Well, I suffered all week for nothing. My doc is apparently out of the state, possibly the country. I was so mad I didn't hear what they said. :) They said they couldn't reach me but they had my cell phone number. They called "several weeks ago" and DID NOT THINK TO TRY AGAIN!!! So now I must go back. Let me just say that I had this appt scheduled over a month ago. I've feared and dreaded this appointment the whole time. The pain, itching, and swelling is worse than my shots. The mental and emotional anguish I've had! Serenity now!!
I took Cara for her annual exam. I asked the vet for advice on how to promote family harmony and told her everything we've done and tried. She gently asked if we considered giving Cara up. Ouch. Yes, QE and I have discussed it, but never seriously. Hearing the suggestion from an impartial person, a medical professional no less, stung. The vet did mention a possible solution: Prozac. She said many of her patients are on it for various reasons. Our doctor didn't recommend or dissuade giving up Cara or Prozac. She only brought up two additional options. It would have been so much easier if she gave her opinion (but I respect her professionalism for not doing so.) Long story short, I went home heartbroken. The thought of losing Cara was unbearable. I cried. Cara came to see if I was ok (is that progress?!) but she guarded the stairs to prevent my HeartHealers from visiting (no progress here!).
Is this what we've become? A society that medicates our problems? From a parenting standpoint, I don't agree with medicating Cara. Regardless of what other people do to their human or furry children, I don't agree with drugging up the troublemakers or using drugs to solve our problems. It just doesn't seem fair to her since it's not medically necessary or live-saving. Will we have a zombie cat? Will Cara lose her zeal for life? I contacted the rescue and Cara's foster mom replied saying she highly recommends we try Prozac. Gyah. I guess it makes me feel better knowing I'm not a bad mom for medicating my baby. Screw my beliefs and values...I have to do what's best for Cara. And I guess Prozac is better than giving her up, right? Right??? I don't know, actually. As a selfish human, of course I want to keep Cara. She's my baby. Do I think staying with us is best for her? Possibly. I know we will give her the best care possible and all the love she can take. It's likely her next home might not be as patient or loving. I don't think other households would put up with her antics the way we have. The vet was shocked we've done it for a year. That's love, right? Love is supposed to be unconditional.
So, tomorrow I will be calling the vet for Prozac. We'll try it on a short term basis and see if she improves. Hopefully just a few months on it will ease tensions and build tolerance.
4 comments:
sorry to hear about your appt as well as cara's. You have a good vet - nice that she laid it all out there. The SR, in my lowly opinion of course, sounds like they are speaking from the pov of "we cannot take her back because we have enough cats that need good homes." This is not a bad thing - just what it must be like from their pov.
I agree with your take on drugs. However, I think if you have exhausted all other options, it may be worth a shot. At least you can say you tried everything.
Good point about SR probably wanting us to keep Cara at all costs. They probably know nobody else would be as patient with her. So now all three of the Goo girls are on some type of med. How will QE and Davis deal with us??? :)
In my lowly opinion/experience, drugs could be a short-term solution, to help get through hard times, but its not a long term fix.
Mark, I agree. We certainly don't plan on keeping Cara on meds indefinitely. Not sure what "short-term" means exactly, but I imagine it to be no more than a year. The goal is for the kitties to all relax a bit and get reacquainted on better terms. I'm told that sometimes two months is enough for everyone to chill and start new.
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