3:15 this morning, there was a noisy meowing in the house. Not Maura’s squeak or Beryl’s bargle, this was loud and insistent. It was Fritter! He was eating hungrily and meowing in between bites.
Unfortunately he has been badly injured. I think he got stuck in a trap. Whether he freed himself, or a weekend hunter released him yesterday, I am not sure. But he made his way home on a swollen, crooked paw.
I texted my vet friend, Michiko-sensei, at 3:30 am asking her if she knew a local vet open on Sunday. I hoped for an answer later in the morning, but she texted with me right away with information. She saw a photo of Fritter’s foot and agreed with my assessment. Michiko was very reassuring for someone awakened by a text in the middle of the night.
Fritter spent the next two hours on my lap and then we rested together on the floor. Tod drove us all to the animal clinic in Tateyama before they opened at 10. We were seen quickly, then Fritter was taken off for an x-ray and tests.
The news isn’t the greatest. Although his bones aren’t broken, the foot was injured and had been besieged by maggots. He lost tissue and has nerve damage, as well as an infection. The best outcome is that his wounds heal and his foot is permanently curled under. At worst, the infection spreads or his wounds don’t heal, and he has to have his leg amputated at the shoulder.
I brought him home for tonight so that he can be in the familiar and loving surroundings he worked so hard to get back to. Tomorrow we will return to the clinic for a check and I will leave him there in the care of the doctors and nurses. This week will be critical to determining which path we take in his recovery. I feel bad to leave him at the clinic, but he’s not going to be safe here at home in his current state. Too many temptations to move around and what if Chester shows up?
So many friends, online and offline, have been rooting for him while he was away and wishing him well now that he’s back. Thank you for your support; it has meant a lot to me and I share all of your messages with him, too. Please keep hoping for a good outcome.
