# My cat makes veterinary medical history! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 24, 2010, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-makes-veterinary-medical-history/544358 "2010-06-24T14:56:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-makes-veterinary-medical-history/544358/1 "2010-06-24T14:56:14Z")
Subtitle: Is there anything in the world more pitiful than a kitty in a cone? So, my poor [Porkchop](http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z40/Samnite_photos/porkchop.jpg) kitty has just had surgery for a bilateral perineal hernia. This condition is apparently so rare in female cats that the surgeon, who has been working for 40 years, and is a professor emeritus from Auburn Vet School, has not only never seen a case before now, he has never even read a case study of one. So the poor kitty currently has a shaved ass, has two large, sutured incisions down either side of her anus, has to wear a cone, and has to be kept in a 4’x4’ space for the next 6 weeks. ☹ She’s absolutely miserable. I go in several times a day to give her medicine, empty her litter (she’s pooping, which is a huge relief), feed and water her, and give her lots of hugs. She has no idea what has happened to her, or why her butt hurts, or why she’s being kept in prison. But every time I come in and pop her collar off to give her a bit of a break, she goes absolutely crazy with affection. She struggles into my lap, purring like something’s rattling around inside her. She kneads her claws. She butts her head against my chin. She just wants reassurance and love. And then I have to bottle her back up, and she howls like she has a broken heart. Poor girl. ☹ And yes, it cost us a mint to get her fixed up. And no, the vet doesn’t know why she got a hernia, and that’s very worrisome. Some of my friends think I’m an utter fool to drop $1500 on surgery for a cat, but she’s my buddy! We’ve been together a long time. I accepted the responsibility for her, and I can’t just cast her aside because she has some problems, damn it! ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-makes-veterinary-medical-history/544358/2 "2010-06-24T15:29:22Z")
I would do the same in your position without question. Poor kitty. Glad she’s on the mend. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-makes-veterinary-medical-history/544358/3 "2010-06-24T15:47:05Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > Some of my friends think I’m an utter fool to drop $1500 on surgery for a cat, but she’s my buddy! We’ve been together a long time. I accepted the responsibility for her, and I can’t just cast her aside because she has some problems, damn it! “You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.” Good on you for living up to that responsibility, and my best wishes to Porkchop. May her recovery be quick and complete. ---
**Author:** ![35\_U.S.C](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/a4c791/32.png) [@35\_U.S.C](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/35_U.S.C)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-makes-veterinary-medical-history/544358/4 "2010-06-24T15:59:43Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > And yes, it cost us a mint to get her fixed up. And no, the vet doesn’t know why she got a hernia, and that’s very worrisome. Some of my friends think I’m an utter fool to drop $1500 on surgery for a cat, but she’s my buddy! We’ve been together a long time. I accepted the responsibility for her, and I can’t just cast her aside because she has some problems, damn it! During my senior year of undergrad, my then-future wife and I purchased a rabbit. Specifically, a beautiful grey miniature Holland Lop. Neither of us had ever owned one before. Within a few months, she developed an abscess in her eye. Fortunately we were within two hours of one of the only Veterinary universities in the country with the expertise to help her. It was $1200 for the surgery. Our little bun was purchased for just $30. She has been with us for 7 years now, and we couldn’t be happier. Probably the best $1200 we ever spent. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-makes-veterinary-medical-history/544358/5 "2010-06-24T16:04:11Z")
Best wishes for your Porkchop! You are a good slave. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-makes-veterinary-medical-history/544358/6 "2010-06-24T16:42:59Z")
> [@](#): > > She struggles into my lap, purring like something’s rattling around inside her. She kneads her claws. She butts her head against my chin. She just wants reassurance and love. > > And then I have to bottle her back up, and she howls like she has a broken heart. Poor girl. > > {snip}Some of my friends think I’m an utter fool to drop $1500 on surgery for a cat, but she’s my buddy! We’ve been together a long time. I accepted the responsibility for her, and I can’t just cast her aside because she has some problems, damn it! Money can’t buy love…but it can buy time with loved ones. I think that this might be the wisest possible use for your money. I hope that Porkchop (what a name!) recovers fully and quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-makes-veterinary-medical-history/544358/7 "2010-06-24T16:51:55Z")
Congratulations on making history! My friend’s parents’ cat was the first kidney transplant recipient in the state of Indiana. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-makes-veterinary-medical-history/544358/8 "2010-06-24T17:10:21Z")
With pets, as with humans, it is never good to hear that “you’ve made medical history!”. Best wishes to Porkchop. ---
**Author:** ![cwthree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@cwthree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cwthree)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-makes-veterinary-medical-history/544358/9 "2010-06-24T17:35:16Z")
Your Porkchop looks just like one of our feline overlords. Glad she’s getting better. Give her a scritch for me, will you? ---
