- Joined
- Mar 25, 2014
- Messages
- 3
- Purraise
- 1
Hi everyone!
So maybe the title is a little over the top but before I get into it here's a little backstory:
I adopted my cat, Link, about three years ago while I was in school, and if you see my only other post on this site it's about how aggressive and psycho his normal behavior is. For the last three years he has caused so much bloodshed and destruction, despite all attempts to stimulate and calm him. I have scars up and down my arm, and he even clawed my little chihuahua's eye (which was superficial and just required lots of antibiotics and eye drops).
My dad and I usually tag team to clip his nails. I hold him and trim them, while he feeds him treats to get him to cooperate. This past weekend, everything was good until about twenty minutes later when he was perched at one of the steps in the hallway and threw up everything. Okay, not super unusual. So I'm cleaning it up when it sounds like he's about to start again, but instead his whole body kind of goes rigid and he completely slumps over. This is where I start to freak out.
I picked him up to put him back on his feet and he completely fell over again. I also noticed that he was struggling to breathe, and at this point I realize he's choking and he's aspirated. Luckily, my mom and I are nurses. Unluckily, we've never done the Heimlich or CPR on an animal. But we're doing everything we can trying to figure it out, and his gasps have now stopped and he's quiet and limp so I start going through the minimal knowledge I have on cpr on animals. After a few minutes that felt like hours, he comes to and we take him to the ER, have X-rays done, a stomach tube is passed to make sure there's no blockage, and he's give steroids and antibiotics for his swollen oral cavity from the trauma of choking with an official diagnosis of "So he may have threw it up or swallowed it. We're not really sure. You're welcome, that'll be $1000".
Ever since then, he has been a completely different cat. Whereas before he would do his own thing, he now has to be in at least the same room with me or will wait outside the bathroom. And if he notices I'm leaving, he's up following in a heartbeat. He used to sleep in my bed with me once in a blue moon, but has slept with me every night since then, some times waiting in my bed while I work or get ready for bed.
So I guess my question is, I know that there are studies that show that cats can understand us, I'm just wondering if it's possible that he understands what has happened and that has caused his sudden change in behavior? Definitely not complaining, just really interested to know what's going on in that cute little head of his.
So maybe the title is a little over the top but before I get into it here's a little backstory:
I adopted my cat, Link, about three years ago while I was in school, and if you see my only other post on this site it's about how aggressive and psycho his normal behavior is. For the last three years he has caused so much bloodshed and destruction, despite all attempts to stimulate and calm him. I have scars up and down my arm, and he even clawed my little chihuahua's eye (which was superficial and just required lots of antibiotics and eye drops).
My dad and I usually tag team to clip his nails. I hold him and trim them, while he feeds him treats to get him to cooperate. This past weekend, everything was good until about twenty minutes later when he was perched at one of the steps in the hallway and threw up everything. Okay, not super unusual. So I'm cleaning it up when it sounds like he's about to start again, but instead his whole body kind of goes rigid and he completely slumps over. This is where I start to freak out.
I picked him up to put him back on his feet and he completely fell over again. I also noticed that he was struggling to breathe, and at this point I realize he's choking and he's aspirated. Luckily, my mom and I are nurses. Unluckily, we've never done the Heimlich or CPR on an animal. But we're doing everything we can trying to figure it out, and his gasps have now stopped and he's quiet and limp so I start going through the minimal knowledge I have on cpr on animals. After a few minutes that felt like hours, he comes to and we take him to the ER, have X-rays done, a stomach tube is passed to make sure there's no blockage, and he's give steroids and antibiotics for his swollen oral cavity from the trauma of choking with an official diagnosis of "So he may have threw it up or swallowed it. We're not really sure. You're welcome, that'll be $1000".
Ever since then, he has been a completely different cat. Whereas before he would do his own thing, he now has to be in at least the same room with me or will wait outside the bathroom. And if he notices I'm leaving, he's up following in a heartbeat. He used to sleep in my bed with me once in a blue moon, but has slept with me every night since then, some times waiting in my bed while I work or get ready for bed.
So I guess my question is, I know that there are studies that show that cats can understand us, I'm just wondering if it's possible that he understands what has happened and that has caused his sudden change in behavior? Definitely not complaining, just really interested to know what's going on in that cute little head of his.
