Update to the Update on Yale's Health

Yale went to the vet today, and got fully checked out.  We took X-rays, and it's nearly certain there is nothing broken.  It can be a little hard to tell, with kittens this small, but the vet feels confident, and so do we.

Ivy, Yale, and the rest on the way to the vet.

Instead, the vet supposes that Yale probably has feline calicivirus.  If you look that up online, you should know, it's probably not as scary as it sounds.  A great lot of cats have it and are just fine.  Typically they'll get sick for a while, fight it off, and then just live with the virus, and no real symptoms -- and no further chance of contagion.  That's what we expect for Yale.  And we don't have to worry about Yale infecting any of the rest of the Faculty, because they're all vaccinated against it already.  Most cats get vaccinated against it as a matter of course.

Yale's also beautiful on the inside - and now we have proof!

Of course, while the vet's diagnosis is almost certainly correct, it's also worth remembering that we didn't perform and real test for calicivirus; it's a presumptive diagnosis.  Whenever you have a kitten that has a fever and a limp, this is what you assume is going on.  Because it's likely, and common.  We'll be 'treating' it by giving her some powerful painkillers to help her get by, and some antibiotics to help prevent any secondary infections.  

Yale says she'll be fine!  


Then we just wait for her own immune system to fight it off.  Which is almost certainly how it'll go.  No worries!

Ivy and Cornell are ready to go home.

Quick Update on Yale's Health

Thanks to everyone who wrote in to let us know Yale has been limping.  We will eventually respond to you all personally, but it may take a little time.  

We checked her out ourselves, and we're convinced nothing is broken; she probably just twisted it a bit when she was climbing and playing.  

We're going to take a watch-and-wait approach for the moment.  There's really not much a vet can do in this situation anyhow.  But if she doesn't seem better in short order, we'll take her in regardless.

EDIT: It's Monday night, and Yale is still limpy.  If she doesn't seem better in the morning, we will take her in to a vet. 

Here's a quick photo to pay the cat tax: