walk on it some, but clearly experienced discomfort. We opted to wait until Monday, when he could go see his regular vet, where my partner works (yes, there are financial reasons here). So we went today, and found out his temp was 103.8. The vet did a very careful exam and could find NOTHING. No pain on leg extensions; he could hyper-extend the knee a little but nothing too crazy for a cat. No bites. No nothing. The fever indicates infection, so they prescribed Clavamox and to "observe him closely". He's walking better but is still not himself (nothing like following a cat around making sure he doesn't jump). He'll continue to receive the isolation/snuggle treatment and I'm again grateful I can work from home so I can keep an eye on him. What in the world? Lynette =^..^= "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be measured by the way in which its animals are treated." --Mahatma Gandhi, 1869-1948
