So, my poor boy went to the vet’s office to get his teeth cleaned. For anyone who has not experienced feline dental care, it’s a long and expensive process. I drop my cat off by 8:30 am and don’t see him again until about 6:00 pm. I’m not sure how long the actual teeth cleaning takes, but I know how much it costs!
Fortunately, Oscar has come through the process pretty well. He is a little unsteady on his feet and cannot understand why I’m not showering him with treats, but other than that, he’s doing fine.
In the past, the cleaning has been pretty routine, but this time there were a few more problems – one of his bigger teeth had to be removed. There was an infection and an abscess – it looked and sounded awful (yes, my vet takes pictures to show what’s up with his mouth and stores them with his electronic medical record). So, Oscar has stitches in his mouth and is on painkillers for 10 days.
As we were leaving the office, they said that he may need an hour or so before feeding him – to adjust to “home”. Not so. Oscar staggered and dragged himself, back legs splaying on the hardwood floor, over to the closet where his food is stored and as soon as I opened the closet door, he started making is way to his food dish. I gave him food and water – he partook of both. He had a hard time keeping his legs under him, so we moved every throw rug in the apartment to line the path between the food bowl and the living room, giving him a little more traction. The vet’s office cautioned against feeding him too much, so I gave him a half a small can and then a little more. He did very well. Usually, when he gets his teeth cleaned, he’s back to normal pretty quickly, but this time it will take a little longer. He seems to kind of sit and stare a little more. I gave him his pain medicine, so I hope his mouth doesn’t hurt.
I always feel horrible when Oscar gets his teeth cleaned or has some other procedure. I know it’s for his own good, but I wish I knew whether he knew that! Does he think I’m a horrible person? When he comes home, he cuddles next to me and purrs, so somehow I think he knows that it’s for the best and still loves me. Either that or I’m just a large, warm, familiar place on which to lie … which is fine, too.
my mother, my cat and me 