Sometimes living in Italy isn't easy or fun. The past few days have made me wish that I was living stateside more than I can express. Why? I have a sick cat and things don't work here the way we are used to them working in the States.
For example - We took Pumpkin to the vet twice on Friday and ultimately brought him home with a catheter and a bag full of medications, including shots. This wouldn't happen in the States. They would keep your beloved pet at the vet clinic and tend to them. It is never fun leaving a pet at the vet, but at least you (hopefully) know they are receiving quality care from someone who knows what they are doing. I don't have a clue what I'm doing.
On top of that there is the language difficulty. I don't speak very good Italian, and I certainly don't know medical jargon so it is really difficult to communicate effectively with the veterinarian. Finally, of course things had to get worse on a Friday an everything here is closed on the weekend. Oh, and Monday is an Italian holiday, too.
I'm feeling helpless. There are symptoms that I won't describe in gory detail here that have me concerned. I called the vet 5 times before I got through and was told to continue the therapy and bring him in tomorrow morning. If what I think may be the problem is the problem, well....I don't want to speculate, I'll just freak myself out.
The Vet we are using now is the second one I've seen this week. I don't want to mess up continuity of care, but I don't want to put my cat in danger either. I don't even know where I'd find a pet emergency clinic, certainly not nearby. We live far enough out in the country if I found one it would likely be an hour or more away.
For now I will try to make my cat as comfortable as possible and see what happens. I will pray, and if you pray please pray for Pumpkin or send positive thoughts our way. At this point I just want him to get well enough to travel so we can move back to the States and take him to a "real" vet.
