I don’t know what to do.
One of my cats has dental problems. We call the cat Tall because he was born a normal-legged cat in a liter of short-legged “Munchkins.
“The Munchkin or Sausage Cat is a new breed of cat characterized by its short legs, which are caused by a genetic mutation. Much controversy erupted over the breed when it was recognized by The International Cat Association in 1995 with critics voicing concern over potential health and mobility issues.” Wikipedia
Tall has a Munchkin personality. Tall would rather be with my husband than any other human on this earth. My husband belongs to Tall.
“The Munchkin is generally described as a sweet, playful, people-oriented, outgoing and intelligent cat which responds well to being handled.” wikipedia.org
He will always look like a one-year-old kitten. We took him to the vet for his routine check-up before boarding. Since we take our cats in for yearly check-ups, this was not a problem. When we returned, the veterinarian spoke with us about Tall.
Tall has severe inflammation of his gums in the back of his mouth. The vet showed us pictures. He stated that the inflammation is very painful.
I said, “ The cat has shown no sign of pain.”
The vet replied that a lack of reaction to pain was normal for cats.
Right there, my heart hurt. I didn’t know my pet was in pain. When I asked for pain meds for the cat, the vet said he seemed fine. He did not need them.
I spent the next few days stalking the cat looking for signs of pain. He, was sleeping a lot but since he is a cat: how do you know that he is sleeping a lot? I felt sad when he walked by me, but he seemed fine.
When we brought our boy back for his dental cleaning, the X-rays revealed the bone under his back gums on both sides had deteriorated. We need to see a specialist to determine how many teeth to pull.
Before we left this time, we had pain medicine for the cat. The pain medicine must be squirted under his tongue or put in his cheek.
Every time I pick Tall up to give him the medicine, my heart feels like there is a rubber band tightening around it. When I pick him up to give him the medication is the only time he shows distress.
The cat has me doubting my actions. Tall wiggles, cries and meows loudly. As we attempt to open his mouth, he stubbornly keeps his lips pressed together tightly while twisting his head back and forth. It is my job to hold his head still. I am terrible at keeping his head motionless while my husband administers the medication. We do this waltz with him every twelve hours.
My heart feels like it is shrinking a few sizes each time. I don’t know what to do to make this easier. I don’t know how to determine if the cat is better. My other cat, Dark, hides when he is ill. Tall walked around (like nothing was wrong) as soon as we opened the carrier when we returned home from the dentist.
I can’t wait for the cat to see the dental specialist. I need Tall to get well. I want this pain to end.
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