Half-Nekkid Thursday : Walter

“Hi, my name is Walter and this is my human…  no, you can’t have her, she’s mine.”

Today we’re doing something different.  No tits or ass or cock to ogle at, just a story about one of our furry family members and the trauma he and we have been through this week.

Those of you who follow my twitter stream know all about the excitement around Walter this week. On Monday he was in a feline vs. auto accident and survived, making his way back to the house. My wife urgently IMed me to get home quick (she has a hard time with blood) and I rushed home with the help of a co-worker, since I’d ridden my bike to work.

I arrived home and found Walter in the basement, sitting in a daze, his face a mess. SQUICK ALERT: injury details follow. His left eye was bloody and swollen, he was bleeding from the eye, nose and mouth, his tongue was sticking out at a funny angle.  Wendy hadn’t been sure what happened to him, unable to get close enough, but I knew immediately he’d been hit by a car.   He was sitting up though and walked into his carrier, so I figured his legs and spine were good.  I did a quick manual exam of his abdomen and he didn’t react, so that was also a good sign.

I scooped him into a cat carrier and hustled him to our vet’s office.  They’d misinformed us that lunch time would be over soon, as it was our vet wasn’t going to be back in for another hour and a half.  I really didn’t think we could wait that long to have him seen, so I took their recommendation and made my way to another vet.   They examined him, got him on pain and shock meds, plus antibiotics.     Abdominal x-rays confirmed his body was uninjured and he had no visible internal bleeding… amazing.  It seemed that he’d taken a glancing blow only to his head.

I almost lost it several times during the initial exam and the vet’s explanation of his injuries.  Waves of nausea went through me and passing out seemed a sure bet several times.  And I’m usually the person who can handle blood and gore and dire news.  The vet tech responded quickly, bringing a cool, damp washrag and a cup of water.    Meanwhile, Mrs. Kyle pushed aside her dislike of blood and cleaned up the mess at home.   And throughout the day, I had Roxy and Amber texting their support and love to me.  I was well supported.

The verdict was that Walter would need surgery on his jaw, pallet and maybe more.  His left eye did not look good.  The vet explained that they were not a 24/7 facility and Walter’s prognosis for surviving the night without care was guarded.  The nearest full service 24/7 pet hospital was in Tacoma (VCA Pacific Ave SouthAnimal Hospital, great facility).  After some consultation with Mrs. Kyle, we decided I’d transport him to that hospital and get him settled for surgery and 24/7 care.

Yes, this was an expensive option to choose.. but look at that picture?  See that little girl he’s lying on?  Walter is her boy, her cat, her dog, her best friend.  If we didn’t do everything we could do to put him back together for her.. well, we just didn’t want to go there.

And so it was that Monday night found me sitting in an exam room with a sad, broken cat.   Very excellent staff, they quickly got him on pain meds and fluids again so he could be comfortable.   I was a walk in, and other appointments and emergencies arrived during my time there.   I finally left around 10 pm, secure in the knowledge that Walt was in good hands.   I hadn’t eaten much at all, since the scramble started before lunch.  I scarfed a Jack in the Box sandwich on the drive home and talked to Roxy, who helped raise my spirits and keep me awake until I’d arrived safely.

Walter’s surgery was yesterday.  Everything went in an optimal way:  jaw wired shut to help heal the split at his chin, pallet soft tissue stitched so that the hard pallet can heel (it was split completely along the mid-line).  He probably won’t recover vision in his left eye, we have to wait to see if it will need to be removed or not.  Other than that he has one broken tooth, pretty miraculous considering how badly this could have gone.  I’ve never had a pet survive a collision with a vehicle before.

We’re going to go visit him today and I’m a little apprehensive about my elderSpawn seeing him but I know she needs to give love and receive it from him.   Throughout all of this, Walter has been an utter champion, earning praise from the vet techs and doctors for his great attitude and lovey disposition.  Yes, this has become an expensive rescue operation, but he’s showing us that he’s up to the challenge of recovery and we’re happy to give him that chance.

Happy HNT everyone 

To see all the other HNT posts for the day, go to Views from the Back Row, from whence the HNT goodness has come.

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