The NINE LIVES of Chico Morales

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Kittens should receive a rabies vaccination at around 13 weeks, along with boosters of the other two vaccinations. Although rabies is rare in cats, it is more common than in dogs because of potential exposure to rabid bats in some parts of the country.

Some barn cats are quite wild, and must be live-trapped. Using a squeeze cage, I often sedate young cats so they can be vaccinated and neutered in one visit. Males can usually be neutered right on the farm, but females must be transported to a veterinary hospital for surgery.

SEPTEMBER, 1986

Three months later, I was called back to the Morales' farm. Chico was limping around, and seemed lethargic. When I examined him, his temperature was 105.6°F. Lameness accompanied by fever usually indicate a bite wound, and with a little probing I found two small puncture wounds on Chico's right hip.

Untreated, this bite wound from another cat would form an abscess - a pocket of pus formed when white blood cells migrate to the wound. Once an abscess forms, the cat should be sedated and the wound lanced and drained. If bacteria from the wound gains entry to the blood stream, a cat can become septic and critically ill.

Because we found Chico's wound early, he could be treated with antibiotics - an injection reinforced by a liquid oral medicine mixed in with his food.

Chico recovered well, and I took advantage of my next visit to neuter him while he was healthy. Neutered males fight less, as they lose some of their tendencies.

NOVEMBER, 1988

Two years later, I received a frantic call from Mrs. Morales. Chico was in the barn, vomiting and staggering around. Mr. Morales has changed the antifreeze in their car that day, and Chico had probably ingested some of the sweet-tasting ethylene glycol.

Antifreeze toxicity is truly a life-threatening emergency. Initially, the alcohol derivative causes signs similar to drunkenness. Once metabolized by the body, byproducts crystallize in the kid ney, causing severe kidney failure and death, usually within 24 to 48 hours. The only treatment in cats is intravenous alcohol, which displaces the ethylene glycol from its binding sites and allows the toxin to be excreted.

I took Chico back to the clinic and started him on I.V. fluids with an appropriate dose of grain alcohol. Two days later, despite the grave prognosis, Chico recovered. He was a survivor.

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