Sick Cat

Clive at age 6 months


Clive in a tree (he got stuck in a tree as a kitten, and since then has always figured out how to get down himself)


Clive and his sister, Betsy

We've got a sick little guy, Clive. He's been on antibiotics for a while, but his problem might not be biotic, or he might just need more antibiotics or a different kind. He's hanging in there pretty well, though - despite having problems breathing, he's very active and healthy-seeming.

So what does one do when one lives in Musoma and has a sick cat, you might be asking yourself. Well, that's a good question. I'm still trying to figure out the answer myself, in fact.

When Clive and Betsy needed to be neutered/spayed years ago, I had a vet who lives about three or four hours away travel to Musoma by bus and come do their surgeries on my dining room table. That was an adventure. After he left, I found a couple little male kitten bits on the floor under the table - he had cleaned up the table well, but I guess they, being wee round balls, had just rolled off.

When Clive was bitten by a snake and was in acute near-death misery for a week, I used Skype to call the vet in Olympia, WA, that we used to take our cats to years ago. The vet, after hearing that I had a deathly ill cat in East Africa, gave me advice over the phone. That was helpful, but not the kind of thing I felt I could do unless a cat really was deathly ill.

There are two local vets who can do things like administer rabies shots each year. One year I put Clive and Betsy in a basket and took them to his little roadside shop in town to go get their shots, thinking that would be easier than having him make a house call. When I got there, he hopped on his bicycle and went to go buy a syringe! I was a bit surprised he didn't have any on hand. When he returned, he stuck Betsy with the needle and gave her her shot, and then promptly stuck Clive with the same one for his shot! I have a feeling that vets in American don't usually share needles between animals...

With this most recent sickness, I've relied on a vet in the States, whom I call Dr. Sarah when talking to Clive about her as I shove pills down his throat, who has very kindly sent advice and prescriptions via e-mail. I did have a local vet come to the house to look at him one day, but I think this vet was more accustomed to cows needing vaccines than cats with airway issues. Anyway, Dr. Sarah and I met because she's a very good friend of a very good friend, and she's now my (and Clive's) friend, too. We can get all sorts of drugs here at our local pharmacy, so finding the right medication is rarely an issue, although it's often sold under a different name than in the States, so I have to read packages to figure out the ingredients. What IS an issue is finding them in the right size! Pills here are designed for humans, not cats. Even the worm pills are too big, because they are intended for dogs. But hey, what's a knife and cutting board for, if not for cutting your cat's pills into quarters?

So if you are reading this and you have animals, may I advise you to build up a good relationship with your vet there at home, because you just never know when you might need to call or e-mail them if you should happen to move overseas someday!