Ziggy Freaked Out

I have found that writing this blog has been extremely therapeutic over the years. While I tend not to write about family and friends, I have no issues discussing my cat, Ziggy. Last week, Ziggy urinated on our bathroom carpet for four consecutive days. Once or twice could be behavioral. and there have been some changes around the house lately, but we started to get concerned about him. Therefore, we scheduled a veterinarian appointment. In preparation for the appointment, we were instructed to collect a urine sample, but it didn’t happen. Ziggy somehow managed not to urinate in his litter box for the 16 hours leading up to the appointment. Maybe he sensed something was up.



Ziggy rarely leaves home, and it is always a struggle getting him into his carrier. We managed to get him into the carrier, but he whined the entire car ride. The vet itself didn’t start terribly. They took him back to get a urine sample, and while I don’t know how exactly the extracted the sample, I’m sure it wasn’t pleasant for him. They got him back in his carrier, and we waited for the result. The result is some type of bacteria in his bladder and possibly a urinary tract infection.

At this point, there were two options: we could administer a liquid antibiotic twice a day for the next two weeks or they could give him a one shot with some sort of time release. Having rather poor results in giving Ziggy medicine in the past, the shot seemed like easiest and better option for us and Ziggy. Unfortunately, the vet was out of one of the two medicines needed in the shot, so they planned on giving him one shot at the appointment and the second when it came in a few days later. Not the best solution, but it still seemed like the best alternative.

The vet took Ziggy to get the shot, but I guess Ziggy was done. Apparently, as soon as he got out of the carrier, he freaked out. He hissed and bolted and managed to urinate and defecate in the room and all over himself. The vet was able to get him into a cage with the carrier also inside the cage in an attempt to calm him down. I was soon brought back to see him, and he clearly was a mess. They never administered the shot since he was in no position to get it. Plus, I think the vet staff worried that he would attack. Collectively, we decided that if we got Ziggy into his carrier, we would take him home. For about 90 minutes, I tried to soothe Ziggy and convince him to get into the carrier. Even with the vet and vet assistants out of the room for much of the time, he either growled or hissed. At one point, he even bit me. I was and still am devastated by this. This is the same Ziggy that runs to the door when I come home to greet me and regularly sleeps between my legs in bed. He is a loving cat that has never acted like this before.



The end result is that we couldn’t get him to relax. He never got into the carrier and any attempt by me to try to pick him up resulted in hissing. I even tried to wipe off his fur with a wet paper towel, but that didn’t go well either. He spent last night at the vet (they also have a “pet hotel”) where he is separate from the other animals, and they will bathe him and hopefully receive the medicine on Monday to give him the antibiotic. I feel like an awful parent/pet owner, but I’m not really sure what else I could have done. Ziggy wasn’t in any condition to come home. I definitely miss/missed him last night and today. I constantly catch myself looking for him. When we put our child to sleep at night, Ziggy regularly sits next to the chair to make sure everything is okay and because he likes being around everyone. It was an extremely odd feeling last night knowing that I didn’t need to make sure Ziggy was out of the nursery before putting our child to sleep. I just hope that Ziggy is okay, both physically and mentally, and that we can bring him home Monday night.

Update 9/19 @ 9:45 AM: I just talked to someone at the vet office, and Ziggy is doing much better. He is eating fine and even approached and sniffed the vet tech's hand (as opposed to his reaction on Saturday). The antibiotic is also in, so I should be able to pick up Ziggy later today. I'll pass on more information when I'm able to talk to the vet.

Update 9/19 @ 12:15 PM: Although he calmed down from Saturday, he still wasn't happy seeing the vet and vet staff today. He was given a sedative and the antibiotic. They also cleaned him up. Now, I just need to pick up Ziggy and bring him home. He's really been missed here the past two days.

Update 9/19 6:45 PM: Ziggy’s home! I went to the vet, and they brought me back to the cage where he has stayed the past two days. Ziggy was extremely happy to see me. He didn’t stop purring and constantly flipped over so I could rub his stomach while brushing his head against his hand. This is the Ziggy I know and love, not the one that hissed at me on Saturday. We got him into the carrier, but he was shaking until we left the office. He was a little better on the ride home and is now re-familiarizing himself with the house. He’s still a little skittish, but he ate his entire dinner in no time. Now, I’ll have to get a urine sample from Ziggy in two weeks and have the vet analyze the results. They don’t want us to bring Ziggy into the office unless we have to, and I think Ziggy is okay with that too! Thanks again for everyone’s support. It’s amazing how much happiness this cat brings the family. Of course, after the vet bill, we’re going to need him to go to work!