My Little Trooper

Here is a picture of Miss Emmy Louise – it was taken a few months ago. She is 14-15 years old – give or take a few months.

Here is her saga thus far. Emmy had a cold for months – coughing and sneezing occasionally, but nonetheless acting normal. On Friday, my roommate and I noticed that Emmy seemed REALLY congested – and by Saturday evening she was having trouble breathing through her nose. She also refused to eat and/or drink anything and basically just lay on the pile of dirty clothes in my room.

Unfortunately, during any kind of medical “crisis” I simply shut down. I hate doctors, dentists, hospitals, and even veterinarians. In fact, the last time I went to a doctor was about 5 or 6 years ago – and he told me he wanted to run a bunch of tests due to my weight. He said I could have an enlarged heart or diabetes and scheduled a battery of tests. In my typical fashion, I cancelled all the tests and proceeded to lose 90 pounds on my own – just so I didn’t have to go back to the doctor. Of course I’ve since gained those 90 lbs. back. My fear of doctors, etc. prevents me from thinking rationally when faced with a health issue.

Anyway, I hemmed and hawed and didn’t know WHAT to do with Emmy. Frankly, I was terrified of losing her, but just as terrified of having to take her to a Vet. and watch her get poked and prodded. Luckily, my roommate doesn’t have this same phobia/mania. He decided that Emmy REALLY needed medical attention, and on Sunday night he took her to the 24-hour animal clinic in my neighborhood. After they tried to get him to agree to $650 worth of TESTS (not treatment, only tests), he finally asked the Vet. for an antibiotic to knock the congestion/cold out of her. They gave him a liquid antibiotic and instructions for its use – for the bargain price of $210.

Even after the first dose I saw an improvement in my kitty. She started purring when I rubbed her head – and she stopped sneezing. Her runny nose dried up. Yesterday she started drinking water – and today she actually ate some dry food. As is her habit, she even jumped up on the couch with me while I ate my eggs this morning. I was thankful she didn’t sneeze into my breakfast like she had been doing recently – but honestly it would have been fine if she had. I was just so happy to have her acting “normal”.

I love both my kitties (see pic of Emmy and Oscar – my other cat – below) – but Emmy has been my “roommate” for 14 years. In fact, she has lived in Manhattan longer than I have. I had been renting a room in Brooklyn when my friend Shanta asked me to move into her apartment in Hell’s Kitchen. I moved in with Shanta and her cat Emmy shortly thereafter. When Shanta moved out, Emmy and I stayed – and Emmy became MY kitty. That was 14 years ago, and we’ve been together ever since. And I wish to God she could stay with me for another 14.