The NINE LIVES of Chico Morales

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Cats must not have access to antifreeze and concrete surfaces (garage floors and driveways) where cars are parked. A mere 2 to 3 teaspoons can be fatal. When exposure is suspected, aggressive treatment must begin within 12 to 24 hours to be effective. There are antifreeze solutions now available that use a non-toxic glycol derivative.

Outside cats live a risky life. The average outside cat lives to three years of age, while inside cat can be expected live 12 to 15 years, or more.

OCTOBER, 1990

Several years later, I got a strange call from Mr. Morales. "Chico is yellow!" he yelled over the phone. "I'll be right there," I replied. "What now?" I thought. "What else could this cat have gotten into?"

Chico was laid out on the kitchen table and his skin was quite yellow. He obviously did not feel well, because he didn't even respond when I scratched his back the way he usually liked. A yellow cat has jaundice, the result of the breakdown of red blood cells. Chico's immune system was destroying his own red blood cells.

Once again I took Chico back to the clinic (an increasingly familiar trip) for testing and supportive care while I tried to sort things out. Chico had a very low red blood cell count, due to the ongoing destruction, which accounted for his weakness.

As I peered at a slide of his blood cells, I saw blue dots on the surface of the red blood cells. Chico's blood had been attacked by an internal parasite called hemobartonella. He probably had gotten it from a bite wound from another cat; because of his feline leukemia, he was more susceptible to infection. His immune system was chugging along at full speed now, though - destroying red blood cells faster than his bone marrow could replace them.

Chico needed antibiotics and a blood transfusion, so I borrowed one of the Morales' cats as a donor. Chico responded well, after several days he was back on the farm, ready for a new adventure.

JUNE, 1993

Cars and cats can be a bad combination, as Chico discovered. The Moraleses found him near the gravel road that ran past their farm. He was unable to walk, but seemed mentally alert. Apparently, he had been hit a glancing blow in the rear end.

I gave Chico a good dose of morphine and took him back to the clinic. X-rays showed he had a ruptured bladder and a fractured pelvis. Chico was anesthetized and his bladder repaired, but his pelvis was so shattered that repair was not practical. I could only let nature take its course and hope for the best.

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