26. The malodorous cat and the man with the beard and ear rings.
THE MALODOROUS CAT
A painful large swelling on the backside to the right of the tail and anus. Size of swelling around 4 cm in diameter. The cat flattened its ears and hissed when I touched the area.
The International Olympic Committee was in Singapore to prepare to vote for the city to host the 2012 Olympic Games. Paris was the favourite and London was second. The man with the beard was involved in organisation of the meeting. He barely had time for the cat who now suffered a sore backside. But he needed to do something. He clicked on the internet, put in some key words and picked up a veterinary surgery.
That was how I met him. I put the cat on the examination table.
"An abscess, probably due to a cat bite or scratch," I said. "I will tranquiliser it and drain the abscess."
"There was this neighbourhood tom cat who came up to my 2nd floor apartment," the young man with a beard and left ear rings said. "He must have attacked my cat who was just outside the apartment waiting for my mother to return from work."
The 5-year-old spayed cat was tranquilised. When I tried to give it the anaesthetic gas through a face mask, she showed her claws. Tranquilisers don't knock out a cat. Just sedate it. The next day, the cat was brought in. A blackish discharge came out from the swelling. The cat bite had caused inflammation, abscess formation and blood starvation in the area of the bite. The skin around the wound was whitish and soft, breaking down into pieces. The skin had become gangrenous as the blood supply was cut off.
This time, I gave the cat a general anaesthetic injection into its back muscle. I seldom used this method as an injection is irreversible if the cat had reactions. The cat may die unlike gas anaesthetic which can be given in small amounts first.
The owner with the beard was interested. He went into the surgery room. As I cleaned the abscess, he stepped closer to the door. The smell of the decay of organic matter concentrated inside the room and the extractor fan sucked it out. Nurse Ann and I were used to this smell had reached his nose. It was malodorous. I did not know whether he would faint and asked him to leave the room.
What sort of bacteria was so virulent as to cause tissue decay? The cat has an elastic skin and a bite from the tom cat had injected bacteria into the skin below. Being elastic, the wound closed. The bacteria multiplied. The cat's defence white blood cells could not cope with the invasion. Cells die and a putrid odour wafted in the surgery room.
The wound was flushed and cleaned. It needed antibiotics and then another surgery to close the hole. The owner did not want the cat back yet. His mother missed the cat but would not be able to clean the wound or give antibiotics. Nurse Ann gave antibiotics by mixing with the cat food.
Over the next 6 days, the wound was licked clean by the cat. All dead edges of skin were licked away all the dead skin creating a hole is as big as a table-tennis ball diameter.
It is a challenge to close up a big skin hole. Not as simple as you would think. It took more than one hour. Now, the mother wanted the cat home.
"Come and see the cat," I phoned the man with the beard. At home, the cat would be walking and jumping but the stitc "If the stitches break down, the hole would be 5 times bigger in area and there would be no second chance at stitching. You have been informed of the risk."
Veterinary costs are most important for the owner. I understand what the mother is thinking. She is from the baby-boomer generation where thrift is important.
It is not easy to earn money. She worked hard to earn a living. And here, just a bite wound from a tom cat. The man with a beard said, "I wish to know how to get rid of this tom cat."
"Well, you can contact the government's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority," I said without volunteering him the phone number.
"Another tom cat will take over the territory." He nodded his head. I was wondering why he let the cat out of the house in the first place but kept my mouth shut tightly.
The veterinary expenses add up as the cat needed various tranquilisation, anaesthesia and now a surgery to stitch up a big hole. I must consider the financial aspect of all owners.
The man with the beard was fortunately well educated. I would consider him a man of the world if there was such a character. He was a music lover and a writer.
He came in the evening to see the cat. He saw the stitches, the long incisions of skin I had to pinch to seal just a 20-cm hole. I had to get skin from every where just to close the gap. The right side of the anus had only 0.5 cm of skin left and I needed to make sure that the anal area be stitched up. I remembered this surgery. A dark green blob of anal oil oozed out when I undermined the anal area to get the skin loosened to stitch to the other skin flap. Damn it. I cleaned up the oil. I should have squeezed out the anal gland oil before surgery.
The man with the beard saw the cat. He comprehended that the cat must be confined at the veterinary surgery to let the stitches heal. His mother was displeased but seemed to understand that she would never be able to care for the cat at home.
"3 or 4 days later," he said. "I will bring the cat home."
"No," I said. "The skin wounds take at least 10 days to heal. 14 days preferred."
"Let me pay the outstanding fees now," he said. "Otherwise the total amount payable on discharge will give me a heart attack."
The mother gave Nurse Ann the Nets Card to debit the fees. The surgery and anaesthesia was $250, as affordable as it could be, considering that it took over 45 minutes just to stitch up a hole in the backside.
He took out his card to pay for his mother as he came back from the animal holding area where his cat was warded. I consider him a young man although he must be around forty years old. He is young compared to me. But the internet generation will consider him an old man. The man with the beard and left ear rings loves his mother without a doubt.
From this experience, all cats should be kept at home for their own safety. It is still a cat-bite-cat jungle in Singapore although most stray cats have had been napped and taken away. Stray cats are becoming as rare as stray dogs in modern Singapore.
Pictures of the cat's progress will be posted at www.toapayohvets.com later.
A painful large swelling on the backside to the right of the tail and anus. Size of swelling around 4 cm in diameter. The cat flattened its ears and hissed when I touched the area.
The International Olympic Committee was in Singapore to prepare to vote for the city to host the 2012 Olympic Games. Paris was the favourite and London was second. The man with the beard was involved in organisation of the meeting. He barely had time for the cat who now suffered a sore backside. But he needed to do something. He clicked on the internet, put in some key words and picked up a veterinary surgery.
That was how I met him. I put the cat on the examination table.
"An abscess, probably due to a cat bite or scratch," I said. "I will tranquiliser it and drain the abscess."
"There was this neighbourhood tom cat who came up to my 2nd floor apartment," the young man with a beard and left ear rings said. "He must have attacked my cat who was just outside the apartment waiting for my mother to return from work."
The 5-year-old spayed cat was tranquilised. When I tried to give it the anaesthetic gas through a face mask, she showed her claws. Tranquilisers don't knock out a cat. Just sedate it. The next day, the cat was brought in. A blackish discharge came out from the swelling. The cat bite had caused inflammation, abscess formation and blood starvation in the area of the bite. The skin around the wound was whitish and soft, breaking down into pieces. The skin had become gangrenous as the blood supply was cut off.
This time, I gave the cat a general anaesthetic injection into its back muscle. I seldom used this method as an injection is irreversible if the cat had reactions. The cat may die unlike gas anaesthetic which can be given in small amounts first.
The owner with the beard was interested. He went into the surgery room. As I cleaned the abscess, he stepped closer to the door. The smell of the decay of organic matter concentrated inside the room and the extractor fan sucked it out. Nurse Ann and I were used to this smell had reached his nose. It was malodorous. I did not know whether he would faint and asked him to leave the room.
What sort of bacteria was so virulent as to cause tissue decay? The cat has an elastic skin and a bite from the tom cat had injected bacteria into the skin below. Being elastic, the wound closed. The bacteria multiplied. The cat's defence white blood cells could not cope with the invasion. Cells die and a putrid odour wafted in the surgery room.
The wound was flushed and cleaned. It needed antibiotics and then another surgery to close the hole. The owner did not want the cat back yet. His mother missed the cat but would not be able to clean the wound or give antibiotics. Nurse Ann gave antibiotics by mixing with the cat food.
Over the next 6 days, the wound was licked clean by the cat. All dead edges of skin were licked away all the dead skin creating a hole is as big as a table-tennis ball diameter.
It is a challenge to close up a big skin hole. Not as simple as you would think. It took more than one hour. Now, the mother wanted the cat home.
"Come and see the cat," I phoned the man with the beard. At home, the cat would be walking and jumping but the stitc "If the stitches break down, the hole would be 5 times bigger in area and there would be no second chance at stitching. You have been informed of the risk."
Veterinary costs are most important for the owner. I understand what the mother is thinking. She is from the baby-boomer generation where thrift is important.
It is not easy to earn money. She worked hard to earn a living. And here, just a bite wound from a tom cat. The man with a beard said, "I wish to know how to get rid of this tom cat."
"Well, you can contact the government's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority," I said without volunteering him the phone number.
"Another tom cat will take over the territory." He nodded his head. I was wondering why he let the cat out of the house in the first place but kept my mouth shut tightly.
The veterinary expenses add up as the cat needed various tranquilisation, anaesthesia and now a surgery to stitch up a big hole. I must consider the financial aspect of all owners.
The man with the beard was fortunately well educated. I would consider him a man of the world if there was such a character. He was a music lover and a writer.
He came in the evening to see the cat. He saw the stitches, the long incisions of skin I had to pinch to seal just a 20-cm hole. I had to get skin from every where just to close the gap. The right side of the anus had only 0.5 cm of skin left and I needed to make sure that the anal area be stitched up. I remembered this surgery. A dark green blob of anal oil oozed out when I undermined the anal area to get the skin loosened to stitch to the other skin flap. Damn it. I cleaned up the oil. I should have squeezed out the anal gland oil before surgery.
The man with the beard saw the cat. He comprehended that the cat must be confined at the veterinary surgery to let the stitches heal. His mother was displeased but seemed to understand that she would never be able to care for the cat at home.
"3 or 4 days later," he said. "I will bring the cat home."
"No," I said. "The skin wounds take at least 10 days to heal. 14 days preferred."
"Let me pay the outstanding fees now," he said. "Otherwise the total amount payable on discharge will give me a heart attack."
The mother gave Nurse Ann the Nets Card to debit the fees. The surgery and anaesthesia was $250, as affordable as it could be, considering that it took over 45 minutes just to stitch up a hole in the backside.
He took out his card to pay for his mother as he came back from the animal holding area where his cat was warded. I consider him a young man although he must be around forty years old. He is young compared to me. But the internet generation will consider him an old man. The man with the beard and left ear rings loves his mother without a doubt.
From this experience, all cats should be kept at home for their own safety. It is still a cat-bite-cat jungle in Singapore although most stray cats have had been napped and taken away. Stray cats are becoming as rare as stray dogs in modern Singapore.
Pictures of the cat's progress will be posted at www.toapayohvets.com later.
posted by Photography by Sing Kong Yuen | 3:46 AM
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