What a week this has been! My my, the week has flown and it has surely been a week of lessons from the SCHOOL OF LIFE. Not so much book work this week, but a lot of real life learning has taken place.
First of all, I woke up on Tuesday morning to a lovely day, a day off, and plans to get A LOT done. However, after putting our heads together, Michaela and I came to the conclusion that we had not seen Oreo in at least a couple of days.
Here’s little Oreo as a new kitten, so sweet, and she was the most loving and trusting kitten in the bunch. She turned out to be the best hunter too, and she’s the one kitten in that litter that we adopted and kept.
Anyhoo, now Oreo is about a year and a half old, Oreo is an outside cat and we have so many neighborhoood cats that hang around the yard, I do not do a head count every morning when I take food out. I just see Oreo when I see her and give her hugs and she likes to be on her way. Still, on Tuesday morning I was concerned that I had not actually laid eyes on Oreo for a couple of days, and then Michaela said it had been four days for her!
So we started calling, and calling, and calling. I had to come in and get some stuff done, but Michaela would not give up and stayed on the porch shaking the food container and calling. It had probably been three or four hours in total that someone had been calling for Oreo — either Michaela on the front porch or me walking up and down our street, when Michaela came flying inside, breathless, and sobbing uncontrollably. Oreo had dragged herself up onto the porch but it was a sight I’ll not soon forget. She was badly injured, having been hit by a car.
Let me stop here and say that Michaela has always wanted to be a vet, but the sight of Oreo made her say she didn’t think she could do it. If ever we needed a lesson in what it really means to be a vet, we got one that day. I began giving Michaela things to do to keep her busy: go get the crate. Get me the phone book. Go get some clean cloths from the rag box. Oreo appeared to be missing an eye, her jaw was dangling, obviously broken, and the skin underneath her jaw was dangling down even farther. The top of her head was raw and black.
I called the vet, that amazing man they call Dr. Mac, and he said to bring her in. I just knew we’d have to put Oreo down, but he informed me that her eye was still there, there was just a ton of swelling, the place on her head would slough off and heal over with new skin, and the biggest thing of all, he felt he could pin her broken jaw back together.
What?
Surgery is not cheap, but he quoted me a price that we could squeeze in, especially if he let me break it into about three payments. He was so sweet. He said, “If I have to choose between putting her down and three payments, I say we gotta try.”
On top of that, he said by the looks of the black wound on top of her head, her injuries were indeed about four days old. That means that poor Oreo had been laying outside in the cold and some rain for four days with no food and maybe no water. A cat with that kind of will deserves a chance!
Fast forward to today, Friday. Oreo looks like a different kitty! Dr. Mac repaired her jaw and she is healing! She is eating a food called A/D which is very nutrient dense. We have to water it down and she laps it up like water. I am totally amazed at how strong a cat she has been to survive all of this. She is of course on antibiotics and pain meds and has to rest a lot. She is also inside, something that has Annie very puzzled and curious!
I know not everyone wants to see how she looked, so I could not bring myself to take a picture of her before surgery. You see, her surgery was not until Wednesday morning, so we kept her here Tuesday night in the horrible shape she was in. It was so hard to hear her meowing and to see her in such discomfort.
If you want to see how she looks now, a picture is here. It’s not so bad, but will show you some of the top of her head injuries.
And here’s one of her little face and how remarkably the vet brought her chin back together. The red spot over her eye is where all the swelling was and where a small piece of dead skin had to be clipped off. Her eyelid may not have hair in the future, but it should heal. I think Oreo’s tongue is sticking out because of the swelling.
Dr. Mac was so kind to Michaela. He explained every injury to her and explained what he would do to fix it. He told her he thought she might want to be a vet again once she sees how Oreo looks in a month.
We snapped this picture because Oreo was already trying to play last night. Annie was wagging her tail because she’s so excited to have another pet in the house with her, and Oreo was pawing at Annie’s wagging tail. 
It’s also notable that Oreo’s eyes appear blue in the shot and Annie’s red!
One more thing. I called this post “the week of doctors” because I went to the specialist yesterday that I’ve been wanting to see. I saw PA Linda Salerno, and talk about seeing someone who knows EXACTLY what I’ve been through!! You can read her story here.
Well, it’s a work day for me so I must run. It’s been an exciting week for us here. I’ll let you know how Oreo does. And how I do. I’m on a new regimen of supplements and I feel better already. I was diagonsed with a classic, severe case of adrenal fatigue, in addition to hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s. When I went in my BP was only 90/55 and my heart rate was around 60. Have a wonderful Friday!
for you to leave a comment, but you can also e-mail me at lynn AT thehealthyhomeschool.com
Oh, my heart breaks for your sweet kitty. She is indeed very brave. I am so glad you could save her. I know that dilemma. Our kitty needed $300 of vet work recently and it never happens at a good time. My oldest wants to be a vet. I often wonder if he could stand the gory parts of it all. I know I could not. Blessings and thank you for your comment. I am trusting the Lord for them and not dwelling on the painful parts.
Jenn
Hi Lynn, Being a cat actually animal lover, my heart just broke to think of your poor kitty in so much pain for so long. But I am so glad that you persevered in calling her and now have her on the road to good health. Love reading your blog by the way – discovered it a few months ago and so glad that I did.
Blessings
Shirley
Oh Lynn…. I haven’t been able to click on the pictures of poor Oreo, but just the story brought me to tears. The poor thing, and poor Michaela. How blessed you are to have such a kind vet too. Praying for the kitty’s recovery and for Michaela’s emotional recovery too!
