Saturday 7 June 2008

Hold on tight to the rest of your lives.




So, where were we? Ah yes, Magnus and recuperation. After all of our positive thinking about keeping the tail in it's entirety, events rather made that decision for us. And it all started with a fish.

Magnus is very fond of fish and tends to lie on the kitchen floor looking winsome as it is being cooked, then he wraps himself around the legs of any person holding a plate of the finished meal. So it was one evening when a member of the of the household ( to save his blushes he can remain anonymous, but his name rhymes with Archie ) was walking from the kitchen holding his plate of fish, Magnus following close at his heels. He closed a door and a yelp ensued. Magnus shot across the floor and hid under the sofa. We thought that maybe a paw had been stood on. Closer examination showed us that something was not right. To our horror, that something was Magnus' tail, half of which was still in the kitchen door. Poor old boy, there was no feeling in the top of his tail so he hadn't noticed that it was caught in the door and when he moved it had snapped, leaving him with a stumpy bit. The skin where the dislocation occurred had died although we couldn't see that through the fur and it broke when pulled. It looked awful but Magnus seemed relatively unfazed and he continued the quest for fish as we phoned the vet.

Two days later the mog went in to get the tail tidied up and bandaged. This meant going under anaesthetic and a day at the vets. Archie collected the boy and he seemed fine, albeit a little wobbly on the legs. An hour or two later though things were very different. Magnus suddenly changed, began to drool and make strange noises and then he collapsed. He lay on the floor for what seemed like ages, not moving at all, blank eyed and breathing weakly. I really thought that the stress of the tail saga had been too much and this was the end. Then, all of a sudden Magnus came to and made his wobbly way up the stairs. We scooped him into the cat basket and went back to the vet who checked him all over. The vital signs were fine and the conclusion was that the sedative had caused him to have something like an epileptic fit - hence the falling unconscious. We spent the rest of the night watching him very carefully and I've never been so glad to have him nip me on the ankle when I went into the kitchen the next morning.

All in all the Mog has been through it in these last weeks. The bandage is off his tail and the stitches come out in a week or so. He seems to be doing fine. Me? I'm a nervous wreck!

Next time, no cat talk and some knitting. Honest.

15 comments:

Pikku- Kettu said...

Poor Magnus. I'm glad he's doing better now, tail or no tail!

Anonymous said...

That Magnus! Goodness! I'm glad he's better, and I hope he stays that way, poor bugger.

Years and years ago, when my 2 furballs were spayed, Phoebe had a bad reaction to anesthesia - a week later, she still couldn't open her eyes. Eventually she recovered, but yes, that stuff can cause some weird reactions!

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh! Poor kitty! You must be a wreck! Lots of healing fiber hugs to both of you!

Julia said...

Thanks for telling the tail of Magnus.
Hope he doesn't have cause to give you another scare like that for a very long time!

Karin said...

Dear Magnus,
please tell your lovely owner that she has a visitor from the US. We are both on ravelry, only this visitor from the US has a bit of trouble getting online on her own computer--which has the password for ravelry saved on it.

Please please if it's not too much trouble, ask your lovely owner to go to the Stash Knit Down group for me and inform them that I am unable to go there and perform my duties as administrator at this time. Perhaps she could even message the other administrator, angelanoel, of the pinch I am in.

Thank you so much.

I do hope your tail, or what's left of it, will heal up speedy quick, with no more falling down and "sleeping" incidences. You are a very handsome cat and I do enjoy reading about you.

All the Best,

Karin (owner of Emma, who has orange stripes.)

Karin said...

Dear Magnus the Magnificent,
I need to send you an update:
I am back online and can go to ravelry just fine.
Thank you so much for your attention, sorry to have distracted you from your cat-ty pursuits.
Karin, Emma's person.

PS: Emma was so hot today...93 degrees Fahrenheit outside...all she did was lie under the hedge in the front yard.

Purple Fuzzy Mittens said...

Poor baby! I am glad to hear he is recuperating. Although mine are interested in fish, the one thing Zach will actually sneak in and steal is goldfish crackers. Do you suppose he knows they are shaped like fish?

I hope Magnus is back to his old self soon!

Bonnie said...

I'm glad Magnus is doing better. Poor guy!!!

Karin said...

Dear Magnus,
I got your message. I am so sorry you are all cooped up.
It's because of your tail. They don't want it to get all infected and nasty, which would mean more time at the doctor's and more time inside.
Please try to stay calm...I know it's not easy.
But hey, maybe you could convince the people in your house (by being extra nice to them)that you deserve a couple of new cat toys? or even a pot of fresh catnip? it would take the edge off a little...

BTW, my person's knitting? I never touch it.
Call me weird.

Thinking of you,
Emma, Orange Tiger in Albany, NY

PS: could you please explain to me what the Mog stands for in your name?

Cindy G said...

Oh how frightening! I'm so glad Magnus is OK and nipping your ankles.

Anonymous said...

glad he is better!
what a scare.
very funny post however :)

Ivywindow said...

Poor old Magnus - get well soon!

Orinda5 said...

Oh my word! What a story! Glad to hear he is on the mend and back to his old self (minus a bit).

mary jane said...

Heavens! I was so afraid with the post title! Gasping and gulping with worry for the dear Magnus. So glad it has all calmed down and the abbreviated tail is fine.

zippiknits...sometimes said...

deer magnus, u wil hav to b karfool not to fal ov tree lmbs bt othr wiiz u wil b fiin.

git well zoon, milo