Ishmael's Ordeal

I think we first came to our attention almost a week ago. We woke up in the morning, and as usual, Ishmael was lying on our bed. At some point, Steven reached over to pet him and suddenly, "Sssssss!" Ishmael hissed at him.

Now, you have to understand that Ishmael doesn't hiss. He doesn't scratch. He doesn't bite. (People anyway, apparently.) We realized that he had a sore on his side that he didn't want people touching. We assumed he'd been out and gotten into a fight with a neighborhood cat. At the time, the injured area was covered in fur so we couldn't get a good look at it, but he was eating and acting normally, so we respected Ishmael's desires and avoided petting the offending side.

A few days later, Thursday evening, was when we noticed the balding spot. He had an ugly sore on his side, as though a claw or fangs had sunk deeply into his side. The fur around it was disappearing, although whether it was due to him licking it or the sore becoming infected, or whatever, I didn't know. I resolved to take him to the vet.

Accordingly, on Friday morning, I took him to the vet. The trip to the vet was less eventful than I had feared it might be. I showed Ishmael the cat carrier, and he entered promptly, of his own free will. I carried the carrier to the car, and Ishmael seemed to enjoy the short ride to the animal hospital a mile or so down the street. I carried him, still in the carrier, into the building and checked in, then we settled ourselves in the "cat waiting area". Ishmael was content to be in his carrier, watching what he could, a little wary of the dogs that were passing by and occasionally barking. Eventually we were called back to an examination room. When I opened the door to the carrier, Ishmael exited readily, anxious to explore his new surroundings. He allowed the technician to weigh him and look at him. Then he returned to the safety of his carrier.

The sore spot on Saturday

When the vet came in to take a look, we had to tip him out of the carrier; he was less willing to leave. The vet looked at the sore, and asked several questions, then took Ishmael to the back room to shave the area and clean it so she could get a better look. When she returned, the verdict wasn't good. Whatever had caused the wound hadn't been clean, and a lot of the skin cells were dying. He had a hole in his side behind the marks, where the flesh was dead.

When I left the vet's office that day, I had three medications - a pain killer, an antibiotic, and a topical antibacterial cream. I also had a "cone of shame" to keep him from licking the wound. I also had a return appointment to check it again in a few days (today).

Ishmael has been pretty good about taking his medications. He had become resigned to wearing his bonnet, although he enjoys the times when we take it off him so he can wash and eat more comfortably. He wishes we would let him go outside, but in the interest of keeping his wound area clean, we have kept him in.

The sore spot today

This morning, I took him to the vet again to get it checked. It was red, and started bleeding when she washed it out, but the good news is that it seems to be healing. The hole inside is shrinking, and the skin is looking healthier. We are to continue with the cream and bring him back to be checked again on Friday.

Through it all, Ishmael has remained the sweet cat he has always been. With all the poking and prodding, all the smearing cream on his sore spot and taking the bonnet off and putting it back on, he has never scratched or bitten anyone, and since that first day, I haven't heard him hiss. He still stands up on me wanting to be held, to bury his head in my hair, to drool. He still loves to be pet. He wishes he could get into his cozy carrier with his bonnet on, but it's too wide to fit in the door. Poor thing. I hope he continues to heal.