Oh dear

Not a very good day today, for the past week or so, the devine Simba has been off his food and sleeping even more than usual (I hadn't thought that was possible). He appears to be hungry but after a mouthful walks away and when he does his favourite party trick of suckling my left ear lobe (aaaah bless, or ugh - depending on your feline orientation) he can't seem to 'latch on' for want of a better term. When I took him for his jabs a couple of weeks ago the vet noticed his gum was a bit red but nothing dire so I thought maybe it had turned into something nasty. Then also he's had a real confrontation with a local cat and they obviously didn't meow the same language as the fur on the ground proved. My son had mentioned that when Simba had fights in Plymouth they usually ended up with him getting an abscess where the other cat had scored. However I couldn't find any damage so decided to take him to the vet today.

There was nothing wrong with his mouth but she did find a lump in his abdomen. It could be an abcsess where the other cat had punctured his skin or of course it could be the dreaded C word. The vet decided to put Simba on antibiotics first and if it's just an abcsess, it will respond, if it's not then God help him. When I think of all the years I had vet insurance in the UK and could never claim a penny because the bills where always just under the payment threshold and so in France I haven't bothered - Simba's always been quite healthy. The sad fact is that I can't afford the insurance here and I certainly haven't the money for any surgery or long term treatment. All I can do is pray it's just an abcsess.

Since his arrival in France, I've done my fair share of moaning about his continual shedding, having all that hair all over me whenever I go out, his fussy eating habits, being tied down by having a 'dependant' but then again he's kept me sane while I've been on my own all through this winter, his affectionate curling up on my lap and purring have warmed my heart on the most depressing of days. I realise now that all that annoyance is a small price to pay for his company.