craziness.

well, i don't have a better word to sum up yesterday...

so, let me take you on a whirlwind tour.

matt had the day off.

i did typical errands for a tuesday...groceries, feed store, etc.

came home to matt setting up an archery target in the backyard.

oh, yes...as in bows and arrows.

matt's dad just recently gave me a new bow.

matt & are even making some new arrows for as well! yay!

 i have been kind of sad for a few days 

because i'm selling a doll that i really love.

i know most of you won't understand that...

just know that i have shed many tears over it...

but all will be okay...somehow.

so, i have been trying to stay occupied.

cleaned out the chicken run & coop...

came back inside...

checked a few things online and heard a LOUD scream/howl/?

and then heard munki say what was that?...

as i am sprinting out of the office.

okay...whew...not munki.

what/who was it?

i then find kisu in the kitchen all hunched up...foaming at the mouth...

gagging...tongue sticking out...left eye closed.

i pet her, check her eyes, check her gums,touch her stomach...

(thank goodness for working as a vet tech & having some animal knowledge)

she seems ok after a few minutes...so i let her be.

she keeps randomly gagging though.

i tell matt, we're both thinking it's some hairball issue.

she's just acting kind of funny, but finally falls asleep and seems ok.

so, we all go about continuing our day.

matt & i went out back and shot some arrows!

i love archery.

LOVE.

now of course we need to get a munki sized bow as well =]

we have dinner...we settle in for the evening.

kisu has been sleeping...no recent gagging.

headed to the bathroom for nightly bedtime routine...

pick up my palmer's scar lotion (for my neck) which i put on every night.

well, under that jar, we keep a sharp needle with a thick piece of thread on it...

for splinters, (which our household seems to get a lot of.)

mind you, this is up on a shelf above the toilet.

it's not there.

i always see it, on a daily basis...

(and i check for it when i pick up the jar & when i put it back)

instantly i remember the howly scream that kisu made.

i dropped everything i was doing & went to find kisu.

i tell matt the needle is gone and he hunts through the bathroom.

i just have a sinking feeling in my gut.

i pick up kisu...

take her in the bathroom and set her on the counter.

(we have super bright lights in our bathroom)

i separate her jaws and look in her mouth

and sure enough...

jammed into the roof of her mouth and almost up into her nasal cavity

is the needle. 

it's at an angle and the threaded end is pointing down her throat...

that would make most anyone gag.

first i panic.

then i realize it's 11pm at night.

i am going to try this myself before i make an emergency vet visit.

time for a kitty burrito.

a move that i think most vet techs know

& if they don't, they should.

cats are gnarly, squirmy, scratchy, bitey sorts of creatures

when you try to pin them for any length of time.

so, i wrap a huge towel very tightly around kisu, 

so that her legs are all wrapped up, she can't scratch or get away...

(picture swaddling a baby, only much tighter & around something that wants to run away)

just her little kitty head is sticking out of the kitty burrito.

matt gets the lucky job of holding her.

i try to hold her jaw open...

i grab my needle nosed pliers...

just when i thought i had my thumb back far enough to keep her jaw open...

she twists and contorts and closes her jaw...tight.

on my thumb.

ouch.

still, i have to get the needle out.

pry open her mouth again, pull my finger out.

blood.

damn.

quick thinking...run to the kitchen...

grab a wine cork, wrap it in a washcloth...

roll it up tight and shove it in to the side of her mouth to keep her jaw open.

the bathroom is getting hot...

(had to close the door, the other 3 cats were quite upset with kisu's howling)

matt & i are sweating...i'm on the verge of tears...

my thumb is bleeding.

this would have been much easier if it was someone else's cat.

kisu can't be held this tight for much longer.

her breathing is getting funny...she's panting.

this is my last shot.

holding the cork in her jaw with my thumb...

i wrap my hand behind her head so she can't move...

i stick the needle nose pliers into the back of her throat...

grab the needle...

pull it down towards the back of her throat so that nothing tears...

and then pull it straight out of her mouth.

holy. 

crap.

we unwrap kisu so she can try to relax.

she just lays on the floor.

poor baby.

that was so damn traumatic for all of us.

after about 5 minutes, her breathing returns to normal.

she is pooped though. 

so we took her to the bedroom and closed the door 

so no one else would bug her for awhile.

i go into the bathroom to clean my thumb before anything closes.

cat bites are nasty and can turn very bad, very quickly.

i ran hot water on it to open all the holes...

3 on the bottom...2 on the top...

not that bad.

peroxide...

hand sanitizer...

ouch sting ouch.

but it doesn't look too bad once it's cleaned up.

then matt & i  headed to bed.

wow.

once the adrenaline stopped rushing, we both crashed.

kisu is fine today...her mouth looks great.

she's back to her happy little kitty self.

so, just a couple more days of watching her to make sure nothing is infected.

but i think we may be in the clear.

& my thumb (while swollen and really sore)

should be just fine...

how was your tuesday?

today, munki is finishing up her robotics stuff 

so that she can be ready for the fair judging next tuesday!

have a stellar wednesday

& thanks for reading the novel i wrote today.

xox.

p.s. there are no more needles in the bathroom.
& we still have no idea how she actually got it.