Pray for my kitty...

Tygir had to go in for surgery this morning.

She evidently got in a fight with another kitty, and that evil Devil-spawn bit her on the neck and infected her with some sort of nastiness. And even though I am usually a very vigilant mommy, the sleep deprivation made me miss the fact that her bite was getting infected.

Because here's the thing: Tygir doesn't go to the vet. She hasn't had a vaccine in years, partly because I'm lazy, but mostly because I kept forgetting to take her and by the time I got around to it, it had been so long, and she was still healthy, I figured, what the hell? Cats have been around for thousands of years without shots, what's the point now?

And I'll say it first. I should have kept her indoors. She is declawed, so she can't effectively defend herself, but she's always been an indoor/outdoor cat. She even used to go on hikes with my mom and I, just trotting along beside us on trails all over Marin, without a leash. I wanted her to have her freedom, and she'd never gotten seriously hurt from a fight before, so I figured she would be okay. But she is getting old now, she'll be 13 this year....

So her bite got infected, and formed an abcsess which I didn't notice because she's covered in fur. But then the abcsess ruptured, and I freaked out last night when I saw it because it was a huge hole in her neck, and there was blood and puss dripping out, and evidently she scratched it so much it opened up, so there was also no fur around it.

So I made Pedro take her to the animal ER at midnight.

And they gave her some antibiotics and said she needs surgery asap to remove the infected skin and close up the wound. And they offered to do it for $450.

WTF?

I always make fun of people who spend massive amounts of money on their pets, paying thousands of dollars for clothes, or surgery or whatever. But I can honestly say that last night, I would have shelled out that, plus what it cost for the antibiotics, to save my baby.

Luckily though, the puppies' vet had an appointment available today to do the surgery, and charges a lot less than the other hospital. *phew*

So I have to call tomorrow at 9am to check on her, and hopefully pick her up and bring her home and shower her with love.

And she's now, officially, and indoor cat.