Exciting....

...is not always good.  We apologize for skipping our posting duties last week, but Ivy was giving us a very exciting time.  And not in a good way, poor girl.  We heard a small yowl as we were waking up early Sunday morning, rushed into Ivy's room and discovered that she had dislocated her right shoulder.  Still have no idea how.   Looked awful.  Got to the emergency vet in record time, I'll tell you.  After having Ivy in the back for 30 minutes or so, the vet called us in and said that as soon as she'd turned Ivy on to her left side to examine the shoulder, it popped back into place, and that Ivy was walking on it without a limp.  <insert sound of vast human relief>.

That's when the vet hit us with "So, how long has she been non-visual?"

<insert sound of stunned silence followed by two humans struggling to not faint>

Seems Ivy was walking around bumping into things at the vet and not reacting to visual stimuli.  After another hour of examinations (and some blood-work) it was determined that Ivy has some vision and has probably been seeing light and shadow and movement without much detail for some time.  On our follow-up visit to our usual vet, the Doc agreed that Ivy's vision, while impaired, is not gone.  In fact, the doc thinks that Ivy has significantly more vision than the emergency vet had led us to believe.  Not 100%, but more than indicated during the trauma visit.  Ivy's just learned to cope.  (typical, really...while we humans wig out about all the cat-news, Ivy quietly goes about solving problems)

We brought her home and, save for the continuing weakness in her back legs, she seems her normal self.  She's up to 6 pounds.  Still interested in the daily life of the family.  Still loving her foods (especially the fingerfuls of whipped cream she's been getting off of our special occaision cake)  While we are carrying her to where she wants to go as much as possible, she still manages to give us the slip and does for herself as much as she can.  Still capable of getting on the bed or the couch, though it can be a struggle.  Can't stop her, though.  Really, she just goes about her daily activities as though there's nothing wrong.

 What?  Still worried about my legs?  They're *all* here!  See?  One, Two, Three....and you'll have to trust me 'bout the other one...

 Let us pray...Dear Bast, please keep Maddie out of my litter box, and let her not notice I've been in her box.  Or that I've been in her food bowls.  And in her bed.  And keep the whipped cream coming.  And the sunlight.  And headpats.  I like headpats.  Amen.

Really, we're amazed at how she's recovered from this episode, and at how she's adapted to the diminishment of her vision.  Pretty special kitty, we think. 

 And despite Ivy's monopolizing the couch, Maddie still gets her sun time:

 More room to spread out, down here on the floor.  But don't tell her that!  Can't be too nice to her...

 I suppose I should be nice.  She'd just better not get in my litter box, or my food bowls, or my bed...

Don't know what'll happen in the near future, but for now, we'll take what we've got.

Comments

[Scooby, Shaggy & Scout]

"Headpats" to you Ivy!
Non-visual? We'd have given the vet an open mouthed stare too! Aren't they amazing little creatures? They accept what they can and cannot do and just get on with it. She is truly an amazing girl!
Maddie, you are too, how kind of you to let the old gal have the warm sunpuddle on the couch! Headpats to you too!

[fiona]

Ivy is a trooper, I want to be like her when *I* get old!