July 19, 2013

Cat of a Neurotic

Call me crazy (no, don't really, that was just a turn of phrase) but when Penelope the cat woke up with a big white scab on her nose, I could only draw one conclusion.

Cat melanoma.
My name is Penny, and I'm a Cat of a Neurotic


Now, it didn't matter that Penelope is only 12 weeks old. Melanoma can develop in the very young. It didn't matter that I didn't know if cat melanoma could develop in the very young. It didn't matter that I didn't even know if cat melanoma was a thing.

Lack of knowledge has certainly never stopped me from worrying before.

It did, however, matter that Penelope has never been outside. Once I realised this I was forced to revise my diagnosis. Even I know that melanoma is caused by the sun.

And so there was only one other conclusion to draw.

Ringworm. My cat had ringworm. And ringworm was very, very bad.

Now, Penny's nose didn't look a lot like the noses of ringworm cats. I know this because I Googled ringworm, and found some revolting pictures. Clearly, Penny had an atypical case of the Ringworm Nose. And obviously, atypical cases are going to be far, far harder to treat.

The really worrying thing was that the kids and I were going to get ringworm too. Google said it could happen, and if it could happen then it's totally going to. And ringworm in humans is absolutely gross. It can cover your whole body, like a plague of, well, worms, which is not a good look when you go to school pickup. I had visions of the kids and I, stuck at home for weeks like lepers, with ringworm ravaging us from head to toe.

I knew I had to bite the bullet and go to the vet, who could seal my fate before the horror set in.

So off we trudged, the kids and Penny and I. I braced for the bad news. I was ready. I was primed.

And guess what? The cat has the flu. The garden variety flu, of the feline kind. No melanoma. No ringworm. No leper colony. No disaster.

Either Google knows nothing, or I was searching the wrong term.

'Cat of a Neurotic' might have been a better place to start.

20 comments:

  1. I had ringworm as a kid... and, yep, it spread all over my body... I had to miss about 6 weeks of 2nd class while I was leprous... err, I mean contagious.


    Thanks for bringing all those gross memories back Kerri... and now I'm itchy all over...


    Damn you Sackville!! *shakes fist*

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  2. Glad to know Miss Penelope isn't as sick as Google told you. Enjoy your leprosy-free weekend, Kerri. :-)

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  3. So relieved Penelope survived both a tragic condition (melanoma) and a disgusting one (ringworm)...but what an anti-climax after all that anguish - boring, old flu! Couldn't a Princess have a slightly more elegant affliction??

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  4. However did we manage to misdiagnose, panic and overreact before we had google?? Life was so dull back then.

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  5. You should have gotten in touch with Mrs Woog, she has a HOT vet that she take her cat to.....

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  6. How on earth did the flu cause a scab on her nose? Has she been using too many tissues??

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  7. LOL. They get lesions. She had ulcers on her tongue too!

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  8. Yeah, it really was a bit of a let down...

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  9. Just when I thought it was safe to correspond with JJ again........

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  10. Just remember we have hugged each other... you have the ringworms too now!!!

    *evil laughter*

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  11. my pets are also pets of a neurotic. I need to learn to google better and save myself money at the vet's office.

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  12. Um Kerri, how does a cat who doesn't go outside, catch cat flu ? Did it get in through the cat flap ?

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  13. LOL. Vets are BLOODY EXPENSIVE. And no Medicare!

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  14. APPARENTLY, Fendi, she would have been harbouring the virus from before I got her. She was a rescue kitty, you know. Hard life on the streets...

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  15. Some cat flu can be fatal. She must be a pretty tough little girl. I'm glad Miss Penelope is okay.

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  16. I don't know why I can't post other than as a "guest". I put in my email addy and password but it won't allow me to post under that method...so I have to post as a guest. This never used to be the case...no big deal. :)

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  17. Cat flu! Yikes. Poor Penelope. Hope she feels better soon. Glad it wasn't ringworm!

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