Update On Rafa
We’re not out of the woods yet.
He’s eating, and peeing, (!) but still lethargic, mostly sleeping. No bowel movements—this is the next frontier.
My son Jeremy and I took him back to Nestor (“Dr. Nestor,” the vet) today and he pulled him out the the carrier.
”Señor Rafa!”
He pushed and prodded his belly. One bit of good news: No more fever.
He said (if you don’t love cats you may want to stop reading) he has a formed poop that needs to come out; that his discomfort and lethargy is from gas. He was not going to give him an enema. (We were hopeful.)
However, he instructed me how to do it, later tonight, if nothing has happened.
He was ebullient as ever and certain Rafa’s energy and spirit would spring back when he has evacuated his bowels.
Jeremy asked why everybody finds his name “Rafa” so funny.
Nestor’s answer made it all even funnier. “It sounds like a name from Cordoba,” he said with a smile.
Fascinating.
All afternoon, after eating with no problem, Rafa just fell asleep in his little pan, and stayed that way.
It’s causing me to get more and more anxious. I want to see his Rafa-ness come back. Alexander too—he keeps tackling him, and Rafa doesn’t respond, and then I have to lock Alexander up, and then he starts yowling. Lewis is circling the periphery, trying to establish some kind of order and calm.
Before we went to Dr. Nestor, Jeremy and I had an appointment in the immigration office, and Rafa came with us. Placed on a desk, in his carrier, the employees streamed over, one after another, to look at him. Once again, everybody roared with laughter when they heard his name.
He was a huge hit, and once again, Spain scores points of light in my mental notepad— a country that seems to somehow have landed on its feet somehow. Things work. People are human. A paradox?
For example:
Our wait in the immigration place where we were given a number, was literally 20 seconds! Nobody was mad. Nobody acted like we were in a prison colony.
It gets more and more mystifying, all of this.
I begged Sinem to come over and help me give Rafa his enema tonight. She will be here in 5 minutes..
Even Elena, the head of the rescue group, has never given a kitten an enema. She’s never even heard of it.
Something tells me this will be a little stressful.
Update: Last night's enema helped him clear his bowels and he got better right away. I searched for pumpkin seeds last night but could not find them. He has been treated for parasites. I am hoping a Pottenger (raw) diet over time will restore his gut function.
Celia, don’t give Rafa an enema… lord. Give him some pumpkin to eat instead. Let him get well. Trust the vet, who is good! I knew he had an infection and a swollen belly with parasites when you first discussed his issues a couple posts ago. Do not do that to that poor little kitten. You could puncture his bowel and you will traumatize him. Good Lord.