Stupid day of stupid

I know there have been a few posts about the state of our cat Loki of late, the short story is that he's fine, that the surgeon did his work and charged us enough to cover costs and that he's a highly unusual cat on the inside (apparently).

I noticed him having trouble breathing last night when I got home at about 9pm. I watched him until it was time to get Chris. He was very still, and was sitting there with his ribs visibly heaving away.

I patted him, and he didn't seem to have the breath in him to purr.

So... He got better by the time I arrived home with Chris. When we fed him this morning he was fine, then we went shopping. But by the time we'd come back he was in the same state. So, after a short discussion, it was off to the vet! I couldn't stay because I was working all day.

Anyway the tall and short of it was: The vet went "Oh bother, I think his hernia may have come back - which is silly because it's not supposed to happen. Or there's something else wrong with him, which is also a bother".

So after an X-ray... there it was. It was back. And he needed to go back to surgery for basically the same operation. I was being relayed this information while working the circulation desk at City Library, where I'm not supposed to use my phone. So it wasn't a pleasant afternoon. We were faced with the prospect of another $2k+ bill for surgery, and apparently it's riskier a second time around. It was literally last week when we finished paying back the money for the first lot of surgery. The GE card we got to cover it was cancelled 2 days ago. But other options (which we were given) were not even considered because my beloved and I are certifiably crazy cat people.

So.... Next I heard Sam (who's part of these guys ) had agreed to do the surgery at cost. It was either because he'd stung us enough the first time, or because he took pity on our boy.

Suddenly it was all manageable. Loki just had to get through round 2 with his own digestive system.

So work finished, and I made my way down to Kensington to collect the boy and my girl - who due to time constraints was making her own way down to the clinic on foot. When I arrived Chris was waiting at the desk. Sam came out and went on about how interesting and unusual the case was, and explained what seemed to have happen. It was different to last time (the abdominal material hadn't gone up through the old opening, but it had made its way through regardless). Strictly speaking, it wasn't a complication from the earlier operation - and Sam even thinks it might be worth lodging an insurance claim for it. There is a very real chance it will be knocked back, but there is no harm in asking - we insured both the boys with this mob after last time.

So.... Sam told us about how he had re-arranged Loki's insides, had put things were they were supposed to go, and this time had stitched his stomach into place to ensure that it stayed put. His prognosis was good, we could take him home. So home he came. There was one tense moment when he was sitting very still in the cat carrier while we were in the car. His head was sitting on the little water bowl thing that's built into it, he was perfectly still. He gave us both a fright because he looked, for all money, like he might have left us.... But when we opened the door, he perked up. It was like he nodded off with his eyes open.

He's been keeping to himself. Staying quiet and he's been highly disoriented and still very very high. Occasionally he's been letting out a yelp - but that's probably because he's moved something around the surgical site that must still be a bit ouchy. He'll be fine. He's a tough cookie. He's sleeping in our room tonight.

So I've been patting him. He has the breath to purr again.