A credit to his species

Last week, I thought I saw something worrying in Jack’s mouth. I rushed to call the vet and managed to get an appointment right away. She didn’t find anything out of the ordinary there but proposed it would be time not only to remove tartar, a nuisance built up in every cat’s mouth over time, but also to put Jack under a complete dental examination including X-rays. This would confirm whether the reddish spots in a couple of his gums were indicative of tooth erosion, in which case the damaged tooth would have to be removed. These operations would be performed under anaesthesia.

Moreover, as Jack is a senior – 11 years old which is considered roughly the equivalent of 60 years in humans – the vet suggested, in addition to general blood tests, a set of tests to check the condition of his liver, kidneys and thyroid gland.

Knowing that dental infections are a major risk factor for the overall health of a cat, the other day I took Jack to these examinations. I left him under the care of the professionals expecting to be called to fetch him in three to four hours when he would have recovered enough to be taken home. It took much less than they had anticipated: in two hours I was back at the vet’s examination room witnessing the dizzy Jack wheeling around in his transport box silently pushing and rubbing his head against the sides and bars in total confusion.

I'm not sure I like you shooting these barbered spots on by legs and neck.

His teeth were fine. Not even the X-rays revealed any eroded spots. His liver, kidneys and thyroid were perfectly normal. The only test showing a slightly elevated level was that of his blood glucose, which was most likely explained by stress the vet told me.

Okay, okay, I'll look up for a while so you can see the neck better.

I guess I overreacted last week but now we know our dear Jack is in perfectly good condition for his age. Never mind it cost us several hundred euros. There’s nothing we wouldn’t do for our role model, a champion of his species.

I just love these broadleaf plantains growing in our yard. They are so good for my teeth.