Woman Discovers True Cause of Cat’s Illness After Vet Visit
For as long as his parents have known him, Toasty has been a sweet and mellow kind of cat — eager to cuddle and quick to purr whenever the opportunity strikes.
“He’s the sweetest boy,” Toasty’s mom, Reddit user Artistic-Listen7975, told The Dodo. “He purrs every moment you touch him.”
A Concerning Change in Behavior
Recently, however, the cat’s upbeat spirit took an unexpectedly concerning turn. One day, Toasty’s mom noticed that he was acting strangely. Instead of eating his wet food, he began licking only the moisture from the top of it. Likewise, rather than seeking out affection, he started going into hiding — spending nearly the entire day sleeping.
This went on for days, leading his family to fear that he might be deathly ill.
“I was panicking, honestly. I spent more time staring at the dang cat than anything else,” Artistic-Listen7975 said. “I was so worried I’d wake up and find him dead.”
The Vet Visit Yields No Answers
After Toasty showed no signs of improvement, his worried family took him to the vet. Unfortunately, some $450 in vet bills later, they were left with no solid answers. Toasty’s decline continued nonetheless.
“He was so lethargic and sad,” Artistic-Listen7975 said. “He looked broken.”
A Lightbulb Moment
About a week after Toasty’s mysterious malady began, his mom got to thinking. Around that same time, she’d accidentally broken the glass cup Toasty had always used for water. She replaced it with a ceramic bowl, assuming it wouldn’t make a difference — especially since the family’s other cats used them without issue.
But perhaps it wasn’t to Toasty’s liking? To test the theory, Artistic-Listen7975 grabbed another glass cup, filled it with water and placed it on the counter in front of Toasty.
“He drank for a solid five minutes,” Artistic-Listen7975 said. “I cried.” Turns out, Toasty wasn’t sick. He’d just been refusing to drink from anything other than his preferred glass.
The Lesson Learned
Toasty’s family could never have imagined their cat would be so particular about his drinking vessel as to push himself to the brink of death by thirst. But they’re just glad they were able to get to the bottom of the issue that had worried them for a week.
In the meantime, Toasty is still regaining his strength — but for the most part, he’s back to his old self. His family, meanwhile, would like others to know that even minor changes to their pets’ routines can have profound, and sometimes mysterious-seeming, consequences.
“I hope his story can help other cat parents figure out their weird little critters!” Artistic-Listen7975 said.
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