The Health Chronicles of Arwyn
Boy oh boy. Where do I even begin? Life with Arwyn has been a pure delight, but also an incredibly stressful string of events. In my naivety I assumed this journey with Arwyn would be smooth despite life’s general difficulties. Now I know to assume there will be smooth sailing with any living, breathing thing is foolish.
It clearly didn’t take her long to feel right at home.
October 2021
I drove five hours to a tiny township called Silver Lake in Northern Indiana to adopt my sweet little Demogorgon. I remember it being a cloudy but relaxing drive there. My Spotify playlist was poppin’, my mood was elated, and the drive was uneventful. After several hours of driving down what felt like the same country road, I made it to my destination. Spunky as hell, there she was as talkative as ever. I signed her adoption papers, put her in the purple carrier I bought her, and we were off to the races.
She did surprisingly well on that five hour drive home. For being catnapped by a stranger and shoved into a carrier for several hours, she complained very minimally. For most of the drive home she slumbered quite peacefully. I on the other hand kept myself entertained by singing obnoxiously to varying playlists and marveled at the lightning from the storm I was quickly approaching. The rain was remarkably violent. I couldn’t see more than a few feet down the dark, desolate highway. Cautiously, I drove the remaining several miles home and soon after introduced Arwyn to her new space.
December 2021
It was a few days after Christmas. At last! It was Arwyn’s first veterinarian appointment since being in my care. As silly as it sounds, I was nervous. Since this was my first time owning an animal all by myself, I was afraid of being ill prepared. Despite my nerves, I was relieved that I was finally able to get her in.
They gave Arwyn her booster shots, withdrew some blood to make sure she was square, checked her temperature rectally and listened to her heartbeat. Her patience was impeccable. Eventually the veterinarian gave me a look of concern, listened to Arwyn’s heartbeat again, and informed me that she had heard a slight heart murmur.
Usually when benign heart murmurs happen in kittens, it resolves on its own at between 4-5 months. Arwyn was around that age with no signs of it going away. The veterinarian gave me a pamphlet about end of life care and information on Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM). She told me the nearest specialist was at the CVCA Veterinarian in Louisville (1.5-2hrs away) and that the only true way to tell was to have an EKG and other tests done. After some time processing, I called the CVCA and set an appointment.
To say I was worried was an understatement. I sobbed the entire drive home and then sobbed some more.
CVCA Cardiac Care for Pets
I gave the CVCA in Louisville a call. The ladies over the phone were so kind and informative, easing a lot of my worries. That feeling promptly went away when they told me it would be $600-$1000 for Arwyn to get tested. My car, at the time, whom I lovingly called Christine (she had a mind of her own), definitely wasn’t in the condition to make the drive. Thus, I also had to add the cost of a rental to that bill.
A few months later, it was time for Arwyn’s appointment. Except, there was a wreck along the highway that would make me 30 minutes late to the appointment. They understandably couldn’t accommodate my delay. Thus, I had to book a second rental car and try again a few months later.
When that time came around, I left ultra early with Arwyn. That was when I took her across state lines for the first time. She wasn’t happy about being in her backpack the entire time, but she managed. We had about an hour to kill, so I took her to a nearby park. That’s when I began training her to be an adventure kitty. We were both a little uneasy being in a park we were unfamiliar with. Even so, she was my brave girl and explored the best of her ability. I was pretty impressed, but she impresses me daily.
After 30 minutes at the park, it was time to head to CVCA for her appointment. I was nervous and prayed that she would be okay. Whilst there, they did non-invasive tests on her. In fact, the veterinarian told me they were surprised at how chill she was for a Bengal cat. Even so, they gave her a sedative since she was still very squirmy. During her sedation, I waited for her in a private waiting room.
After no time at all, they came out with a very buzzed Arwyn and her test results. They told me she had the lowest risk heart murmur possible and that it was barely audible. They okayed her for being able to receive anesthesia in the future (if needed) and said she was a very healthy girl. I could’ve collapsed on the floor from my relief. Not just due to her clean bill of health, but knowing I could get her spayed soon. During this time, she was going into heat and spraying everything. Diapering a neurotic Bengal cat 7 days out of the month was a nightmare.
We’re Headed to Your Birthday Party
I got Arwyn the earliest possible spay appointment possible. It just so happened to be on her birthday. Perhaps she doesn’t understand the English language, but in case she did I told her we were going to her birthday party. When we arrived at the local Humane Society, she was less than pleased.
I walked in and waited amongst the line of other people getting their pets fixed. She was the calmest one of the bunch. That is until a male cat came in yowling from fear. She hissed the most annoyed hiss I had ever heard, almost as if she were yelling at him “WE’RE ALL HERE FOR THE SAME REASON”! I couldn’t help but giggle.
Her spay went well, and we were diaper free from that point on. I figured her health chronicles were done and over with. I couldn’t have been more wrong. She had one final trick up her metaphorical sleeve.
Butt Worms
At some point she ended up getting microscopic worms that couldn’t be noticed from a normal fecal test. Her regular vet asked me to bring in a clean poop sample without any litter on it. I didn’t have any luck. After a week of trying, they told me they could keep her over night free of charge, and that in the morning they would take her sample. She stayed there for three days refusing to poop due to how nervous she was.
I picked her up after work and on the drive home, not even five minutes later, she decided to poop three days worth of excrement into her carrier. I turned around and finally provided them the sample we all had been waiting for. Three days later, they confirmed she had microscopic worms and prescribed her medication.
After a week, she was finally, ACTUALLY cleared of any additional ailments. Over a year later, she’s still going strong and I couldn’t be more in love with this goofy creature.
Hopefully that’s all the reporting I’ll have to do on Arwyn’s health. I do however have many stories of adventures with this girl. We’ll chat soon.
Love,
Keisha & Arwyn