**Author:** ![badbadrubberpiggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@badbadrubberpiggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badbadrubberpiggy)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-makes-veterinary-medical-history/544358/10 "2010-06-24T20:10:37Z")
Poor Porkchop! Sounds like she’s doing well now, though - aside from the Cone of Shame, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-makes-veterinary-medical-history/544358/11 "2010-06-24T20:24:19Z")
We couldn’t find a vet’s kennel much bigger than 2’x3’, which is much too small. I ended up spending part of the afternoon building her a space out of plywood and chicken wire. It’s ghetto, but it’s better than keeping her in a tiny cage with her litter, water, food, and a bed. Unfortunately, we have no space in the house to keep a bigger structure, so we’re having to banish her to the (lighted, air-conditioned) basement for a while. She ought to be happier in the much larger pen, so why do I feel so guilty? ☹ Anyway, thanks, guys. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-makes-veterinary-medical-history/544358/12 "2010-06-24T20:28:33Z")
Aw… poor little Porkchop. I wish you both the best. Our animal masters have cost us a bundle, but it has been well worth it. How did your cat get a name like ‘Porkchop’ anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-makes-veterinary-medical-history/544358/13 "2010-06-24T20:46:09Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > Aw… poor little Porkchop. > I wish you both the best. > Our animal masters have cost us a bundle, but it has been well worth it. > > How did your cat get a name like ‘Porkchop’ anyway? I think I just liked the way it sounded. 🙂 Nowadays, she’s Porkybutt, Porkums, Sweet and Sour Pork, Porksteak, Ham Steak, etc. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-makes-veterinary-medical-history/544358/14 "2010-06-24T20:46:38Z")
Awww - poor little Meow-Chan!! Give her a shnoog from Schatzi-Cat and me. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-makes-veterinary-medical-history/544358/15 "2010-06-24T22:43:27Z")
Why does she have to be confined to a 4x4 area? ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2010, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-makes-veterinary-medical-history/544358/16 "2010-06-25T00:21:23Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Why does she have to be confined to a 4x4 area? Probably because it is enough personal space to stretch out and not be too confined, yet small enough to not mess up her surgery (no jumping, no weird places to hide or attack). Wouldn’t surprise me if by any chance they took it out of some manual detailing personal space required for cats. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2010, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-makes-veterinary-medical-history/544358/17 "2010-06-25T00:25:20Z")
> [@KarlGrenze](#): > > Probably because it is enough personal space to stretch out and not be too confined, yet small enough to not mess up her surgery (no jumping, no weird places to hide or attack). > > Wouldn’t surprise me if by any chance they took it out of some manual detailing personal space required for cats. What he said. No running, either. Running could pop the stitches. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2010, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-makes-veterinary-medical-history/544358/18 "2010-06-25T02:54:56Z")
They’re totally worth it. My one kitty, Tenshi, has supravalvular aortic stenosis. When we got him (from a breeder–he’s a Singapura) we took him to his suggested vet visit and they told us he had a heart murmur, and a pretty bad one. We told the breeder about it and she said we could bring him back, but we’d already fallen in love with him so we said we’d keep him. She gave us half of what we paid for him back, and since the vet had said if the kitty made it to 3 years old, she said she’d give us back the other half if he didn’t (he was six months old at the time). He’s now ten, healthy as he can be, and has his own cardiologist. He’s been written up in veterinary journals, and his X-ray is in a textbook. He’s worth every penny we spend on him. So was our little Russian Blue, Meep. She got lymphoma at age 5 and I was crushed–she was my baby and I loved her so much. We spent a lot of money (a _lot_ of money) on her for chemotherapy and other treatments–she was pretty much her happy self up until very close to the end. We got 8 months more with her than we’d have gotten otherwise. Likewise, it was worth every cent. I’m not sure I would do it again with the cancer treatment, though. It was very expensive and I’m not sure how much of it was for her and how much for us. I’m hoping very much that none of my current cats gets cancer at a young age, because it would be a very hard decision to make knowing what it’s like. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2010, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-makes-veterinary-medical-history/544358/19 "2010-06-25T03:20:28Z")
Aw, I hope the “Porkybutt” heals up fine, with no further problems! I work at an animal ER, and see people regularly drop twice what you did for less “good” outcomes. And to **Winterhawk** , one of my kitties was just diagnosed with lymphoma 11 days ago. All I’m doing with her is steroid therapy. She’s a shy cat, and the steroid treatment is bad enough. Trying to get her though chemo just isn’t worth it for her quality of life. Average remission is only 7 weeks. Her current quality of life is far more worth preserving than trying to just extend it. She’s older, at least 11, and even though I could reduce the veterinary office outings by drawing her blood at home it would still be torture for her to do more than a pill or two a day. We all can just do what’s best for the household at the time. If you wanted to do everything possible for your cat, you would have always questioned your decision if you had euthanized her sooner. You did what needed to be done, and your kitty benefited from it, even if that was for a short time. I guess that was a bit of a thread hijack - sorry! Good luck to the little Porkchop!