The Misadventures of Tiger the Cat

Call it mother's intuition but I inherently knew that Tiger's newest eye infection was not something to be ignored.  Since December, Jon and I have taken Tiger to a slew of different vets and have treated him with multiple antibiotics and eye drops.  Eventually, our last vet threw up his arms in exasperation and referred us to a cat optometrist.  Of course during my hospital confinement, bed rest, and complicated pregnancy this priority trickled down our to-do list until poor Tiger absolutely needed medical attention. 

Yesterday, Sheldon (AKA Tiger's fairy god-father), drove Tiger to the kitty optometrist.  Three hundred dollars and five prescriptions later, the vet explained why Tiger has had repeated infections--basically, as I have told my husband numerous times, we had been treating the symptoms, not the underlying cause.

As loving and sweet-natured as a cat can be, it turns out that Tiger is also a little white furball of an unhealthy handful.  Where to begin.....Firstly, he has a scratched cornea in one eye, which usually intensifieses when his eye is infected.  Although we thought that we were treating his eyes with topical ointment, he continued to paw away, which resulted in an ulcer, on top of the scratched cornea.  The vet also diagnosed him with feline herpes (which thank god cannot be transferred to humans) and Bartonella virus (aka cat scratch disease).  Luckily, I am now on partial bed rest, because my new role is feline nurse extraordinaire as well as human incubator--I have to administer three eye drops six times a day and two oral antibiotics twice a day. 

Because Tiger is prone to scratching at his eyes, he has to wear the cone of shame over his head for a one week duration.  However, this presents yet another challenge and I am sure anyone familiar with Persian cats can relate to this conundrum--how is he supposed to eat and drink with his flat little face??  This morning, I spoon-fed Tiger wet food doused with water and he was able to eat a little but I am worried that he is not ingesting enough water.  Anybody have any ideas on how a cone-headed-Persian can eat and drink independently? I am currently waiting for the vet to return my call.  Also, can anybody recommend a good pet insurance for cats??

Now, I definitely feel for all of the bed rest mothers who have other children at home!!  Between Tiger the Cat and Baby J, I certainly have my hands full.  If I didn't know any better, I would say that my two little boys are vying for my attention...