Poor little dude.....

Frank had a bit of a traumatic day today! As did I. Last night I noticed that he was limping, he didn't want to put much weight on one of his back legs. All I could think about was my previous fuzzy feline, Charlie, and how one minute he was fine, and the next minute he was gone. Needless to say, I was more than a little worried about Frank! I decided against taking him to the emergency animal hospital because he seemed to be pretty much like his usual self as far as appetite and litter box habits were concerned. He didn't seem to be in too much pain as he was still walking around, jumping up on the bed, and walking up and down the stairs, although he was definitely favoring his good hind leg. He slept right next to me all night, he probably knew I was worried about him, I hardly slept at all. I found a veterinarian clinic that was open on Sundays and made an appointment for earlier this afternoon. The above picture is of him in his cat carrier, do you see the white paw? He wasn't too happy about getting in the carrier, but he couldn't quite put up a valiant fight due to his gimpy leg:( Poor little dude!
The veterinarian clinic was only a few miles away from where we live, and it is awesome they are open on the weekends. Frank was weighed (10lbs), had his temperature taken rectally (sorry Frank!!), his heart rate checked (normal), and his teeth examined (they didn't say much about that, but I know he needs his teeth cleaned because his breath is stanky sometimes!). Then the veterinarian came in and that is when the discomfort really happened for Frank (and me). It was so hard watching the vet examine Frank because obviously his hind leg was tender and painful. He was hissing and took a good swipe at the vet's hand. The doc was having none of Frank's shite, and strapped Frank's little face in a muzzle. I don't blame him, but it was really hard for me to watch, in fact, I had to turn away, I couldn't watch. The vet couldn't find anything wrong during the examination, so they took x-rays of his hips and knees. It turns out Frank has some degeneration going on in the bones of his lower back. The vet thinks it is age related, and may have been caused by an injury to the area when he was younger (probably while he was an alley cat). I was relieved to hear it was arthritis and not something super serious like a fracture or a tumor. The vet prescribed a medication that is used quite commonly in humans, called meloxicam, it is an antiinflammatory agent. So I will be giving Frank medication for the first time in the 5 years that I have had him. I guess I should feel pretty lucky because I know plenty of pet owners who have had to give their pets many courses of medication.
The medication comes in a liquid formulation. I had to give Frank 10 drops today, 5 drops tomorrow, and then 3 drops daily on a regular basis. The drops are a honey flavor, Frank seemed to love it. I was pleasantly surprised! I put a couple drops on top of a cat treat, and he had no problems eating them. Hopefully the medication will help Frank over the course of the next few days. He is still angry at me, I think. He has been hiding under the edge of the bed for the last 3 hours. I hope he comes out soon, I miss him.