Bella's sick

Last night when I came home from work, Bella was not waiting for me at the top of the stairs as usual. I couldn't find her anywhere. I called her name, again and again, but she didn't come out. My apartment is not large, but there are plenty of places for a cat to hide. I decided to eat dinner. This was around 6:00 pm, and she didn't come out (from the closet) until 9:15. She looked all right, not limping or injured in any apparent way, but she hadn't eaten her canned food all day.

The last I saw of her yesterday morning, the little feral was chasing her. It didn't make me happy, but I know Bella has done the same, so I wasn't particularly worried. Now I was.

Bella spent all night in my room, on the floor behind the bed, and wouldn't come to me when I called her. That's very unusual. This morning, she was still hiding but at least I could see her. She felt limp when I picked her up. I brought her food into my room, but she wasn't interested. Of course, I had the day off so it would be another day off spent at the vet. To my surprise, I was able to get her right into the carrier, called for an appointment, and off we went.

The vet is very kind, and he explained the right thing to do was check her blood and X-ray her. But that's expensive. Still, I wanted to know what was wrong. She had been to the vet twice before this year, for dehydration. A saline injection fixed her up, both times. But we want to know what's causing it.

I blame myself, for bringing in a new cat that I know caused her stress. But the vet said she might have gotten this condition anyway. What he found in the X-ray was disturbing -- her whole stomach and intestines were filled with air.

"Can't she just fart?" I asked him. He said no. She might have to be force-fed, and all this other stuff. When I had my C-sections, I had gas, but they made me walk around till it passed. I guess this is different. She might have pancreatitis, and that would be very serious. Her condition is serious, as it is. I'm going to call the vet in a little while.