February finds more changes in the home life of our little boy Jeremy. If you recall from last month’s entry, Jeremy and other cat resident Michael were kept apart most of the time due to a slight personality conflict; Jeremy wanted to play and Michael did not. Because of this, Jeremy was gated in the biggest room of the house to keep them separated.
However, Michael passed away this month, and with the loss of his roommate, Jeremy suddenly found himself in a different living arrangement. At first, Jeremy was unsure of what to do with his new-found freedom. The gate was lifted… he had an “all access” pass to the remainder of the house… yet he remained at the brink of the entryway peering into territory little traversed, unsure of how to proceed. So how does one go about getting a kitten to venture beyond his now self-imposed border???? Hmmmm… with TOYS!!!
After all, our Jeremy is still a kitten in every way and he loves to play. A few jingle balls tossed down the hallway and Jeremy was off like a flash. It did not take long for him to establish himself in the rest of the house. He asserted his new found freedom by galloping up and down the hallway all night long as if to be screaming, “Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty I’m free at last!”
Now that Jeremy is able to stretch his wings, he has found new places to sleep, romp, play and… sneeze?!?! Jeremy developed a rapid-fire sneeze that was being triggered with some regularity. After conversations with vet tech Denise, there was concern that Jeremy might have an upper respiratory infection (URI). I made arrangements to bring Jeremy into Tabby’s Place for a checkup with Dr. Collins.
Dr. Collins and Denise performed a thorough examination of our Jeremy. It seemed that the suspected URI was mild at worst and had resolved itself. However, the goop that his right eye was producing was caused by a bout of conjunctivitis. As if Jeremy was not already thrilled about his current twice-daily medicinal regime, he was going to be ecstatic to find out that Dr. Collins prescribed eye ointment three times a day for a week. In truth, though, Jeremy continued to be an excellent patient, as usual, tolerating the additional treatment. Happily, the conjunctivitis resolved. Yet at his visit to Tabby’s Place, a new development drew some concern.
During his checkup Jeremy’s blood pressure was taken and found to be quite high. This very likely could have been a result of his heart condition. However, because Tabby’s Place leaves no stone unturned, they recognized that the stress of the car ride and the vet visit may have led to the elevated number. Wanting to be sure that they had an accurate reading, arrangements were made for Tabby’s Place staff to conduct a blood pressure test on Jeremy, at home, under normal circumstances. This step was important because if his blood pressure were truly that high, he may have needed additional medication. (I am happy to report that the house call appointment to take Jeremy’s blood pressure yielded results in a more appropriate range). Jeremy is a special boy and the staff at Tabby’s Place was sure to provide him with top-notch care in order to discern the proper diagnosis and treatment.
Outside of the vet visit, the staff was happy to see Jeremy once again and it was even noted that he looked more outgoing — hanging out towards the front of his carrier with curiosity, as opposed to cowering in the back. And though it is true that over these few months of home life he has grown in confidence, upon returning home from his Tabby’s Place vet visit, he let out a sigh of relief (as most cats do) and was glad to be back in his safe harbor.
Jeremy is sending lots of love and gratitude to you, his sponsors, especially on this Valentine’s Day, with appreciation for your kindness, care and generosity in supporting him.
Thank you dear sponsors and Happy Valentine’s Day.