I've been feeding this old fellow for about 2 and a half weeks now, but he did make a few appearances here and there before that. The entire time I've known him, he's been sick and very skinny, and I worried over his runny nose and labored breathing. I'd been hoping his stubborn cold would clear up so I could get him fixed, so I made sure to feed him well and make sure he was comfortable.
Saturday, however, when getting up to greet me, he fell over, then pulled himself up, then stumbled and fell over, again. I felt terrible for not being able to take him in sooner - I bought myself a cat carrier, lured him in with a bit of food, and trucked us both to the Animal Emergency room. He was so patient and calm in the carrier and with the vets - a perfect gentleman.
$300 of savings later, I learned he was a very old cat indeed (I didn't get an estimate of exactly how old) with bad teeth and a nasty respiratory infection, but aside from that he was very healthy for his age. He was also negative FeLV and negative FIV, which is good news for fighting his infection. He was given an antibiotics shot and an injection of fluids, and he earned some much-needed downtime in the garage with a comfy bed, food, and water that evening and the next.
Once he's better, my first project will be getting him fixed, then hopefully seeing to his teeth - you can tell he has tooth issues by the way he holds his jaw, up above. I am intimidated by the cost.
Have any of you had cat dental work done? How much was it? This will help me plan / save accordingly...
Here he is in his favorite spot - my mom's garden. He's careful with the plants and never lays on them or poops on them - he just seems to love laying on the wood chips. He's such a sweet, polite fellow, I often call him "Sir."
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