Tuesday was the big day of Gatsbys Surgery, as you know he had torn his Cranial Cruciate Ligament.  We don’t know how it was caused, he may have done it running while playing with Earl, hurt it as he jumped down.  Anyway, there was a 50/50 chance that it may have repaired itself, however the reason which prompted us to decide on surgery is he was basically walking on bone.  If we would have left it for three months there could have been a high chance of him forming an aggressive onset of arthritis.  We’ve been through arthritis with another pet and it wasn’t a nice experience, the disease finally took hold of his legs and made him completely disabled in the end.

Surgery was the option we decided to do for our fur baby and family.  Has it been an easy ride for us, well its been somewhat of a roller coaster if i’m honest.  The day of surgery was upsetting, knowing you’re taking him to a place you know he hates going to anyway i’m just hoping that he knows we are trying to make him better.

The Surgery went well, he came home with a bandage and fur shaved everywhere so I basically now have half a furball.  The challenging part has been the recovery stage, its been traumatic for all of us!  The vet had wrapped a bandage on his right back leg so high that he appeared to be struggling to walk on it, so due to this he was unable to use his litter properly.  Gatsby’s frustration has been an added upset.  He growls and howls, it was terribly upsetting to hear.

Gatsby is on no jumping, running, playing orders so basically nothing so he can seriously hurt his leg.  The only way for us to achieve this was to gut out our spare room.  I have a mattress on the floor, i’ve moved all chairs, dressers, anything that can be jumped on.  He will be isolated in this room for the next six weeks, the only time this is an issue is when he hears someone preparing food down in the kitchen then he scratches at the door.

As Gatsby couldn’t use his litter at first, I lined a cardboard box with clear vinyl then poured his litter in we also used a container box lid.  I basically just tried to find a low opened shallow lid so it was easy for him.  I did think about just placing plastic on the floor and spreading litter on it, carpet your can clean or replace.  Your cats health is what’s important, anything you can do to make it more comfortable and less degrading for their prides.

The other challenge was Earl, as he really wanted to see his brother.  There was one time on Wednesday morning when Earl startled Gatsby and Gatsby was rolling about on the floor as he couldn’t get up.  Then I think he kind of hurt himself and started howling.  Its the part where you don’t know what to do for the best as they both do want to be together.  Earl is starting to get it, starting to realise that Gatsby is currently not in good health.  He did start to groom Gatsby at one point which is an enormous break through for them and was such a wonderful sight to see.

I was just saying to someone yesterday, this is the reason I didn’t want pets again, I hate this part.  The part where they get ill and you can’t do anything to help them or talk them through it.  But then, I realise we have a good home, they have an awesome lifestyle and they are out of the shelter and possibly alive because of us.

Gatsby now has to wear the cone of shame, this is another part of frustration for all of us.  Gatsby hates it, growls again when we try to put it on.  I have to move past this, he has to wear it to stop him from licking.  The barbs on his tongue would not be a great combination with his stitches.  These stitches will be in place for the next two weeks.

Our after care from the vet has been amazing, they walked us through everything before we took him home and they called us yesterday to see how we were doing.  We explained that the bandage wasn’t working so well, and they advised that we could take it off last night as he has completed at least 24 hours with it on.

So in closing this entry what can I recommend for others, it’s hard but… Stay Positive.  Listen to peoples opinions but do what’s best in your gut and for your cat.  I’ve listened to all sorts.  One of the most upsetting ones was to put him down.  I’m not sure why someone would say that to me but that’s their opinion.  Personally I would never kill a cat out of convenience, his leg was repairable.  I only put animals to sleep when all, I mean ALL hope and possible cures are gone.  Stay strong, Gatsby has been a diva, but we have to move past being a cat parent and think what’s logical.  I have a great support network on my social media accounts, I couldn’t ask for more I would highly recommend at least making an Instagram account if you don’t already have one.  If you don’t have pet insurance, get on the phone NOW and get covered.  The costs are no laughing matter and you don’t want to be in a position of not being able to afford an injury.  Yes, even if you have an “indoor” cat accidents happen.  Don’t forget Gatsby is an “indoor” cat.  I also recommend “Relax my cat” you can find their channel on You Tube, this has been a god sent during thunder storms for Gatsby and i’m using it again during his time in isolation.  It’s basically anti-anxiety selected music to sooth them.

Thanks for reading, if you would like to offer any other suggestions, or just to leave a supportive comment please do.  I love reading them!