Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat Health & Behaviour => Health & Behaviour General => Topic started by: Susanne (urbantigers) on August 30, 2007, 22:05:48 PM
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Mosi has chewed through the string on the da bird. The piece he chewed off (about 2/3 of the string so quite a long length) is missing and I'm worried sick he's swallowed it. It didn't have the feather on the end, just the clip (which is like a small safety pin) so he may have swallowed the whole thing. Hard to imagine him swallowing all that without me noticing. It was only left out for a few minutes and he was mooching around while I was on the computer. I'm really not sure what to do - whether to rush him to the vets or just keep an eye on him or what. He seems fine and isn't acting like he's done anything out of the ordinary. What would you do?
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keep a close eye on him. If he has swallowed it, it may pass safely through his gut. If it does not, he will start to look a bit peaky and may vomit. Just monitor him (and his litter tray) closely for 24-48 hours. With any luck, his trophy will be tucked carefully behind a piece of furniture somewhere.
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I would phone the vet for advice. If he's swallowed it and the clip comes undo, it may cause problems going down, fingers crossed you'll find it :hug:
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Can someone with a da bird have a look at it and give me a rough measurement for how long the string is please? I can't remember but I can look at what's left behind and make a good guess then at how long the piece he's chewed off is
Fortunately the clip is quite difficult to open, requiring a fair bit of pressure on it so hopefully that won't be able to open inside him. I think I'm most worried about the string getting tangled up inside him.
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Sorry, am at work at the mo... If nobody can measure one then I'll check when I get home for you.
I agree about the clip, it's virtually impossible to open anyway, I would be worried about the string side of things too. You could give the out of hours vet a ring to put your mind at rest, they might advise just to monitor him if he is not showing any signs.
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It's approx 35" with the clip.
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I agree about the clip as well after checking it.......I doubt that will come undone but the string is obviously still a worry.
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there's only 15" left so that leaves 20" unacounted for. I wouldn't have thought it would be easy for him to swallow all that, unless he's chewed it in more than one place. He's showing no signs of anything wrong but I can't find the string.
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Are you sure he's not had it tangled round his leg or something and dragged it off somewhere?
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whatever you do, don't give him anything that will stimulate more urgent gut movements. If you feel you need to be doing something, a little oil might help to smoothe the passage, something like olive oil, or preferably parrafin oil which is reasonaly inert.
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when he drags things off he usually takes them under the bed but it's not there. I'd assume he would probably do that rather than try to eat the whole thing but it's puzzling that I can't find it. It's not like there are many places to look in a one bedroom flat.
he's had some supper which he tucked into with his usual enthusiasm.
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I am sure he has hideen it some where cos thats very long for him to swallow. My string is 79 cm not including the nots at each end or the clip.
Hope it turns up in the most unlikely place
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Fingers crossed that the clip has just been well hidden :hug:
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Have you found the missing string?? Hope Mosi has just hidden it!
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Well he's vomited 3 times this morning and has brought up part of the string - the bit with the clip on the end. but only about 2" of the string. Whether that means he chewed through the string there as well and only swallowed that bit or whether he's got the rest of it still inside him only time will tell. Guess that's another morning/day I'm going to have to take off work cos of the cats. Work will be thrilled! But I don't want to leave him at the moment. Jaffa tried to eat Mosi's sick and very nearly swallowed the bit of string that Mosi had vomited up! :sick:
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Susanne i would be very worried and be seeking veterinary advice, if he has vomited up a 2" piece and you still havent found the rest i would be strongly suspecting he ate it all and we have no clue if he ate the rest in a oner and this would be very dangerous, i am glad he vomited the clip bit though.
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He seems ok for the time being but I'm going to ring the vet as soon as they open (9am I think) and I suspect they'll tell me to take him in
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Hope everything's okay Susanne. Fingers crossed for the vets.
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Hope Mosi is okay Susanne - fingers crossed for you :hug:
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He seems ok in himself at the moment and is wandering around looking like nothing is up (meanwhile Jaffa is panicking as I got the lid for the carrier out so he thinks he's going somewhere!). Just waiting for the vets to open so that I can ring them but I suspect he will be going for a visit.
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Poor Jaffa! :hug: Am glad Mosi is showing no ill effects after his sicky session though. Hope that's promising news.
