We had a cat come in to the clinic where I work at the end of September that had been diagnosed with pneumonia from our emergency clinic. She was pretty bad off, but the absolute sweetest girl in the world. Her name was Snuggles. She was a 4YR old chubby cheeked calico. So we treated her and she came around after several days of IV antibiotics. We tried contacting her owners several times, but when she came in with her she literally dropped her carrier on the floor and said "I have to get to work or I'll get fired, please, please, please help her." No contact information left. Her neighbor was a client, so we had to contact through her. She simply could not pay the bill so she left her there.
She stayed in one of our boarding townhouses and won over all of the staff. She had a little bed that was about 6 inches high and she would cuddle down into it so you couldn't see her. As soon as you walked in she would come out stretching and would give you the sweetest headbutts. Constant headbutts...
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Anyway, over the last two weeks we've gone to her owner's house several times saying to not worry about the bill, just come and get little Snuggles. Whether she was embarrassed about not being able to pay, unable to get there, or what...she still didn't get her. So one of the other tech's and I loaded up Snuggles and took her home. Snuggles was totally fine, purring and breathing normally. Her owner was so ecstatic she just kept hugging us and thanking us. So we went back to the clinic and five minutes later get a frantic call saying Snuggles is gasping for breath. We tell her it's probably from the stress but as the conversation progressed she told doc "I think she's dying!" So of course we race back over there.....
Snuggles was laying on the floor, motionless.... Gums and tongue blue...no pulse...no respiration. She was gone. I was in shock and her owner was just sobbing.
Necropsy revealed a massive amount of fluids in her chest cavity. If she had had that much fluid, or any, before leaving her breathing would have been labored. Stress just...we still don't even know. No masses...heart didn't look fantastic, but nothing that would have caused this.
I can not believe it. We try to do a nice thing and take Snuggles back...because she was such a fantastic cat. The sweetest calico I've met. Maybe the sweetest cat period. I feel so guilty. We couldn't have foreseen that, but still. That woman was just heartbroken.
We're all chipping in to get her privately cremated so her momma can have something left of her.... I'm devastated.
Rest in peace Snuggleupagus. You were a wonderful girl.....
She stayed in one of our boarding townhouses and won over all of the staff. She had a little bed that was about 6 inches high and she would cuddle down into it so you couldn't see her. As soon as you walked in she would come out stretching and would give you the sweetest headbutts. Constant headbutts...
Anyway, over the last two weeks we've gone to her owner's house several times saying to not worry about the bill, just come and get little Snuggles. Whether she was embarrassed about not being able to pay, unable to get there, or what...she still didn't get her. So one of the other tech's and I loaded up Snuggles and took her home. Snuggles was totally fine, purring and breathing normally. Her owner was so ecstatic she just kept hugging us and thanking us. So we went back to the clinic and five minutes later get a frantic call saying Snuggles is gasping for breath. We tell her it's probably from the stress but as the conversation progressed she told doc "I think she's dying!" So of course we race back over there.....
Snuggles was laying on the floor, motionless.... Gums and tongue blue...no pulse...no respiration. She was gone. I was in shock and her owner was just sobbing.
Necropsy revealed a massive amount of fluids in her chest cavity. If she had had that much fluid, or any, before leaving her breathing would have been labored. Stress just...we still don't even know. No masses...heart didn't look fantastic, but nothing that would have caused this.
I can not believe it. We try to do a nice thing and take Snuggles back...because she was such a fantastic cat. The sweetest calico I've met. Maybe the sweetest cat period. I feel so guilty. We couldn't have foreseen that, but still. That woman was just heartbroken.
We're all chipping in to get her privately cremated so her momma can have something left of her.... I'm devastated.
Rest in peace Snuggleupagus. You were a wonderful girl.....
