Last evening I visited Ampersand after a day of errands. The vets were going to close early due to the inclement weather but never got to leave early. When I arrived, Amp was eating his dinner. The cone was filthy but he wouldn’t let me near him to clean it and if I approached him he would back up and smack my hand; he was not a happy camper. I asked the technician to please help me (just like in a hospital we must advocate for the patient. Our presence makes a big difference in the patient’s treatment).

The tech was able to remove the cone–not an easy task–and scrub it and while he was doing so, Ampersand washed his face for the first time in about a month. All the crusted gook and dirt came falling off onto his towel. I called the vet over, he had happened to walk in, and he said the eye was much better, that is was “saved”. Amp’s face was finally uncaged, you could see he was dying to free himself of all that annoying schmutz, but where the dirt and old discharge had been the fur was pulled off and the skin was red.

The vet was concerned that he was rubbing his eye with a claw and that it would bleed, but Amp was carefully using the side of his paw.

He may be released soon. I see the infection is still there, the eye is distorted. It is too soon for me. There are no more meds being administered at this time. There is no eye tearing, but if there is any infection left I do not want my other cats to be exposed. We’ll have to see.

Then the cone had to go back on and all hell broke out: the tech couldn’t do it himself and the vet had to come in with safety gloves and do tough love. It was like lion taming. Feral cats are not easy. They never forget what it was like to be outside and have to fend for themselves.

The vet got the cone back on-we as we were all holding our breath. I tried to calm the cat  but he was still growling. OK, he was pissed. (He actually pooped during all this, he is a very frightened animal), but we got to get a look at his face and the eye  and gave him a short break from the burden of the cone.

As always, all the animals have left except for the regulars; the baby bull dogs with pneumonia, Moo, who nobody wants, and Ampersand.