Idaho-the Cat

I realized that i forgot to add the tale of our cat Idaho. About 2 weeks ago Idaho, whom we have had for probably about 11 years-almost as long as we have been in Salatiga, came home covered in tar and rocks one Saturday night. I realized that she had not been home for at least 2 nights and so when i saw how she looked i realized there was good reason for her not having been home. I wondered if she got stuck in some paving or something as her feet were raw and she looked like she could barely walk. I took her in and quickly washed her as best i could. Question??? Have you ever tried to wash a cat who does not like water? It always brings back memories of having to bathe my sister's cat, Roscoe. I think it took three of us to hold him down and bathe him and even then we all ended up with scratches on our arms. Fortunately Idaho felt pretty yucky so with a firm grip, i was able to get some of the tar, rocks and dirt off of her. I then dried her off as best i could, set up a place for her to sleep and hoped she would be better in the morning. But, she wasn't. By Monday morning i knew she wasn't going to make it so i took her to school with me in a basket and was trying to figure out what to do. Nick was in Thailand, vets are not the greatest here and i just wondered if this was the end of our beloved Idaho. Usually i am not super sentimental over our pets. We have had lots come and go as many of you may remember from our early years here in Salatiga. But, Idaho had been with us the longest...seeing many other cats come and go.

Later that morning, Mary told me that Dr. Z. happened to be in town and that i should try giving him a call. Dr. Z. has two children at our school and is a vet from the U.S. but lives on another island. I gave him a call and he came over to the school. He explained to me that when an animal injests that much petroleum product that it is very toxic to their bodies. Idaho was severely dehydrated and there was a good chance her kidneys were shutting down. We had to deal with the dehydration first. Dr. Z went and got some IV bags and needles and showed us how to give Idaho an infusion of liquid by injecting it into the back of her neck. I had Jay watch too cuz i wasn't so sure how i would do giving this infustion to Idaho later that night. We had to do it 3 times a day for a few days along with antibiotics. It seemed like she wasn't going to pull through, and she certainly would not have without the help of Dr. Z, but by about the 4th day, she was looking for ways to escape out of the house and back to her normal routine. :) She is defintely a cat with more than 9 lives...and living over here certainly gives one more opportunity to do things you would never do in the U.S., like giving your cat an infusion of liquid or antibiotics.

Just thought i would share this with you all....if you haven't read the post below, it gives more of an update on how we are all doing. :) Blessings.