Emergency Management: Cat Edition
Hello from quarantine! I was unlucky enough to get sick but lucky enough to avoid the serious stuff so far. As things are gradually opening up, the predictions have calculated more cases of COVID-19, and in dealing with the symptoms and isolation (plus utter boredom!), I did have time to consider plans for the fur babies if I was hospitalized or if the whole family was ill, etc. I want to start off by saying right now that making arrangements for your animals is not fun, and we hope we will never have to use our emergency plans, but trying to figure this out after you are already ill is going to be a lot worse. Secondly, every emergency plan is going to be different based on your living situation, and that is okay.
It is important to consider what your plans would be in different scenarios. Here in Florida, every year, we are advised to have a hurricane plan, and we are lucky enough to have shelters that allow us to bring pets, and there are a lot of pet-friendly hotels out there as well. Other areas have earthquake plans, tornado plans, drought plans….all that weather stuff. Now we have to consider the illness plans. Many well-seasoned kitty parents are already going to have this, but it is easy to get wrapped up in other “stuff” and get stuck figuring it out while also feeling awful and trying to cope with your own issues. Plans will be based on how sick you may get so it is good to have a few tiered plans from quarantine to hospitalization just in case.
Quarantine at Home: If you are ill and stuck at home, this is not too bad. The CDC recommends complete isolation in a sick room with no contact with pets. (You know and I know that a closed door is not going to happen without howling, crying, and/or constant paws under the door.) This recommendation has failed miserably in my house, as I have a protective lap dog and cats that are extremely intent on their daily attention from the person they have chosen this second with no excuses. The best we can do is wash our hands before and after petting as much as possible. As far as testing and feeding is concerned, have another household member do this if you can. As a primary caregiver, this may be a difficult thing to do, but it is better for you and the fur baby to let go and let someone else help out. If you do not have other household members to help out, do the best you can with scheduling testing and feeding. Schedules have needed adjusted in my own home here and there due to my own illness because sometimes, I just could not stay awake. So if you are feeling okay an hour before the normal testing time, go ahead and do it. A skewed schedule is okay on a temporary basis. If anyone else is helping you, make sure to keep up with your journal including testing times, results, insulin given, and food given so as not to under or over treat with insulin.
Hospital Care: If things go sideways, and we get the unlucky side of things where more supportive care in an inpatient setting is required, we may need a whole different plan. I am lucky in that generally there is at least one healthy person in the house because we do not all get sick at the same time. I have my daughter and another college student boarding with us for the summer, so I have added resources to help handle things should this happen. If you already have a trusted pet sitter, use them if they are willing and able. If you need to board kitty, it is best to do this with your own veterinarian or with a boarding arrangement that will be able to handle Kitty’s schedule and have contact with your vet just in case. It is also okay to let your friend, sister, brother, mom, dad, aunt, uncle, cousin – whomever, to foster Kitty while you recover. You will miss them and worry like crazy, but this situation dictates a “caring-for-yourself-first” attitude. You can send along Kitty’s favorite toys, blankets, their own litter box, food, and diabetic care supplies to make things easier for them. As difficult as it can be to let someone else take over, remember that you are no good to Kitty if you are not ready to handle their needs because you are still recovering.
Most of us fur parents have the mama bear protective complex, and it is hard to let someone else take the reins. I get terrible home sickness when I am away from my little zoo even though I know everyone is well taken care of. As mom would say, “Get over yourself,” and ask for help. While the national news might have less than encouraging stories, on the local level through social media, it seems that for the most part, people are helping other people. There are always the exceptions, but generally, there has been more understanding and generosity than I usually see. I hope that no one else has to deal with this illness, but statistically, it is likely to be more common as things open up and people get together.
Be safe out there!
As always, the Feline Diabetes Support Group on FB is a great resource with great admins and community members who are caring and very, very helpful.
*Tip: A common symptom is loss of taste and smell (partially anyway), so if you have a mediocre cook in the house, you can let them have at it. You won’t have to cook, and you won’t taste the difference. (A small consolation prize.)