While we were off gallivanting in paradise, our cat Beta hung out at his (former) sitter’s. Late Friday night, he apparently had troubles with a recliner and the sitter’s fiancé? (They did not provide clear details.)
When we got back in the afternoon yesterday and picked Beta up along with his emergency vet papers, I soon read that amputation was “strongly recommended” as the “large open wound” provided a view to “visible bone fracture” and this degree of injury “will not heal on its own.” My heart broke realizing that when they opted to take Beta home, the vet advised against doing so as it put Beta at risk for “developing infection or sepsis”. She even urged them to consider his “pain level” and “quality of life”.
Meanwhile, the sitters insisted to the emergency vet that we (the owners) wished to take Beta to his regular vet for amputation on Monday upon returning from vacation. They told the vet (who kindly offered to speak with us) we were unreachable. They then turned around and told us the tail is fully bandaged and Beta was acting fine. Meanwhile the vet papers actually said tails are difficult to bandage and that in his case, simply returning home for monitoring was not ideal because the tissue was too far “devitalized”. It would rot as it sat attached to his body held by a bandage.
So, Beta went back to the emergency vet last night. They scheduled him for surgery today, and he was home with me by mid-afternoon. I’m grateful Beta was a good candidate for surgery despite his age. I’m grateful for his wonderful baseline health. While I’m hurt his sitters turned out to be undependable in a true emergency (whether due to incompetence or maliciousness), I’m grateful all he lost was a part of his tail due to their negligence.
I’m supremely grateful there is a 24-hour fully equipped emergency pet hospital 10 minutes from our home. I’m grateful for the caring staff, every single one of whom really went above and beyond. With time, I’m sure I’ll even grow to be a fan of Beta’s new nub!
