posted
This is only loosely on topic, but it is about writing so I feel justified. I found it both terrible and funny.
My cat, Maggie, (she's the Malkin in Good Housekeeping) was just diagnosed with Feline Hyperthyroidism. It's fortunately a very treatable disease. My vet gave me a brochure which detailed three treatment options. 1)a pill twice a day for the rest of her life. (Remember how much I travel?) 2) Surgery. Might leave her voiceless and paralyzed on one side. 3) Iodine 131 radiation treatment. 95% effective.
If we go with option 3) the brochure goes on to discuss recuperation with these words:
quote: Responsibilities at home: Upon discharge from the hospital, your cat will still be minimally radioactive. The radioactivity in your cat will gradually disappear over the next 2 to 4 weeks. During this time it is recommended not to sleep with your cat and to limit close contact (less than 12 inches) with your cat to 1 hour per day for the first two weeks.
[This message has been edited by MaryRobinette (edited July 10, 2004).]
posted
Perfect Sci-Fi birth control == one radioactive lap cat. Fried cajones, anyone?
***
"Hon, the lights went out again. Go to the basement and check the breaker, will you? I can't find the flashlight, so just take the cat with you."
***
So many possibilities, so few hyperthyroid cats!
Seriously, though, one question to ask your vet: If you do opt for the radiation, will it destroy the thyroid thus causing your cat to need thyroid *replacement* pills the rest of his life?
posted
Oh, the SF stories that I wish I could write about this; sadly, it's existing science so, ah well. Unless... YES! Radioactive Cat vs. Godzilla.
Suzanne, thanks for asking about the side effects. All the reading that I've been doing says that the Iodine 131 targets the diseased portion of the thyroid. In 5% of cats it will cause a hypothyroid condition.
A friend of mine has an old-glow-in-the-dark Radium book. We've been thinking about just letting Maggie sleep on that. Alternatively, my father suggested getting some photographic paper and letting her sleep on the closed box after her treatment. Kitty art, anyone?
posted
Not enough information to make a recommendation. Cats often don’t do well with anesthetic. Surgery would require this, how about the radiation treatment? Our cat vet told us he would need to sedate to take an x-ray.
Please be aware that radiation turned mild mannered Peter Parker into a mutated Spiderman. It could make your cat able to leap tall tables in a single bound and beat up the neighbors dog! I hate it when a pet is sick.
posted
Okay, you had to bring up Spiderman, dincha? *G*
In my spare time, of which I have woefully too much, I help out a local rescue/shelter. One of the things I sometimes do is come up with imaginative descriptions of pets awaiting adoption. When I was asked to write something for a cat named Spiderman, here's what I did:
"Ssssh! Don't tell my foster family, but I'm really Peter Parker. They don't know my secret identity yet, they only know me as my SUPERHERO self, Spiderman! I have really cool SUPER powers like the ability to cling to surfaces with the help of my claws, I can entangle villains with my SUPER tail and I have a 'kitty' sense which always tells me when I'm in danger... of missing a meal!! I spend my days planning my next encounter with my arch-enemy, the Doglin, and lounging in really high places like only a spideycat can do. When I am not being my SUPER self, I pretend to be something of a 'fraidy cat so no one will guess how SUPER I really am! I am still a very young cat, a kitten really, but that doesn't stop me from being SUPER! I know I can lick any dog on the block... and purr at them, too! If you need a SUPERHERO in your life, then SUPER me would be SUPER for you! Just make like a webcrawler, visit my favourite web site and fill out an application. Be sure and tell 'em that only a SUPER cat will do!"
So if you're stuck with writer's block, or are too worried about your sick kitty to be able to concentrate on more serious stuff, try volunteering your talents for your local rescue. It's actually rather a fun exercise!
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I hate it when a pet is sick.
