When I went to pick up Butterbean on Friday afternoon, she was huddled under a pile of blankets and safely tucked into one of the kennels at the vet. Though she was calm, her eyes were wild and dilated. The anesthesia was wearing off and the pain medicine was kicking in, and though she was quite loopy, I could see a sense of relief in her face when I opened up the door to her cage and said hello.
Everything had gone just fine, but one tooth needed to be extracted.
I got the post-procedure low-down, some pain meds and antibiotics to take home, then I packed up our girl and left.
When we we got home, I put the carrier down on the living room rug, opened the door, and she slowly stumbled out. Wylla was right there and was very curious and a little confused about the kind of familiar/ kind of strange cat in our house. There was lots of cautious sniffing and some low growling. Clearly Bean smelled different than normal, and minty-fresh, so Wylla wasn't quite sure who that was walking all wobbly in our living room.
We all went to the kitchen and I prepared a small, soupy snack for Charlene. She had a few licks, then I brought up upstairs so she could get settled down and recover.
The first 24 hours were the hardest. She would go to her normal napping spots, but just sit or lay there with her eyes open. Her body was somewhat relaxed, but she couldn't seem to fall asleep. She would get up for light snacks or to use the litter box, then settle back in and not nap. Wylla shadowed her constantly.
By late Saturday afternoon, she was able to thoroughly rest and had some good naps. We had adjusted her pain meds, and I think that helped. Though she was better, she still wasn't quite our Bean.
We stayed close to help keep her as comfortable as possible, but there really wasn't much to do other than wait with her as she rode this out.
We saw more improvements Sunday: she was eating better and grooming herself. She wasn't too active, but she did move around a little bit more than the previous day. Her eyes looked normal again, and she was super purr-y and affectionate.
We gave her last does of pain meds Sunday eve, and this morning I woke up to my normal "where is my breakfast" Bean walking across my head and yelling at me. Any other day this behavior is annoying, but today I was happy to see it because it meant our Bean was back!
I don't have any pictures to share today -- I really didn't think Bean would appreciate me taking photos of her while she was down, so I didn't document any of this weekend's events. No one needs to see images of a sad, drooling Bean, anyway.
I'm grateful that's all behind us now and hope we won't have to do this anytime again soon!
Thanks to all of you for thinking good thoughts for our girl. We appreciate your love and support so much!
Great news she is doing so well.
ReplyDeleteGlad to know she is fine but a loopy picture would have been fun! After all, her belly grooming photo is not exactly refined!
ReplyDeleteSo happy to hear that Bean is doing well and thank you for not posting sad/drooly pics of her. I'm not sure my poor heart could have taken it.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear she is doing well. Many people don't realize just how different cats might act after having anesthesia, be it for a dental or otherwise. Both of ours had several teeth removed in the past year or so and each time it was kind of difficult to watch their behaviors be so different from usual. Aside from the stumbling around and looking confused - both of mine became rather obsessive imagining there were other cats around that didn't belong to us. Cocoabean in particular didn't seem to come back to herself until a full week later. She spent days camped out in front of our basement door, listening for I don't know what. She stopped vocalizing and purring the whole time and it wasn't until she did so again that we knew she really was feeling better.
ReplyDeleteGlad she is "back!" So hard when our furries aren't themselves! <3
ReplyDeleteOh, sweet Bean! So glad she is feeling better.
ReplyDeleteI guess I am lucky that my older girls never needed extractions, just cleanings.
Thanks for honoring Charlene's dignity. Her infamous grooming pic is sufficient.
Thanks for the update
I'm glad to hear that all went well and that Bean is back to normal. LG hasn't yet undergone anesthesia, but the one time he was on pain meds he wasn't himself at all. He didn't want to be around me or my husband and scarcely seemed to have slept during the day or overnight. When we tried to convince him to come upstairs, he poked his head around the corner and looked at us rather guardedly. He spent a lot of time in the living room (where, despite its name, we don't spend much time at all). There he stared at things that weren't there. Poor kit-kat. He wasn't himself again until the pain meds wore off.
ReplyDeleteOh, thank goodness! What a relief to hear that the Queen is back on her throne, directing her household staff (that would be you, Laurie) and subjects (Wylla). Extra treats for everyone (including the staff)!
ReplyDeleteGlad Bean is getting back to normal. I appreciated your documenting how everything went with her recovery in the event I find myself in the same situation.
ReplyDeleteSo glad to hear. Hugs for the whole fam x
ReplyDeleteMel, Tdubz & Freya
We're so glad Bean is back but even more glad that you took her to get her teeth taken care of. I hope everyone reading this will realize that dental care is as important to our kitties as it is to us. Props to Wylla for toughing it out, too!
ReplyDeleteI am glad you are feeling better Miss Charlene. I had my teeth cleaned today also but I didn't have to be sedated. =^.^=
ReplyDeleteDear Charlene,
ReplyDeleteYou have the best kitty Mom ever! We are Streak and Crash, two adorable twin 5-year-old tuxedo kitties about to have our first dental visit. After reading your story, we feel much more comfortable about our procedure and recovery. Thank you for being such a great example Bean, and we hope you feel like your awesome self again very soon!!!