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| "I need a moment..." in the cockpit after the ferry ride |
Amelia the Princess (& lazy-ass navigator who ALWAYS sleeps through her shift) is back to normal. We had a scare the other day. She got sick in the evening (isn't that always the way!) and we're on an island with no vet! As an old lady pushing 20, constipation is normal. I knew we were on day three without a poo. Then she started to strain, pace and the famous drag-the-butt-on-everything--the couch, our bed, the salon table! This had never happened before but I knew it was serious. We stayed up in shifts overnight with her (she eventually exhausted herself). We even attempted to give her an enema (you can learn how to do anything on ehow.com!)
At 5:30 am, after 3 hours sleep, I decided to take her on the 6:30 am ferry to Fajardo. (The Captain stayed behind with the boat in case I missed the last ferry back). It was a 1 hr, 30 min ride and I was able to get two vet recommendations from my Women Who Sail FaceBook group including address/phone numbers/email before we docked! El Capitan wanted me to grab a taxi, but I spotted the Thrifty rental car van & hopped in behind another couple. "DO YOU HAVE ANY CARS?!" They gave a last minute walk-in their normal econo rate with directions & I was off.
Luckily, I knew the area pretty well from our time at the marina and arrived at Dr. Delgado's by 9:00 am. They had received my email & were expecting us. He was AMAZING (and yes, spoke perfect English. Many pet & people Dr's get their education in the US but you never know)! In addition to our reason for coming, he officially diagnosed her arthritis (we'd been getting anti-inflammatory shots every 3 months after another emergency visit in Palm Beach, FL--the week before Thanksgiving and the week we were scheduled to leave for the Bahamas. It was a hail mary pass by another wonderful vet to alleviate her obvious pain & it worked). An x-ray showed two compressions & the beginning of spurs, so on top of continuing the shots, he recommended a supplement to help with the joints & a hairball/laxative.
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| Mom's treat for her efforts. Flan! Yep, I took the ferry into Fajardo, rented a car & navigated. Alone! |
He asked if I had any errands I could do while he gave her an enema ("YES!!!") so I was off to breakfast (left without even having a cup of coffee or brushing my teeth!), grocery store and WalMart. I returned after lunch & they were trying to coax her into her carrier so I could make the 3:00 ferry back to Culebra (the techs could not have been any gentler, although a little afraid of the hissing psycho she becomes at the vet, even though she only weighs 6 lbs & has no teeth!).
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| Not what you want to see as you board a boat. |
Upon arriving back at the boat, she wasn't speaking to either of us & didn't want to be touched. (Feeling violated, I'm sure!). She went for a walk around the cockpit, then in for food & water, then curled up in the cubby behind her food bowl & went to sleep. I was greeted the next morning by a loving & HUNGRY little girl. I spoiled that by giving her a bath (Yes, we bath our cat. No, it's not easy but I grew up in a house with show Persians so I'm a pro--fast & efficient but we did stop for pics...Yes, we used precious fresh water to bath a cat!).
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| Saying "Thank you. I feel better." to Mama the next morning. |
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| "You've got 2 minutes and I'm outta here..." |
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| She usually doesn't sit still for the towel |
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| "Ohey. What a mess she made!" |
AGAIN: I shared this before & I'll share it again. Our cat is almost 20. Friends in Brunswick also had an old cat & their vet demanded NO DRY FOOD which is also what Dr. Delgado demanded. She was getting both but especially in older cats, it can cause dehydration. NO DRY FOOD!
A special thank you to all of our cruiser friends who recommended a vet then messaged via FB all day to check on her progress. I appreciated all your kind words! It was a long day.
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