overweight female doing voice exercises

First thing every morning TC opens our bedroom window and calls the cats.
"Mau  mau" and usually they  reply, if not they are at the door waiting by the time he gets downstairs.

1st december 2015 Emile did not appear at the door with Dylan.
This was not completely unusual as from time to time both cats have gone walkabout for a day or so, worrying but they always appeared as if nothing had happened in the end .

This Sunday however we were in the garden when we heard a strange yowl coming from the shed behind the house and Emile was discovered with a clearly broken back leg . At the time we thought he must have fallen because of the distance from the road. We took him to the vet first thing the next day to discover he had in fact two broken legs and would need to have an operation , not only that but we would have to go to Montauban for a vet able to perform the surgery. "It will cost 400 euros for each leg" warned the vet.




Early diagnosis suggested that the more serious injury was the broken ankle, although the other leg was badly fractured a splint would fix it. So it was after the first operation, and the bill of 650 euros, Emile came home with no fur on his back half, a massive cast on one ankle and the other leg all stitched up with instructions to keep him in a cage for 6 weeks.




He returned to the vets while we were away for Christmas so after care was on hand . While we were away we had a call to say that although the ankle was mending  the leg had broken again and another operation was needed - and so began 2016 for Emile.



For us a routine of monthly drives to Montauban ( an hour each way) with a "singing" cat began. We came up with the notion of  cleaning up an old chicken arc which we installed in the living room as the months of confinement went on ...and on.....and on.






And on and on it did go. An infection started and Emile opened up the wound on his leg exposing the metalwork holding the bone together - another operation - the infection worsened and the metal splint had to be replaced - another operation and so it went on all through the summer. Each time we though we were getting near the end the infection got worse - seemingly " hiding " on the metal splint inside the leg and reappearing every time the antibiotics were stopped.

Poor Emile spent longer and longer periods hospitalised at the vet  - In August the bone broke yet again and we agreed with the vet that the only option was for him to remove the leg. Then the vet decided he wanted to have one more try , we were reluctant to put Emile through yet more treatment but eventually agreed out of respect for the vets efforts up to this point.

Yet another operation to insert a pin through the centre of the tibia and we were reduced to telephone updates on his progress for 6 weeks. When he eventually came home the antibiotics had stopped and the infection had not returned so he was given the "freedom" on one of our spare bedrooms, with no high furniture, for the following month. Good progress meant he was then allowed freedom of the house and this week his final xray showed the bone has at last mended. ANOTHER operation to remove the pin from the bone and he has been discharged with all four legs and after another few weeks he will even be allowed to go out (hopefully not to play with the traffic).

This weeks bill , for the treatment since August , including operations, anaesthetics, treatments and hospitalisation was the princely sum of 98 euros. Certainly can't accuse the vet of profiteering!

He is confined to the house this week, has two weeks in the cattery to look forward to while we are away at the start of next month and maybe the singing when we get back !