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Just saw this. Fingers crossed for vet visit. :hug:
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good luck Susanne, we had a similar thing once with Bluto and the string of a piece of beef but the first I knew of it was when he passed it (it was about two inches) fingers crossed its all ok
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Hope Mosi is OK :hug:
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Fingers and Paws crossed here for Mosi :hug:
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he's at the vets and they're going to operate on him to remove it. His temperature and everything are ok, but assuming he's swallowed the whole length (and given that I can't find it anywhere and he vomited up part of it it's the most likely scenario) it's a long piece of string. The problem is that we don't know if it's still in his stomach or whether it's in his intestines. She said we could wait and see but that was a bit risky esp if it was in his intestines. Or we could do an endoscopy but again that might not help if it wasnt still in his stomach as they couldn't pull it out. Or we could open him up and look for it. I asked her what she would do if it was her cat and she said she would have a word with the surgeon. They aren't too busy today so she said the best thing would probably be to operate. So that's what they're doing. It will cost about £600 (thank god for insurance). I'm worried sick about him so please send get well vibes for him. I may be able to collect him later but he may need to stay overnight.
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Poor Mosi :hug: Got everything crossed for you, I'm sure he'll be just fine - keep us posted :hug:
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Me and Cody sending our vibes for Mosi. I have pm'd you susanne but will say again he WILL be fine and we are all here for you :hug:
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what an awful start to the day, fingers crossed and hope he comes home tonight not too worse for wear
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He'll be absolutely fine Susanne, and as requested, sending lots of positive vibes from me and Maxy over to you and Mosi :hug:
Keep us posted as to how he gets on.
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:hug: and lots of fingers crossed.
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Sending positive vibes Mosi`s way. Try not to worry too much your vigilance and prompt action will pay off :hug:
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Love and big :hug: for Mosi xxx
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Hi Suzanne,
I'm sure Mosi will be fine now - glad that he sicked up the catch.
Poor Mosi :(
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We're all sending our very best wishes to Mosi and of course to you (Miss Boopy would also like to send Mosi a gentle wash and a kiss). It's a good job you were there and spotted so quickly that he'd eaten it so you could get him prompt vet attention. Let us know how he gets on. xxxxx
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Suzanne, I've just come on and seen this. Thank goodness for your vigilance. :hug: to Mosi and to you.
Let us know the results of the surgery.
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Blimey, Mosi can be a little scamp can't he?! Hoping the surgery goes well for him and that you're all OK.
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Good Luck to Mosi in surgery today :Luv: & :hug:
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The vet has just rang. They've not found any of the string inside him but his intestines are enlarged and inflamed, and pushed a bit to one side. She said his lymph nodes were enlarged also. The surgeon is confident there's no string inside him now so he must have vomited up or passed whatever he swallowed. I've had another good look around and can't find it anywhere so I hope it's not lurking somewhere to be found and swallowed all over again! I have just found another small piece in one of the places he was sick this morning - it looked like a piece of hair or fluff on the carpet but when I picked it up to take a closer look I could see a small piece of something black in it and think it's part of the string.
He's recovered well from the anaesthetic and I can bring him home later. They said to go about 5.30pm so that they can observe him for a couple more hours. I just want the little lad home now.
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glad he is ok hope he makes a full recovery quickly
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Good to hear Mosi's doing OK.
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That's brilliant news! Glad he's doing ok :)
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Glad he's doing well :Luv: Bet you can't wait until 5.30 :hug:
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I have only just come on today and seen this.
So pleased that the op has happened and he will soon be home with you. I guess if there was any string left in his stomach it will probably be attack by the stomach acids and it will never be seen again. The main thing is that nothing has been found tied round the important places that may course him probs.
My thoughts are with you and Mosi for a quick recovery :hug: :hug:
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stomach acids would not rot or destroy string but i'm glad the vet has had a good rumage to make sure nothing is there.
You'll soon have Mosi home susanne much to your relief and be able to care for him all weekend. :hug:
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I'm really baffled as to where the rest of this string is. There may be a few small bits that came up this morning but that I didn't notice due to their small size, but that doesn't explain where the rest is. I've had the bed pulled out to check under it, I've pulled out the sofa to check behind and under there, in the corner by the tv, in the cat tent and boxes... all the possible hiding places but it's nowhere. He obviously chewed it off fairly near the handle (there's about 14 inches of string left hanging from the handle then that's it, the rest is missing). It's possible that after chewing it into 2 he then chewed the end and broke off the clip and the bit he vomited up this morning, but what happened to the rest is a mystery. I'm going to have to watch him like a hawk when he comes home in case he finds the rest. Could he have swallowed it all, Lynn? And passed it out one end or the other? There was no poo in the litter tray this morning so unless he did one at the vets he can't have passed it out that end (and I'm sure they'd have noticed if he had).
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I very much doubt even had he eaten it all it could have passed all the way through his system.
I'm sure he isnt so stupid but jaffa wouldnt have been at it aswell would he ?
the only other thing is if he chewed it all into tiny bits and so they are dotted through his system, in which case they would pass freely but i cant see a cat spending that long and swallowing whole lengths is so common so we know they do do that.
you'd have found it if he vomitied it up, he hasnt pooped it so either it MUST be somewhere in your house or ? I just hope the vets havent missed it but i'm sure they would have felt it , empty inestines are lovely soft smooth feeling and flat when there isnt something inside them so having a feel is real easy (of course theres a heck of a lot of it ) lets see how he gets on over the weekend, if he shows signs of being unwell or you are worried its still there then they could possibly do a barium xray with the hope some of the barium sticks to the string, or if he eats and is sick (which isnt being put down to just post ga vomiting) then they could xray and see if there is any backing up of faeces anywhere in the gi tract. Its a mystery though and such a long piece to still be awol.
Have you hoovered and sucked it up by mistake ?
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No, not hoovered. And Jaffa was in the bedroom with me while Mosi was doing the deed. I think! I don't think Jaffa would have eaten any tbh and he's not acting unwell at all. He's not a great chewer like Msi. He's also eating normally and there's no vomiting or signs of illness. It does seem to have been easy to chew so it is possible he chewed it into lots of bits and swallowed them separately. I hope the vets haven't missed it, but if it was on one piece I'd imagine it would be hard to miss it.
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Pleased to hear that Mosi is going to be ok
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Just caught up with this - you must have been so worried Susanne! I'm glad the vets have had a good luck and fingers crossed that's the end of it now. bet yo9u can't wait to get him back home. Give him a scritch from us lot here
x
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Give that Mosi an ear scratch from me :hug:
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The little lad's home! I'm so glad to have him back. He has a shaved tummy, poor thing. All that lovely long tummy fur gone!
Jaffa hasn't greeted him yet. Jaffa's in the bedroom and I've given him the bedding out of Mosi's carrier to sniff. He's hissed at that and will no doubt do the same to Mosi who's sporting that eau de vets surgery smell again. When he was neutered, Jaffa hissed at him a lot when he returned home and it took several days for them to sort it out. At times like these I do wish they could talk and that I could just sit them down and explain things.
It's all still a bit worrying as we don't know where the other piece of string is. They seem satisfied it's not in Mosi, but keep emphasizing how serious this sort of thing is and that I need to watch him closely over the weekend. I'll also be watching Jaffa too just in case he has eaten any of it (but I think not).
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So pleased he is home ;D
That eau de surgery smell took franta over a week to be nice to Ducha again and Ducha was rubbing himself all over Franta to say.......Look its me, I your bro dont you love me any more?........I felt so sorry for him.
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Susanne, am glad you have him home. Poor little soul. What a day for him. Speedy recovery to Mosi and Jaffa - behave yourself! ;) ;D
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Poor little lad's looking so sorry for himself. He does have his tail in the air though, esp when you approach him so at least he's happy to be home ;D
Jaffa wandered into the living room and gave mosi's paw a little sniff and then walked away. No hissing. And now Mosi's come into the bedroom and Jaffa's ignoring him so that's good. Last time there were lots of hisses but I think that had a lot to do with Mosi approaching Jaffa and being a tease. Little lad's not up to that at the moment.
I think he's a bit sore and having trouble settling. He was lying on his side and looked like he was having trouble getting up. I tried to help him and the poor lad gave a yelp of pain so I think I'll refrain from 'helping'!
They love him at the vets. Said he was a very good patient and very friendly. The vet asked me how much somali cats cost cos she wouldn't mind having one as Mosi is so friendly.
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Only just caught up with this thread.
Glad Mosi had the all clear at the vets,lets hope Jaffa isn't the one whos eaten it but I am sure you will find the other part of da bird one day when your cleaning :hug:
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Pleased you have Mosi home susanne, he will be quite tender as they will have most of his gi tract out giving it a good examine, poor lad but he sounds like he is being very brave :Luv:
Your vets sound pretty good aswell :)
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Glad everything is OK now but what a worrying time for you.
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Poor Mosi, did they give him any painkillers?