Just a word about your health difficulties, my Amelia has what seem to be very similar problems to yours. She was diagnosed with lupus and Hashimoto’s by an endocrinologist, then our GP felt she had something else. It has been a discouraging process. She’s hanging in there and doing ok, but still as her mama, I wish that she could get *better!* Anyway… hope you can get *better* too!
After reading your post, I clicked on the pics and Oreo looks amazing after her ordeal.
What an awesome vet to take the time to explain to Michaela about Oreo’s injuries and what he was going to do to help.
Truly a miracle!
Aw, the poor kitty. What a wonderful vet you have! My 10yo daughter wanted to be a vet, too, but has more recently decided she’d rather be a wildlife rehabilitator, so that might be an option for Michaela if she is sensitive to the blood and gore side of veterinary medicine. I hope Oreo recovers completely; it looks like she’s well on her way!
Dear Lynn,
Poor little kitty! We had something similar happen with our Spanky a few years back. We think he must’ve been hit by a car, but was under the porch for days before we found him. Luckily, he only had a bad limp afterwards (which still bothers him). Animals teach us so many lessons we weren’t prepared for!
I’m glad you’re digging a little deeper into your health issues. I guess it makes sense that when one gland is off, all of them are going to be off.
Love,
Marqueta
Oh Lynn! The poor sweet thing! (((hugs))) She looks like she is doing better, but my heart hurts for all that she has been through…
What a terrible week you’ve had. I am so glad that Oreo will be okay – our dear pets certainly become part of the family, don’t they?
I’m also happy that your health is on the improve. The correct diagnosis is always half the battle won imho.
Jeanne
When I was a little girl almost fourty years ago, out kitty got kicked or hit by a car. His jaw was broken, and the vet wired it back together. His ears were raggedy, and he got very skinny there at the end, but he was loved by all the children in the neighborhood. Vets are special people. And cats have nine lives.
Jenn, thank you for your thoughts toward our little Oreo. I don’t know if I could stand the gore either. I am hoping that Michaela will be encouraged by Oreo’s amazing improvement.
Shirley Ann, thank you so much for leaving a comment and for your kind words. Now that it has happened, I am so thankful as well that we kept calling. I stay so busy, I’m sure that’s the only reason she was missing for as long as she was in the first place. We could have so easily continued to put food out but not really paid attention. Thank goodness she’s around in her warm crate right now, dozing after a good meal!
Diane, I’m so sorry to hear about Amelia’s diagnosis. One of my worries was that autoimmune diseases often don’t exist alone, but hand in hand with another autoimmune illness. I have felt the best today that I have felt in a LONG time. I believe it’s already from the changes this new doctor has had me make. And I understand your not wanting to see the pictures of Oreo. I’ll never get the image from my mind of how she looked when she first came home.
Sue, isn’t is absolutely amazing?? Like I said, I could not bring myself to take a picture because I’ll never get the image from my mind and I did not want to inflict anyone else with it, but the difference is astounding! Dr. Mac truly did a remarkable job!
Emily, thank you for sharing that! I will mention that to Michaela. I do think this really made her stop and consider if she could do all that.
Marqueta, we did learn lessons from Oreo that were shocking to us. My friend Susan — well one of them
— who comments sometimes has worked for a vet for years and she was talking to me about the will that is in pets to live, especially if they are loved. Marqueta, I marked your words awhile back when you posted about adrenal fatigue. I knew I had all the symptoms. Looking back, I think my thyroid has struggled for years as well. At this point, I am not sure what failed first, but I’m really on some interesting supplements to heal my adrenals.
Rachel, thank you. My heart hurts for her too, and we would NEVER have let her stay out that long hurt like that. We just had no idea and she’s always been so very smart and so fast, it just did not occur to me that she would be hit by a car. I just feel awful that we did not notice it sooner, but I keep thinking that if we had found her sooner, the surgery might not have gone as well — perhaps there was swelling that took place and then subsided and will allow for better apposition. Maybe I’m just trying to make myself feel better. Anyway, I am just glad she’s safe and sound and warm inside right now.
Jeanne, it’s been a tough week for sure, but a great week in the sense of seeing such a good PA and medical clinic! I think you are right that an appropriate diagnosis is half the battle!
Ginger, that’s something!! I was just stunned that something like that could even be done. I mean, kitties have such tiny faces anyway, I just felt she was doomed, but you should see her eating now!! I am glad your cat was able to be fixed up. I am sure it makes for a much better memory than the alternatives. That’s what I wanted for Michaela: a good memory, not a horrible one.
Lynn
Hi Lynn,
From my 28 years working in a veterinary office “Oreo” is an amazing cat. She will continue to surprise you daily as her healing continues. Animals always inspire me because they never give up.
Susan, it was so nice to talk with you a couple of nights ago. I love hearing about the animals, and of course I always love talking to you! I miss having you in the same city (or even the same state!) as me. Love, Lynn
What a horrible thing to have happen to your kitty…but I’m so glad you and Michaela were diligent in finding her. She looks much better already than the awful image I had in my mind as I read the story. We had a cat growing up that indeed had 9 lives…I’m wishing Oreo eight more!
Lynn – I’m so sorry for all that poor Oreo has gone through. I’m thankful you have such a great vet and I hope she continues to heal nicely.
I’m glad you had a good appt too and hope you are encouraged by your visit.
Love
Leslie