Turns out I'm not the only one in this household in need of medical attention. I took my cat to the vet for an eye infection, wound up getting her a $500 physical since she's overdue, and the doctor wants to pull her teeth in a few weeks for another $400. He says her teeth and gums are impossibly infected and there's nothing else that can be done now. They don't make little kitty dentures (yet) so this is a pretty big step, and the doc almost seemed offended when I said I'd like to seek a second opinion before signing up.

This same thing happened five years ago in Tampa: A vet had trouble treating her gum infection with antibiotics, so he finally insisted the only step left was to pull her teeth out. I took the cat to second vet who gave her different antibiotics, and a week later she was fine, and she stayed fine until now. Maybe I should drive her back to Tampa to see that vet again? At least her eye is recovering.


Four Replies to Without Teeth

Anna Gregoline | December 12, 2007
Poor baby! Why does your poor cat have so many problems?!?! That doesn't seem fair.

I would hesitate to change a cat's quality of life that fast - all the teeth GONE? My goodness, they are quick on the surgical procedures in your neck of the woods, huh?

And a proper doctor, methinks, wouldn't be offended by someone getting a second opinion.

Amy Austin | December 13, 2007
My goodness, they are quick on the surgical procedures in your neck of the woods, huh?

My thoughts, too... poor kitty.

Jackie Mason | December 13, 2007
[hidden by author request]

Steve West | December 15, 2007
Perhaps you can cheer up kitty with a Christmas song. Might I suggest one of the following:
1. Claw the Halls
2. Away in a Litter Box
3. Joy, To the Catnip
4. Feline Navidad
5. I Saw Mommy Hiss at Santa Claus
6. Frosty, the Furball
7. Oh, Come All Ye Fishful
8. Oh! Scratching Post
Merry Christmas Kitty!


Logical Operator

The creator of Funeratic, Scott Hardie, blogs about running this site, losing weight, and other passions including his wife Kelly, his friends, movies, gaming, and Florida. Read more »

Det är inte så farligt

Yesterday, Kelly and I joined friends who had free passes to shop at the new Ikea store in Tampa before it opens to the public. It was our my first time in one of those stores, and it was every bit the harrowing shopping marathon I'd heard it was. For a store that boasts so frequently about how efficient everything is, having you proceed through the store in one long winding line for four hours sure doesn't feel that way, but every store has ways of getting you to buy more than you came for and Ikea has come up with a unique one. Go »

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Not all mobile phones mix a qwerty keypad with their main numerical keypad, but I have an old Blackberry that does. That makes me especially frustrated by companies that only provide a letter-based phone number without showing a numerical alternative (800-LIKE-THIS). I just went to cancel Nutrisystem, and of course they require you to call a counselor rather than just cancel online, and the only number they give is 888-459-THIN. Go »

Moved In

We are moved in and settled, or as settled as we can be with little money and way too much stuff for a two-bedroom apartment. The final move will come in April when we transfer to a house. We have our eye on a house in Ruskin, 30 minutes from here – four bedrooms, two-car garage, cable included, never lived in, all for $50 less a month than I pay now. Go »

The Vagueness Continues

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Parking Lot Pun

Overheard from an elderly woman whose groceries were being lifted into her trunk by a teenaged boy: "When you're as old as I am, the world is your hoister." Go »