Simply, Sally

My Siamese-mix, Echo, has been having issues with being extremely high strung lately. She’s always had a temper. It’s something I accept with her being a Siamese-mix. However, lately she’s been downright mean. She’d been having intermittent fits of hissing, spitting, sputtering, and just general fury over very little things for the past couple weeks. She’d gone after Luna a few times, but got over it.

Saturday night, I got back from a dinner party at Wally’s place. After everyone went to bed, I got back up to get a drink. I accidentally broke the glass and Echo went nuts. She went after mom and I ended up having mom go to bed while I sat in the middle of the floor with Echo in my lap. I went to bed when she was calm and thought it was over and done with.

Sunday morning, I got up and she chilled out in my lap… until she saw Kaze. She attacked Kaze and chased her into a corner of my room. I yelled to break it up and Echo turned, jumped, and sank her claws into my arm. She subsequently wound up in her carrier for a time out.

Matt’s mom and brother came over to get some of the things they had stored at Matt’s house. Luna did her usual “Bark like a maniac first and ask questions later” thing. Echo went ballistic, went after Luna, and then tore back into Kaze. When I tried to save the confused and terrified Kaze, Echo went after me.

In total, yesterday Kaze got attacked 4 – 5 times, Luna a couple, me 4 – 5, and mom several. I now have deep gouges in my left leg. Echo spent the night in the carrier.

So, it was time to go to the vets.

Since Echo detests having her butt touched right now, I wanted that end thoroughly checked. Dr. Abraham had her temperature taken and expressed her anal glands just in case. (Hence the anal probe joke) He felt her over really well and took her vitals.

As far as they can tell, Echo is a healthy kitty.

Naturally, the topic of spaying came up next. Hormonal issues could be causing this too. So, while he had her in that position — courtesy of a strategy they called the “kitty burrito” — he did a vaginal swab and had the cells mounted on a slide so he could tell where she was in her heat cycle. Basically, a cat’s vaginal cells change depending on where they are in their reproductive cycle. She has about 20% of the cells that are associated with being in heat… which end of the 20% he can’t tell me. Now we get to wait a bit in order to see if she goes into heat before we can get her in to be spayed. (He’ll do it while she’s in heat, but it’s more expensive.)

In 10 – 14 days, she gets to go back to the vet for another exam and possibly spaying. (Of course, with the caveat that she doesn’t develop other symptoms — in which case we’ll pop her back over to the vet.)

Echo is still in quarantine, since she still wants to attack Kaze and Luna. However, I’m in less of a panic now. As a bonus… my cat thinks aliens are real, she got abducted, and I ain’t half bad.