Hope he feels a little more comfortable tomorrow :hug:
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He's finally managed to get himself into a position that's comfortable enough to allow him to go to sleep. He's so obviously sore - he has this pained look on his face! Ive never seen him anything other than very confident, lively and happy so it's really hard seeing him like this. Even when I first brought him home as a little kitten he didn't bat an eyelid and just bounced out of the carrier ready for play. He looks so vulnerable and with a lot of his side/stomach fur shaved you can see how slender a cat he is under all that fur. I just want the old Mosi back! He's not interested in food but hopefully he will be by tomorrow. The vet didn't give me anything and just said give him plain food like chicken and fish. I've cooked him some chicken but he's not interested. I can't remember whether the vet said he'd eaten anything there or not. They did ask this morning what he liked to eat and wrote down hi life but I'm not sure if he actually got given anything. that might just have been in case he was in overnight. If he doesn't eat breakfast tomorrow I'll ring the vets and ask if they have some hills a/d or something to tempt him with.
Jaffa is growling and hissing at him (and me) as expected. I feel really sorry for Mosi feeling unwell and being hissed at! And sorry for poor Jaffa who just doesn't understand what's going on. It'll sort itself out in time though.
I feel totally shattered now. Just poured myself a glass of wine and Jaffa came and knocked it over! >:(
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Actually - meant to ask - he's still got a little bandage around his paw where the drip went in. Am I ok to take this off now? I forgot to ask about it. It's on quite tight and the sticky tape will be stuck to his fur so it might not be easy to get off. I seem to recall him having this when he was neutered and I just cut and pulled it off. It's not been left on for a reason has it?
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Mmm ok they should have taken time to explain things better to you susanne, you will be fine to take the tape off his leg and i would definately phone up and double check he has had a 24 hour painkiller and i'd also request some of the same but in tab form for you to pick up tomorrow rather than get an emergency vet if he seems pained on sunday. He's had major abdominal surgery so they should take that aspect of his care seriously.
Also i am a tad shocked they havent dispensed the likes of a/d or brand equivilent , he was being sick and they said his intestines seems abit inflamed and they opened him up and were "guddling" around in his intestinal area so I certainly would have been dispensing enough of that type of foods for atleast the weekend.
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So glad Mosi is OK ;D Gentle head kisses sent from me and the boys for him :hug: Maybe he could take the next few days to think over the seriousness of playing with stringy toys while Mum wasn't looking :shify:
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Lynn - I think it's more a case of me not taking it all in than them not explaining. I went into the consulting room and she brought Mosi through and showed me where he was stitched up etc and discussed his after care but I was just so relieved to see him looking well that it went in one ear and out the other. He's definitely had a long acting painkiller. I asked if he needed any tablets or anything to take home and she said no. He seems more settled now and is asleep under the bed (he often goes there, he's not just hiding because he's in pain or something). If he seems to be as uncomfortable in the morning I'll ring up and ask about some pain killers for him. esp being weekend, I don't want to be having to take him in to see the emergency vet just for some pain killers.
They never give hills a/d or similar after ops, always say feed chicken and rice or bland fish. He did show a bit of interest in some bozita at supper time and licked some jelly off my finger. So although he's not eating yet he is showing some interest in food. I've got some applaws chicken flake which should be gentle on his tummy so I'll try him with a bit of that in the morning. If he doesn't eat that I'll ring and ask if they have any a/d.
Helen - I'll suggest that to him but I think he's as likely to go for it as Riley is to stay of your worktops ;D
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ah yes i can understand that susanne, i used to always to the explanation and leave the pet collecting till last. I'd defo see how you feel re pain as you say they wont be open on sunday and his painkiller is likely to last until tomorrow afternoon.
lots of hugs to mosi just now, best if he has a nice long sleep tonight
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Wishing Mosi a quick recovery and just to let you know I've changed the topic title cos there are so many 'OH DEAR' type topics on here at the moment :-:
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Just caught up with this Susanne, really glad your little guy is okay. Hope he makes a good recovery and Jaffa isnt too much of a bully.
I expect Mosi might tell his cat friends about this later on when he is feeling better? ;)
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Glad he is home and better - my vets dont dispense a/d as standard either, they suggest either boiled chicken/fish, or scrambled egg. Hope he is seeming more himself this morning.
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He's looking much more comfortable today. Still obviously a bit sore but he's able to curl up in a little ball and go to sleep. His posture looks much more comfortable overall. He's also able to climb onto the bed, the sofa etc. I woke up at 4.30am to the sound of hissing in my right ear and found that Mosi had got onto the bed and Jaffa was telling him what he thought of that! Mosi came to me for a cuddle and after a few minutes settled down in his usual place on the bed lying on my feet. Jaffa allowed that and they both slept on the bed for a few more hours. He's enjoying being stroked and is generally much brighter today. I think it's a good thing he's in a bit of discomfort otherwise he'd be jumping on all sorts which I don't think would be good for him right now.
