Exhausted. I debated with myself for a while before sitting down to write out my latest trip, mostly because I wasn't really sure it qualified as an "adventure". The majority of my travels involve doing something outdoorsy, and all of them are on my own time. This trip, however, was decidedly not outdoorsy at all, and it was for my job. That being said, the words I find myself using to describe the whole process to friends and family are "well, it was an adventure if nothing else," so I guess that's what it is! This trip involved traveling and an overnight stay away from home, so that has to count for something too, right?
The first week of March was a whirlwind of events. The non-profit Jared and I work for, Tiger Creek Wildlife Refuge, rescued a new cat who was in need of urgent medical care. The 2.5 year old female serval, Zuri, was awfully sick and her owner was not able to provide the time or medication needed to get her healthy. He was afraid she would continue to get worse and eventually die from her illness, so he made the responsible decision and reached out to our refuge to see what we could do to help. Around the same time that he surrendered Zuri we received a call from a producer at National Geographic to see if we had any cats that needed any sort of medical care. They were in the process of filming a show at Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialties down in Houston and were willing to cover the cost of veterinary care if we could come down to the hospital and allow them to film everything to do with our cat.
At incredibly short notice Jared and I had our overnight bags packed, Zuri loaded up, our own furry family squared away, and were on our way down to Houston! Four hours later we were greeted by the Nat Geo film crew and brought straight inside to the exam room, where we hurried up and waited. And waited. A tech came in and got Zuri's history, as much as we knew of it, and the camera crew was in and out getting pictures and video of the little serval, but it wasn't for another hour or so before we met the veterinarian. What would you do when you are waiting, but are in a professional environment, are wearing a microphone that may or may not be recording every noise you make, and have a sick wild animal on your hands? Jared and I weren't sure what to do either, and spent a large part of our day on our phones, talking to and trying to reassure Zuri, and annoying each other. The camera crews, technicians and veterinarians were in and out of the room all day, but still. It's a good thing Jared and I like each other!
The veterinarians consulting on our case agreed Zuri was suffering from several issues, including pancreatitis, kidney, and liver problems. She hadn't eaten much for two weeks, was extremely dehydrated and incredibly lethargic. All she wanted to do was hide in the blanket her previous owner had left for her. After a discussion with us regarding the pros and cons of further treatments we opted to place a feeding tube in Zuri's neck where we could deliver her needed nutrients directly into her stomach, as well as any medications that would help her start to feel better and eat on her own. After a little sedation they whisked her away for the proceedure, camera crew in tow.
Throughout the day while we were in the little room waiting the National Geographic producer for the show came and interviewed Jared several times. His first interview was right when we got there, there was a brief interview after the veterinarians came in and we talked about treatment options, and they wanted an exit interview just after they brought Zuri back to wake up with us. At that point, though, it was already after 5pm and we were looking at a drive back to Tyler in the dark. We knew we would have to stop often to check on Zuri, and there was a risk of her being too cold or throwing up due to the sedatives given to her. I had been in contact with my boss the whole day and had made a suggestion about waiting around to see how Zuri was before we headed back or got a hotel, but, trying to save Tiger Creek money, that we could cross that bridge when we got there. The reply was short: "We've reached that bridge. Find a hotel." We were staying in Houston.
It was in Zuri's best interest to keep her hospitalized and on fluids to help support her kidneys while the sedatives worked their way out of her system, so instead of sending her to a hotel with us National Geographic and the veterinary hospital covered the cost of her overnight stay in the icu ward. Jared and I somehow found a nice king suite for dirt cheap in a hotel only a few blocks from the veterinary hospital, and after we said our goodbyes and thanked everybody profusely we headed out to find food and a bed. Our hotel's shuttle took us to a nearby mall (that had an ice skating rink in it!!) where we found a hot meal, then went straight back to our room to crash for the night. It had been a long day.
The next morning was fairly quick and easy. We searched for Starbucks near us and had so many pop up just within a few blocks radius that we were astounded. There actually were Starbucks at nearly every corner. After our coffee fix we checked out of our hotel and went straight to the vet hospital to get Zuri. We had a brief wait in the reception area before they brought her out to us, with the camera crew following behind to capture the reunion. Zuri looked so much better! She was actually alert and sitting up, looking around and engaging with her surroundings. Jared had one final interview with the National Geographic crew and they waved us farewell as they filmed us loading Zuri into the truck to take her to her new home at Tiger Creek.
Our drive back was fairly uneventful, except Jared nearly gave himself whiplash from how often he was turning to check on Zuri during the four hours between Houston and Tyler. We had to stop a few times to reposition her leg with the iv catheter, keep her from chewing on it, and to just generally make sure she was behaving. She didn't enjoy the car ride very much, but finally settled down when we were about 90 minutes from home. Jared and I (mostly Jared) will have our work cut out for us for the time being, while we feed her through her tube until she starts eating on her own again. We are hopeful for her recovery and can't wait to get to know the newest member of the family. It's no secret that we consider every animal we care for one of our own, and she is no exception. The experience with Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialties and National Geographic will be one I will never forget; Zuri was able to get the best medical care available at no cost to our non-profit, Jared and I got a kinda-sorta mini-vacation away, and if nothing else it was a break from routine. Maybe not an adventure in my usual sense, but it was an adventure nevertheless!
What I'm listening to: Follow Me by John Williams
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