teddy_radiator | The Great Big Book of Catch Up

Hello everyone,

I can't believe it is already Saturday, a week later than the worst week I've had in a long time. I feel ashamed mentioning it, after all the terrible things that have happened to my dear friends here lately, because I have to much to be thankful for.

Two Fridays ago we had a torrential rain. It started before we got up (around 6am) and pretty much rained all day. Our orange cat Bosco had gone out the night before and wouldn't come in, no matter how much we called him. TheHubs® and I were up until 2am trying to get him to come in.

The next day I had to run a quick errand, and when I got back, Bosco was sitting on the front porch, which he never does. When we tried to get him to come in, we found that his back legs weren't working. We thought it might be arthritis giving him trouble from being out all night. Saturday and Sunday, he could not walk. He wouldn't eat, drink or do anything but lie around. Everytime he tried to walk, he just fell over. It was heartwrenching. I called the vet on Sunday night, and he said Bosco had in all likelihood had a stroke. He suggested we get Pedialyte and start making him drink it.

Also on Sunday, I was told at work that I would have to do two 7-hour projects in addition to the almost 40 hours I already had. As I say, this is the most full-time part-time job I've ever had. And this wasn't counting the 30 plus hours TheHubs® had to do.

We got no sleep on Monday morning. I was convinced the vet would suggest we put Bosco down, and we discussed it all night. We made one another a promise that if the vet said he was suffering, we wouldn't be selfish. It was a sad night. Both of us cried all night.

However, TheHubs® did a little research in the wee hours of Monday morning and discovered that many cats will recover from a stroke. In all likelihood, Bosco had caught and killed a rat that had been poisoned, and this had caused it. The vet confirmed this, and told us that if he was going to improve it would be in the next two weeks. He gave Bosco an injection and two prescriptions - Amoxicillen and Prednasone.

By last Friday he was walking (albeit a little wobbly), eating and drinking, weeing and pooing. He is still on meds, but last Monday the vet announced he was "proud" of Bosco's progress, and thought he would make a good recovery. Alas, he will no longer be an indoor-outdoor cat. The vet said that the next stroke might disorientate him to the point where he might not find his way back to the house. So, he's a permanent indoor cat.

I apologise if I have been so remiss this week. Poor

toblass has been sending me all sorts of goodies online, and I've been making grabby hands at them and not even thanking her for them. I've been a complete numpty with

irishredlass, whom I finally got around to calling after she asked me two months ago. I still owe

jenidralph a phone call as well.

Another week has past, and I've just caught my breath. I don't remember being so tired. I'm heading off to bed now, to give Bosco his meds and to read a little ASOIAF, which is the best sleep aid I've ever found. I don't know what it is - I don't really find it boring, per se, but I can read two chapters of it and I'm out like a light.

Oh, before I go, I'm on the

quiz_sshg this week for Lay Me Low, which thrills me to bits. The story received a lot of puzzled reviews at the beginning because of all the song lyrics, but there was method to my Muse's madness. Click on the shiny to play the quiz!!