Sunday, March 13, 2011

Slash Endures the Downside of Sedation

I apologise for this long overdue update on Slash.

I was planning on blogging a fun post about his return from a mystery trip.
Unfortunately, things did not go as expected
and I had to take a few days off to care for him.
(Many thanks to The Flyer for filling in during my absence.)

This was what happened...


DAY 1


On Wednesday morning,
I brought Slash to the vet for grooming.
I was expecting an uneventful recovery from the sedation.

But when I brought him home in the afternoon,
I realised that something wasn't quite right.

To show you the stark contrast in his condition...

This was Slash and Bronzy giving each other a furious hug
before we left the house.

And this was Slash when we got home.
The poor boy was still stoned from the sedation.

Slash had recovered quite quickly from the last sedation with no ill-effects.
So it worried me that it was taking extra long this time.

I laid Slash down on my bed on top of his comfort blanket
(aka. my fleece robe) to help him sleep off the effects quietly.

I then checked his body for injuries.
There were several lesions from the last grooming
and I was hoping there would be none this time.

Thankfully, there was only one nick.

Poor Slash was so out of it, he didn't even close his eyes as he slept.

I tried to shut them for him, but he kept waking up.

So I decided against disturbing him anymore.

I felt so sorry for the poor boy.

For him to be this still, even in sleep, is unheard of.

Slash is a very skittish, high-strung cat.
Everything, however small and harmless, alarms him.

So while I knew the sedation was necessary
to get him through the grooming,
I felt so sorry that he had to be put through all this.

I wish I could help him avoid the groomers altogether.
But Slash will not allow his underside to be touched by anyone or anything.
So he gets badly matted underneath.

Here is a close-up of the "lawn lines" on his chest.

Slash finally roused from his sleep after four hours.

But he kept his activities to the absolute minimum,
preferring to sit and stare into space.

By the time we were well into the night,
Slash was visibly more alert.

However, he remained inactive and aloof.
He would get upset if I tried to approach him or stroke him.
So I kept my distance.

At some point he decided that he hated his new look and
tried to redo his new do.

I took that as a good sign that he was slowly settling back in.


DAY 2


Slash took an unexpected turn in his condition.
He became hyperactive, agitated, aggressive and super sensitive to everything.
He was so jumpy that he was constantly spooked by phantom things.
It broke my heart to see him run for dear life
from whatever it was that scared him.

So I didn't take any photos on this day.
I didn't want to add to his stress.


DAY 3

Slash seemed to have calmed down significantly.

He finally allowed Bronzy and I to touch him.

Bronzy had missed her brother a lot and was determined to show him how much.

The poor boy still spent a lot of the day knocked out in his bed.

But I was relieved that the worst was finally over.

~5-Cat Style

23 comments:

Teddy Westlife said...

Poor Slash! I'm glad he's feeling better now. Being sick is No Good.

Rosemary B❤️ said...

Awww poor little guy.
I am also kinda skittish, so I can understand the need for sedation in the first place.
I hope he is feeling better and better as this day goes.

bonks!
nice haircut, Slash!

Sweet Purrfections said...

Poor Slash! I had a groomer that wanted to sedate Praline once (just for a bath and comb out) and I refused. I am very lucky that she will let me comb her, but I must also admit that she is getting less patient with it as she gets older.

Good luck with Slash. I'm sure you will let them know about his reaction to the sedation.

Cat-from-Sydney said...

oooohhh....my poor darling Slash. (((((HUGS)))) purrrlease recover soon. Hmmm....don't think he'll be happy to know his shorn look has been displayed for the world to see. Patience my darling...soon your beautiful fur will grow. purrrr....meow!

The Island Cats said...

Oh we're so glad Slash is doing better. That must have been so scary to see him act like that. Could the groomer have given him a different type of sedation that he had a bad reaction to??

Cat said...

Poor Slash, we are so sorry to hear that he had such a bad reaction!!! What a relief that he is better now :-)

Daisy said...

Oh Slash, what a terrible scare! I'm so glad you are better now. Bronzy is so sweet to groom you and make you feel better.

Gemini and Ichiro said...

Poor Slash. What a nasty time he had!

Sparkle said...

Poor Slash! It sounds like he had a bad reaction to being sedated. Maybe next time he should be tested before going under and perhaps have a different drug?

The Adventures of Scarlett and Melly said...

Poor little guy! He looks so pitiful, laying there all shaved and stoned. Scarlett had to be anesthetized for a teeth cleaning a while ago and she didn't react well either - it was so sad and scary.

Anonymous said...

Oh baby, we are so sorry you got so woozy. Good thing your brother was there to help you!

A few Good Cats said...

Bronzy was doing her best to make Slash feel better. We hope Slash never goes through that sedation again.

Catsparella said...

Ohh, it makes me so sad to see him like that :( Slashy, I hope you feel better soon! We are purring for you! <3

Quill and Greyson said...

Poor Slash! Purrs you're back to normal very soon!

=^..^= said...

My Poor Baby God-Son :( :( :( Your God-Mommy's heart is aching just thinking about how stressed you were.

*hugs Five-Cats* I know you were so stressed out too. Poor thing! :(

Slashy obviously as a predisposition to drug-induced psychosis... we must find another alternative to sedation for grooming. How about feline hypnotherapy?

~The Flyer

Hannah and Lucy said...

We hope Slash is back to his usual self quickly now but I hope you will ask these people what they gave him and how much so you can ask you vet about this.
Hannah and Lucy's Mum Sue

Oldcat said...

Did they clean his ears while grooming him? About 6 months ago the blogging cat Goma had his ears hurt by a groomer cleaning him causing dizzyness and balance issues for a while.

The lying flat and standing very still behavior Slash had are the kind of thing I can imagine doing if I was dizzy. The hostility could also be a reaction to feeling helpless in a nervous cat.

So it might not be the sedation but a part of the grooming that could be left off.

ANGEL ABBYGRACE said...

Oh dear sweet Slash, we are so sorry you got so scared and that you had a bad reaction to those drugs used to make you calm....we are so glad to hear you are better and now that Bronzy is there to help you through it.

purrin
xoxox

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Mark's Mews (Marley, Lori, Loki, and Binq) said...

Oh Slash, we are purring for you very much that you get over the sedation!

And the loss of your furs! That must be quite a shock. Your whole balance is off, you feel colde, and you have lost weight which throws balance off!

We love LUNA said...

Slash, my sweet friend,
I'm sending you love and good energies, please be positive okay!
purrs
Luna

T said...

how scary! You must have been terrified. thankfully i don't have to worry about kitty grooming as mine are short hairs. there has to be a better way...poor dear. Glad he is ok!
so sweet how your cats love each other!

World of Animals, Inc said...

Slasy, we were happy to see that day by day you start feeling better. Bronzy was even there to make sure you were ok. Thanks for sharing. Have a wonderful day.
World of Animals