He's also eating. He had a little bit of chicken last night and this morning has eaten half a tin of applaws chicken. He'd have eaten more if I'd given it to him I think but I didn't want to give him too much at once so I'll give him the rest later.
Jaffa is still growling but he's getting closer to Mosi and seems to be tolerating him more. He mainly growls if he's near Mosi and I approach him. Poor Mosi looks so puzzled. When he came back from being neutered and we had the same thing he was his usual Mosi self and didn't bat an eyelid. And didn't stop jumping on Jaffa. But now because he's feeling a bit poorly he's just sitting there quietly and looking confused. I do feel sorry for him.
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Hun sorry only just seen this. So glad he is ok bless him. Give him a cuddle from us :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :Luv: :Luv:
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OMG I've only just seen this ..... poor Mosi :(
Glad to hear he is OK.
Rossi sends her boyfriend lots of love and gentle kisses ... but she does think he was a bit stupid to eat the string ... not only has he broken his toy he also ended up t the VET and had to have an operation! DOH! silly boy.
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Glad to hear he's a bit brighter, and a good sign that he's eating some too :hug:
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Glad he's a bit more comfortable ;D
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The little lad's wanting to go to all his fave places but can't quite manage to get to all of them. He's not up to jumping onto the worktops just yet but he sits looking longingly at them and prepares to jump up then realises he can't do it. I've put some boxes in the kitchen to make steps so he can get onto the boiler and from there onto the window ledge which is where he is now. He's doing really well and being such a brave boy. Ate all his tea up too.
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Great news :wow:
Good idea building him some jumping blocks ;)
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He's continuing to improve ;D He's still not my cheeky, little Mosi but he's getting there. He seems to enjoy being stroked and even swiped at a toy earlier. Jaffa seems to have stopped hissing at him. He's not hissed or growled today (yet) and has walked up to Mosi a few times and given him a sniff.
He's being a very good boy with his wound too. He's licking the fur around the area a lot (to clean it up I think) but he's not bothering with the wound itself. The vet said he hadn't attempted to lick it while he was there, but that if he did bother with it a lot I could get a collar from them. I'm glad I've not had to go down that road as I think that would make the poor little lad really miserable.
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So pleased to hear he is on the mend.Hope you`ve given him a good talking to and told him how lucky he is to have such a vigilant and caring mum :)
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Great news! So glad the little lad is back on his feet again.
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Glad to hear Mosi is recovering well Susanne, this time next week i bet he is just like the old Mosi ;)
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So pleased that Mosi is improving ;D
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Glad he's getting back to being the Mosi we all love so much :Luv:
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He took a playful swipe at Jaffa's tail this morning so I know he's getting back to normal! I hope he doesn't overdo it today while I'm out at work. He still can't jump up onto anything too high, and even with lower things he goes to jump then pauses and realises he can't so takes a deep breath and has a few false starts before he goes for it. Don't want him pulling those stitches out.
He has to go back to the vets tonight for a check up.
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Glad Mosi is feeling more up to annoying Jaffa :evillaugh: Let us know how he gets on at the vets.
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Soo pleased Mosi lad is feeling better hun. Sending hugs and gentle headbutts over to him :Luv:
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So glad that Mosi is on the mend, I was thinking about him yesterday
Positive vibes for a really speedy recovery xxx
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He went back to see the nice lady vet tonight and she's pleased with him ;D He has to go back again next Monday to make sure he's healed ok.
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great news susanne, what a relief.
Any signs of that string yet :-:
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:omg: Only just seen this!!!
What a brave boy he is :Luv: :Luv: :Luv: :Luv:
.... i'm now off to remove Dylan & Smudge's favourite bit of orange elastic string from their unattended reach though! :scared:
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I think he's almost back to normal now ;D He scaled a pile of boxes last night that are about 4 ft tall without any difficulty. Lynn - how long before it's safe for him to run and jump as normal? Is he ok to do that now? I forgot to ask the vet and am hesitant to encourage him to leap around too soon as it's only been 4 days. I don't think he's up to doing backflips just yet but otherwise he seems fine and is wanting to play.
Jaffa still has the odd hiss so things aren't 100% back to normal between them (I was woken twice in the night by them grooming each other and ending up with Jaffa hissing at Mosi) but getting there.
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So glad he is ok just read everything, how he doing now? :Luv:
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well last night he was climbing the curtains and teasing Jaffa, so I think it's safe to say normal service has been resumed ;D
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Thats really great news :Luv:
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That's brilliant news ;D
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It amazes me how quickly cats recover from things. If a human had abdominal surgery they would be laid up in bed for 2 weeks :innocent:
Im pleased your naughty boy is ok now