Mo
Mo was the first cat that I had when I left home at 18. She was six months old when I first got her, a rescue cat from the Cats Protection. Her nickname there was Big Foot as she has an extra toe on each of her paws. I chose to call her Mo because it rhymed with toe. Her full name is Mo Mostly Moseley Street, to all of which she answers. She is very affectionate and will lie like a baby in your arms. She likes to paddypaw (also known as 'milk treading') and when she's at full steam, all of her paws and toes are moving at once! Her nose changes from white to pink when it's warm. Mo is an excellent mouser. She also catches birds but doesn't kill them, just brings them home for us to see before letting them fly off. She is a very gentle and loving cat. She is ten years old in April 2002.

Tragically, Mo was knocked down outside our house on Wednesday 16th January 2002. Lee was on the scene immediately and we were able to take her to the vet's straight away. It was very touch and go for several days when all of a sudden, Mo started to get better. She is left with a broken jaw and blindness in her right eye, the side on which she was hit. As I am writing this (Wednesday 30th January 2002), Mo is still at the vet's. We had her home for the weekend but she had to be re-admitted to have some teeth out. Because her jaw was broken, it was misaligned and she couldn't shut it properly. She has had out all her bottom teeth except for the little ones at the front. The vet has decided that she is going to stay there until she is eating properly with her mouth. At the moment, she is being fed by a tube that is in her neck.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the vets and nurses at Marshall and Till Veterinary Surgeons. They have, in mine and Lee's opinion been absolute life savers and have taken wonderful care of our beautiful Mo Mostly Moseley Street. We couldn't have wished for more professional and loving people to look after and save her life. Thank you.

Monday 11th February 2002

Mo had her food tube removed a couple of weeks ago. She is refusing to eat, though and Lee and I are feeing her special convelescent food with a syringe into her mouth. The vet is concerned because she has lost some weight but, hopefully, feeding her in the way we are doing, she will put some weight on. It is wonderful to have her home with us. She likes to get in bed with Lee and snuggle up to him. Our little girl.

Here is a pic of Mo taken after the accident.

Saturday 16th February 2002

Mo came home today after another night at the vet's. We took her for a check up yesterday and, though she had lost no more weight, the vet still wanted her in to give her the injection that would make her eat. Mo was given this and ate two good meals, thus ensuring that, even if she didn't eat over the weekend at home, she would have had some sustanance. What the vet thinks is happening is, because Mo had her nose broken, the smelling parts of her nose are damaged and she can't smell the food in front of her. Even though she approaches the food bowls as normal as if to eat, she can't smell what's there or it smells of cardboard to her, thus not very appetising. What the vet wants to try and do is to teach Mo that perhaps food doesn't smell as good as it used to but that she should still eat.

We are to keep on trying to give her a wide range of smelly food, such as pilchards and sardines and see if she eat. Mo has to go back to the vet's for another check up on Monday.

Tuesday 19th February 2002

Yesterday, Mo went for her check-up. The vet weighed her and found she had lost another 150g in weight. What she decided to do was to give us one Valium tablet that we were to split into four pieces and give one piece three times a day to Mo to stimulate her appetite. We rushed home gleefully with our tablet and gave Mo the first piece. We waited for her to eat...but nothing happened. We gave her another piece of Valium four hours later and waited for her to eat...but nothing happened.

It was by then that Lee had to leave for work so it was just Mo and I. I was opening some salmon for my tea and I thought I would give some to Mo on the off chance that she would eat it. At first, she stuck her nose up at it but I left it on the floor for her and started doing some washing up. The next time I turned round, littel Mostly was only chomping away at the salmon! I was so happy that I rang Lee at work and told him.

Mo continued to eat for nearly a whole hour. She had salmon, cat food, chicken, curry and rice plus a big drink of water. She hasn't really stopped eating since so hopefully, she's going to start putting on some of the weight she's lost. We are at the vet's again tomorrow for another check-up so we'll see how she goes on.

Here is Mo having a nap after a big dinner. She knows I'm taking the picture as you can see just a little opening to look sleepily at me...

Wednesday 20th February 2002

We took Mo to the vet's for another check up. The vet was over joyed when we told her that Mo had been eating. She was so pleased! She gave us another Valium tablet just in case Mo, for some reason, did stop eating again.

December 2002

I am sorry that it's been such a long time since I updated Mo's page. There is no excuse for it!!! How is she? Well, she's doing really, really well, especially since we changed her food from chunks to supermeat. Her coat is really shiny and soft now and it going black again (it had turned brown). She eats well and has a good sleep afterwards. We are still so happy that she survived her accident and we know that we're so lucky to have her.

 

16th January 2003

Well, it's a year today since Mo's accident and she is doing really, really well. She thrives on her supermeat and her coat is still shiny and soft. She spends a lot of time asleep next to the radiator on the back of chair and snores softly. Mo doesn't go out much these days because, I think, she feel the cold more now. She is an old lady and will be eleven this year. Our beautiful princess pulled through. Hurrah!