Sam's Saga

Sam's first night back at home.

Well, our handsome boy Samson just went through quite the ordeal. It all started one Sunday mid-February when he didn't come down for breakfast. Now, Sam LOVES breakfast...loves food... his food, the other cats' food, your food. Right away, I knew something was wrong. Even more, he was hiding in the kids' closet, and the other thing Sam loves is us. He is a cuddler and a lover and will start to purr if you just look at him. But that morning there were no purrs. He cried when I picked him up and threw up white foam. 

The next morning I took him to the vet where they took an x-ray and kept him overnight for fluids, supportive care and observation. He would not eat and overnight started to run a temperature, so the next morning he went in for exploratory surgery. The vet found a craft pom lodged in the "exit" of his stomach and pushed another small object through his intestines and into his colon. This was not surprising to me as Sam has been seen eating non-food objects in the past. In fact, when the vet told me what he found, I knew exactly what Sam had torn up and eaten. 

After surgery, we needed Sam to eat, use the litter box and not vomit. A day after his surgery, the kids & I went to the vet with a can of food for a visit. We could not cajole him to eat, but spent about 30 minutes petting him and loving him- he purred the entire time as he went back & forth between us. Occasionally, he would lay down to rest for a moment. We were happy to see him, but left him there for more supportive care. Everyone we talked to at the vet's office (even over the phone) had something nice to say about our kitty-boy! 

The next evening, we brought Sam home. He had a long line of staples on his belly, and we were told to keep him in a cone and administer medications for pain, appetite and antacid. The other cats were terrified of our conehead boy. That night, Sam slept between Darren & me all night long. The next morning, we were back at the vet's office after Sam vomited.

At the vet's office, Sam received more supportive care, specifically fluids. The vet said that he wasn't running a fever and was improving. I had removed the collar after he vomited (what a mess!) and put him in a t-shirt, though he showed no interest in messing with his belly. He was much happier with the collar removed. That night, Sam slept between Darren & me again...all night long. However, he was eating again and didn't throw up and in a few more days, he was more active and super-friendly and back to his old Sammy-boy ways! 

After two weeks, he got the staples removed, and it is as if he never had major surgery! We are grateful for our purr-baby and a lot more careful about what gets left out on the floor.