Mousie
Here’s another story from Leslie, and one of her favorites:
“In the year 2000 (the sanctuary’s 2nd year), Mousie, a black and white feral female, suffered a thrombo embolism and suddenly became paralyzed in her rear legs. Fortunately, a volunteer was in the room when the cat began thrashing about in panic and rushed her to an east Vancouver vet. Rather than euthanise Mousie as many vets would do, our vet wanted to try to dissolve the blockage. He administered medication and Mousie recovered fully. For about 6 months, we mixed baby aspirin into her food and today, eight years later, Mousie continues to thrive.”Reading this story, I wondered why many vets would decide not to give the cat a chance and try and remove the blockage. Doing a little further reading on the subject, I realized what vets are up against with this one and just how lucky Mousie was.
An article on Feline Thromboembolic Disease from Georgia Veterinary Specialists describes it as “one of the most difficult and frustrating diseases for veterinarians” since there is so often underlying heart disease which can not only make treatment more dangerous to the cat but will often lead to the formation of more, possibly fatal, blood clots in future. In the face of such a gloomy prognosis, it’s a bit more understandable why vets would often decide prevention of further pain and suffering to be the kindest thing to do.
Nine years later, Mousie can be found, healthy and content, snoozing on one of the shelves up high near the rafters on the porch outside the single wide trailer.
drawing by Claire
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