A Very “Exciting” Week

I had originally  planned to give my January Cure update today but this week had a bumpy start (and finish) and a ton going on that I thought I would share. We’ll do January Cure tomorrow…

To put it mildly, It was very chaotic week at the Overby house. Good, bad and ugly going on all at once. You probably already know we got our list of locations for our next assignment and as most things go we must weigh the good and bad at each before we can make a decision. This time is always exciting but can be very scary, what if we choose wrong? We have never been to most of these place and have no idea what to expect. For this reason there has been lots of discussion, researching schools, housing, commutes, talking to the kids (my daughter will be a sophomore next year so this is a big move for her.)  Stressful but full of possibilities and then a decision that changes our lives. After lots of back and forth but the decision is made, for anyone who is wondering. Drum roll please….It looks like South Carolina will be our next move. The location is just outside of Columbia and very near a Chick Fil A and Myrtle Beach.  I bet the even have a Chick Fil A AT Myrtle Beach.  Now we must wait for final approval and a move date so nothing is set in stone yet but at least we have a plan… Sort of.

And that was just the beginning.  On Friday we had a veterinary emergency with our cat Ozzie who we think was hit by a car. He is an indoor/outdoor cat who came in limping and crying but otherwise intact. When I had a look I realized his rear leg was bending in an unnatural way which I knew was serious and concerned me that he could have internal injuries. After 45 minutes of bumbling around trying to find a vet in German (of course the cat needs a vet on a holiday when the American vet is closed) we finally found an English-speaking vet who could see him. The cat was calm through all this but I about passed out and was near tears. The only plus side of  it being a holiday was my husband was home for back up. Good thing because I was a hot mess and still in my bathrobe with my hair standing up!

Before I go on, let me address the fact that this is my daughter’s cat and she loves him more than anything in the world, even One Direction. If Ozzie does not survive this I don’t even want to know the outcome. This cat HAS to be okay!

At the vet we received bad news, Ozzie’s leg was badly broken just below the hip-joint which made repair difficult, very expensive and not a guarantee. The only other option was amputation which although not a perfect solution was better than a painful repair that may or may not work and be miserable for the cat. Experience also helped me know that a three-legged cat was not as big a deal as one might think. Our first dog was a tripod and most people did not even notice, he got around fine with one back leg and did not seem to mind at all. As humans this is very emotional but animals move on very easily.

Another decision is made…

The surgery was performed Saturday morning and 24 hours later Ozzie came home. I have to say through this whole thing he has totally been himself, never lethargic, no shock and other than the cone on his head (which by the way, he really hates) he is hopping around pretty well. The cone is supposed to keep him from getting at the incision so if I am able to sit and watch him, I let him have some relief from it. Poor kitty is trying to learn to get around again and the dang cone makes him get caught and run into things, besides the fact that it is totally humiliating. Look how much he likes it…

He has been home almost 24hrs now and you may be wondering how he’s doing.

In our house we have lever handles on all the doors, long ago Ozzie learned to open the doors by jumping up to pull the lever. In my daughter’s room the door opens in so besides pulling the lever with his front legs he would push-off the wall with his back legs to get the door to open. I knew recovery would be fast when this morning less than 48 hours after amputation, he opened the door and hopped out as usual.

I think he’s gonna make it!

So yes, lots of  “excitement” last week. This week I will take a little boredom.

Wishing everyone a very boring week!