ResearchMonkey
Well-Known Member
Being a father is something that requires skills and temperment, you make changes that aren't always what your best judgement dictates.
We had to put-down a kitten last night.
Last night I had noticed a kitten, 8-weeks, wasn't playing with the other kittens and was marked with a stiffened gait. I was watching closely. She was with the other kittens wandering but she wasn't traveling the entire distance of the kitten play.
When they all went for the waterbowl, this one just sniffed it. -- "WIFE!, get in here."
After stating my observations we decided to act. -- "KIDS!, front and center!" . . . Lined up like the VonTrapp children -- "We have a situation, going mobile, get dressed, assemble on me in 'five-minutes' for a briefing"
I explained to the girls that I belive that "M-head" is sick and that we need make an effort to save her, but we must act now.
So on the way to animal ER, informing my children of the reality of kittens, I told them it may be very serious. She could have natural internal issues and/or organ failures or a cat sickness and that "M-head" may be dying. Moments later, as my wife is holding it, the kitty ralphs-up blood in my wifes jaguar. We looked at each other silently, we both knew, big trouble! My wife checked to see if any got on the interior.
We got there and went straight into the exam room, they took the kitty in back to do a quick Dx exam. Speaking with the Vet privately, we both realized the most likely cause was a pathogen.
The Doc said it was most likely in the early symptomatic stages, <50/50 on survival. So he offers to make an estimate for Tx. My wife and I confer guessing at the cost and figureing out what is acceptable. When he returns he has a basic list of Dx-test, and daily cost of Tx 'til Monday, ~$1,700.
I sadly look at my wife for a moment and then ask "whats plan-B?" . . . the Vet nodded with an unstanding poise. Trying to lighten the moment, my wife comment that we could take it to San Francisco and get free animal healthcare.
We now assemble the children again and tell them. They begin to lose the composure they had been trying to so hard to maintain, the wailing begins.
They hand my wife the form to sign, she pauses "I can't sign it", and hands it to me. -- '$117 for euthanasia" - shocked I looked at my wife, she firmly states "NO!, JUST SIGN IT", she knew I was thinking a single round of qualty .762 cost maybe $0.50. Glaringly she qualified her statement with - ". . . the children". I signed the form.
I paid the $275 services bill. After making some paw-prints in clay and saying good-bye, we left the kitty. We went to sonic and got some huge slushies, drove out to the almond orchards at the end of the airport runway, layed in the grass watching the aircraft fly over and telling stories about "M-head" and the other kitty's. I kept thinking to myself, for $0.50 cents and 15-minutes drive, all I would've had to say is "I gave the kitty to a nice family".
(BTW, the 5 remaining kitty's all seem* to be healthy at the moment and got their shots this morning plus a Tx regimen "as if", I hope we stave off the threat for the rest.)
We had to put-down a kitten last night.
Last night I had noticed a kitten, 8-weeks, wasn't playing with the other kittens and was marked with a stiffened gait. I was watching closely. She was with the other kittens wandering but she wasn't traveling the entire distance of the kitten play.
When they all went for the waterbowl, this one just sniffed it. -- "WIFE!, get in here."
After stating my observations we decided to act. -- "KIDS!, front and center!" . . . Lined up like the VonTrapp children -- "We have a situation, going mobile, get dressed, assemble on me in 'five-minutes' for a briefing"
I explained to the girls that I belive that "M-head" is sick and that we need make an effort to save her, but we must act now.
So on the way to animal ER, informing my children of the reality of kittens, I told them it may be very serious. She could have natural internal issues and/or organ failures or a cat sickness and that "M-head" may be dying. Moments later, as my wife is holding it, the kitty ralphs-up blood in my wifes jaguar. We looked at each other silently, we both knew, big trouble! My wife checked to see if any got on the interior.
We got there and went straight into the exam room, they took the kitty in back to do a quick Dx exam. Speaking with the Vet privately, we both realized the most likely cause was a pathogen.
The Doc said it was most likely in the early symptomatic stages, <50/50 on survival. So he offers to make an estimate for Tx. My wife and I confer guessing at the cost and figureing out what is acceptable. When he returns he has a basic list of Dx-test, and daily cost of Tx 'til Monday, ~$1,700.
I sadly look at my wife for a moment and then ask "whats plan-B?" . . . the Vet nodded with an unstanding poise. Trying to lighten the moment, my wife comment that we could take it to San Francisco and get free animal healthcare.
We now assemble the children again and tell them. They begin to lose the composure they had been trying to so hard to maintain, the wailing begins.
They hand my wife the form to sign, she pauses "I can't sign it", and hands it to me. -- '$117 for euthanasia" - shocked I looked at my wife, she firmly states "NO!, JUST SIGN IT", she knew I was thinking a single round of qualty .762 cost maybe $0.50. Glaringly she qualified her statement with - ". . . the children". I signed the form.
I paid the $275 services bill. After making some paw-prints in clay and saying good-bye, we left the kitty. We went to sonic and got some huge slushies, drove out to the almond orchards at the end of the airport runway, layed in the grass watching the aircraft fly over and telling stories about "M-head" and the other kitty's. I kept thinking to myself, for $0.50 cents and 15-minutes drive, all I would've had to say is "I gave the kitty to a nice family".
(BTW, the 5 remaining kitty's all seem* to be healthy at the moment and got their shots this morning plus a Tx regimen "as if", I hope we stave off the threat for the rest.)
