Southerlies and Other Storms Ahead

The weather this week has been terrible. On Monday we had such strong south easterlies that the entire canopy off the top of the gum tree fell into my backyard. It was disconcerting as I had been in the exact spot an hour earlier. I spent the entire day rushing outside trying to keep the tarps on the hutches on the front lawn. Weighing them down with bricks didn't do the trick and in the end I had to tuck the edges under the hutches themselves and this seemed to do the trick.

I was already tired from traumas the night before. Piper cat began meowing at 9pm and licking her lips before she vomited her entire afternoon meal all over the carpet. I cleaned this up and we all headed to bed but instead of getting up on the chair beside me Piper sat at the foot of the bed. Round midnight I awoke to a weird sound and found she had had "an accident" so out of bed to clean this up while she sat facing the corner. An hour later I woke to the sound of vomiting and found her in the litter tray surrounded by undigested food. An hour later she was still there.

Monday she didn't want to touch her food and ran into the garage for the day, only coming inside later that afternoon. However Tuesday she began eating again so I surmised that she'd caught a stomach bug and that it had righted itself. Wednesday though she began having episodes of diarrhea and this was bloody so I rang the vet for an appointment.

After a thorough examination he came up with the terrible news that Piper has cardiomyopathy. Her body is filling up with fluid and her heart is beating very fast. The vet thinks in her case it is hereditary. He prescribed antibiotics for the diarrhea and heart meds but would not give her the first dose as he felt the stress of him forcing the pills down would cause a heart attack. He did say that it was lucky she got sick as usually cats with this condition show no outward signs but just drop dead!

Instead of leaving her with the vet we put Piper in the back seat and covered the carry cage with a sheet so she'd feel secure. It made for a very nervewracking morning as we kept checking to see if she was still alive.

Two days later I have managed to get the medication into her and Piper has begun to eat again. Last night it was so cold I made sure she was covered up where she lay on the chair. From what I have read it depends on what part of the heart is affected by the cardiomyopathy as to her prognosis. It could range from as little as six months to a few years. It seems so unfair as she is only two and a half years old and already dealing with having been born with a deformed tail.

Meanwhile we all huddle inside while this terrible storm freezes the country. I thought it was actually snowing here yesterday as the rain began coming in sideways. After receiving a huge power bill yesterday I am mindful of running the heater but there is no alternative. I hate winter!