Last night when I got off work, when I walked into the house, I noticed that Charlie was sleeping in an odd way on the couch. He was all balled up in a kitty fetal position and his breathing was off (rapid and shallow.) I could hear him gurgling even though his head was buried in his paws.

I ran over to scoop him up, and I almost dropped him because he was so hot. I grabbed up the rubbing alcohol and some cotton pads and we went upstairs to be alone.

His temperature was 105.2! I started giving him alcohol rubs- rubbing the solution on his ear flaps and footpads. He wouldn’t drink or eat and he was so dehydrated too. I gave him sub-q’s but unfortunately, I kept turning him into a sprinkler because the needle kept poking through.

I was up all night with him giving him lukewarm baths and rubs. His temperature went to 104.2 at 2:00 a.m. and we both slept uneasily through to morning. He was so hot on my chest that it wasn’t necessary to use blankets to keep warm!

In the morning, I called Dr. Vickie and now Charlie has had a shot of dexamethasone, he has been started on zithromax and I am giving him Buspar for pain.

He was eating a little bit this morning, but nothing since then. Not even baby food tempts him. His temperature as of 20 minutes ago was 103.2- he is lethargic and except for one exciting moment when he decided to drink out of the pet fountain, he is getting sub-q’s to keep him hydrated (twice a day.)

Hailey, bless her heart came over and showed me how to give fluids without turning him into a sprinkler, and for her trouble, Charlie almost bit her! Not like him at all.

He has heavy thick discharge coming out of his mouth, brown gunk in his nose and red gunk in his eyes. Because he is an active carrier of felineherpes and calici virus, I am loath to take him to the vet as stress will cause him to get worse.

It is going to be a long night- better go and start the coffee