Please help!

#31
purplekitty said:
This is really rough. Here it is almost 6 am, and I have gotten a total of about 2 broken up hours of sleep. My poor little cat won't keep the collar thing on, she growls and it seems to hurt her once I try to put it on. So here I am sitting here watching her to make sure she doesn't pick at her hurt ear. What is really ironic about this is that I have developed an ear ache myself. I am so tired. Today, I have to ask the vet what alternatives are there to the cone, hopefully she could tolerate the soft e collar. :sad:
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Oh, purple, I *so* feel your worry! I have three cats, and they seem to pick up a new disease in turn, so that one of them is always sick and/or needs special care. I love them so much that I too can stay up all night checking if they are ok. I am sure the vet will give you all the advice you need. Sometimes I guess they don't realise that what is everyday routine for them vets cannot be so straightforward for us owners. Especially if you deal with ears, which look so fragile in cats. I had to cure a bug out of the ears of Yomo, the white cat in my avatar, for about two monts, putting this red oily thingo in his ears twice a day. He used to moan thru every treatment. More that not standing the pain, cats are really very delicate when it comes to handling the. They just don't like to be touched too long. So maybe apart from the pain it's also plain manipulation that makes your kitty "protest".
By the way, I love reading another blog, called Fourfour, and the owner of the blog has a really special cat, called Winston. Some time ago he head a problem with his eye (the cat) and he also had to wear a collar. Later on, during the healing process, the elizabethan collar was replaced by a soft one that looked like this. http://fourfour.typepad.com/fourfour/2006/01/how_do_we_like_.html#more
Maybe this could help your kitty to feel less discomfort?
Please come back and update us on the kitty's health!
 
#32
That sounds so rough to have to do that for two months! Your cat Yomo does look very precious!
It's so sad when she pretty much cries when I give her the medicine, poor kitty. I much rather would have had this happen to me than to her.
Thanks for the link,that is definitely something to consider. I wish I had that soft e collar right now and that my kitty would wear it without any problem and I could sleep.
 
#33
That is the soft collar I was thinking of. I don't know how widely distributed the collar is in retail stores. Is there a smaller pet stores in your area? I remember it started from a local lady making these in OC. Our hospital got one for promotion or something... http://www.bonafido.com/index.html
Poor purplekitty... You must be so exhausted! You know, I don't know how severe the ear looks now. But you need to sleep, too... I hope your vet had some good suggestions.
 
#34
Good news is that I finally got some sleep today(usual amount). There was thunder, she got scared, and she slept next to me for a few hours. Her ear seems to be doing well, she is not really crazy about that medicine, but I have to do it. Today, I called almost every pet spa/vet/store out there in the area, and no one had a soft e-collar, they all said that they could order it, but I really need it now. Two places said they had them, but they weren't the one that are in the links above. They wouldn't have done her any good. Tonight, I will gtry the cardboard collar again, hopefully it will stay on. *crosses fingers*
 
#37
My cat went to get her stiches removed on Monday. It turns out two of them were gone, so she had to get them put back in. So, now, I have to wait another 10 days for them to get removed. On Monday I got her a soft e collar, finally located one, and she has been wearing it.
I have noticed a little bit of swolleness on the tip of her ear on the inside. It looks like a little ear hematoma, but I don't see how that is possible, as she hasn't touched that ear since she got the new stitches. The swollenness is above her new stitches. Is it possible that it is only swollen because of her surgery? Is that normal? Is it something I should be concerned about?
 
#38
Love to your cat, purplekitty!

I would think the swelling is a result of the stitches, but if your concerned, call the vet again and ask them what they think (and maybe ask if they could put a soft collar on her.)


I'm only studying people medicine, but a hemotoma is a collection of blood under the skin.


Hematomas can gradually migrate, as the effused cells and pigment move in the connective tissue. For example, a patient who injures the base of his thumb might cause a hematoma which will slowly move all through the finger within a week. Gravity is the main determinant of this process.
^^
(Mention this to the vet.)
 
#39
Thanks, caitlin! I am hoping so much right now that it is a result of her stitches and that it is normal. I didn't know that hematomas migrate!!?? She got surgery a week or so ago, and she got several stitches to prevent another hematoma. I just don't understand how it could be another hematoma. The reason why she got it in the first place is because she had an ear infection, which is now healed, but is finishing her medicines, and since she had an ear infection, she would itch and scratch at her ear, which eventually caused her blood vessles in her ear to pop, causing the collection of fluids in her ear. She is currently wearing a soft collar, ever since monday after she got the new stitches, so I don't she how it is possible that she could have another one because she doesn't have the infection anymore, and she hasn't touched her ear because she can't because of the soft e colllar. I am just wondering if this swollenness is normal from the stitches or what. I really really really really hope so. I am going to call the vet today and find out.
 
#42
You know, it may be an idea, if she really hates the collars, to leave it off for a while to see how she does? If she starts scratching, it would have to go back on, but with the meds she's on, hopefully, the ear will be feeling a lot better for her now..

One of our cats, Tommy, unfortunatley had to have both his ears removed, as he had tumours from sun damage (white ears) He absolutely went mental with the collar on and we had to remove it as he was at risk of doing himself more damage with it on! Once we took it off though, he was fine, and didn't touch/scratch his ear (stumps) at all.

I hope your little kitty gets well soon. Well done for all your good work!

Take care,

K
x
 
#43
Thanks, Kathleen! I am sorry about your kitty, that is really sad.
She has the soft e collar, which she doesn't really mind, she is getting along okay with it. Last time when she was supposed to have the collar on, I kept it off, resulting in two stitiches coming out, and us having to wait another 10 days to get the new stitches out. So, I can't take that collar off of her, only to adjust it for a few seconds, but that's it.
My cat is going to the vet Friday for a checkup to make sure everything is okay.
Is this swelling above the stitches normal? Anyone who has had pets who had surgery before, was there any swelling?
 
#45
^^She had the three stitches put back in on Monday. I noticed this swelling tuesday or so. And no, there is no pus or anything. It's a relief to hear that swelling can happen. It seems to have gone down a bit, so that is real good. The soft collar is working real real good. She'll itch at it sometimes like it bothers her, but I think she knows it has to be there. She will also try to bathe herself, like her paws, etc., and then she realizes she can't. She is doing well. :smile:
 
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