Categories: family
Date: 07 April 2009 12:43:14
Shelley (our cat) has gone in to the vet for a 'dental' today. I took her for her annual booster jabs last week and when the vet was giving her a quick check over beforehand he looked in her mouth. It was not good! One very loose tooth (and a bleeding gum) and a couple of others not looking too good. Not that they're in generally bad condition in the way of plaque and tartar, just falling out and sore gums apparently. They looked really quite painful from what I could see.
I asked the vet whether there was anything I should be doing - possibly feeding her wet food rather than dried, or a mixture, or whatever. He said that the theories change as to which is better and it's not really clear whether either make a cats teeth worse or better. She's generally well and healthy and she eats all her dried food each day (in spite of the loose teeth and sore gums) so he said it would be best to carry on as normal.
In any case - she needed to go back for a 'dental' and possibly an extraction or two. So today I took her to the vet at 8.40am and signed a consent form before leaving her behind. It's funny how an animal can become so much part of your life it's wrenching leaving them behind for a general anaesthetic and something like this even though it's routine. She's not a 'lap cat' but is very affectionate in her own way and on her own terms. I felt as though I was abandoning her as I went home again without even leaving a favourite teddy or anything for comfort (she doesn't have anything like that).
I am sure she'll be fine and all will be well. Hopefully she'll be more comfortable afterwards too as those teeth must have been painful (even though there was no evidence of that in her demeanor).
The challenge will be keeping her warm and quiet out of Munchkin's way when I bring her home later.