mark aspin":oa3qtqoj said:
....so what's the news on the cat? Any better than the van?
Stranded in France!
- Thread starter Mark A
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....so what's the news on the cat? Any better than the van?
Mark A
Established Member
At first they thought it was a stroke. Then a brain tumour. It's now being treated for a middle ear infection and is slowly getting better. It's still falling over but has stopped bumping in to things and walking in circles.dickm":34wmfm5m said:
Despite the medication obviously working, all three vets who have looked at it still have contrasting opinions.Two vets want to give it a CAT scan (no pun intended :lol: ) to rule out a brain tumour. How much do you think that'll cost? The other one questioned it's quality of life, implying putting it out of it's misery. What misery? It hasn't done anything but sleep since it was beaten up by a Welsh cat four years ago! Sounds like a good life to me! It's a lazy git but it's happy - the only times it really moves is to follow the sun round the room or eat!
houtslager
Established Member
": the only times it really moves is to follow the sun round the room or eat! "
K
K
adidat
I will not buy anymore tools...
My cats must have been related to yours, I have never known a creature to sleep as much, in 18 years she probably slept 17 :lol:
Adidat
Adidat
mark aspin":2ripq4cw said:
Sounds like most cats I've met
. But in terms of cost, you may have a long way to go to catch up on our daughter's dog. He'd been ill for a couple of weeks last year, and the vet had tried everything she could think of, before finally suggesting they take him to Glasgow Vet Hospital. Got him there at midday, and after one X-ray they rushed him into surgery to remove his gall bladder which was on the point of bursting. Fortunately, he's insured for up to £7k per year, but it did mean he couldn't have more than about £100 treatment for the rest of the year.
The vet now shows him to all her student helpers, on the grounds that they will probably never see another similar case - apparently there are only two or three a year in the whole of Scotland.
Mark A
Established Member
Still haven't got the van back. It's a month today since it broke down in France, and a month on Tuesday since it was dropped off at the garage in London. The mechanics didn't even touch the van for the first week, then the engine specialist they took the engine to didn't start until the next week. The garage had the engine back in the van last Friday but didn't like the sound it made so back to the specialists and we haven't heard since :x
For almost a month I haven't been able to work and I can't hire a car due to my age. Public transport isn't an option because it's rubbish - it took me 4 hours of travelling to go to M&S 12 minutes away by car last week!
On a plus side, the cats okay. It had the CAT scan (cost £1900 - hope the insurance didn't lie when they said it's covered!) and they've ruled out infections, tumours, strokes etc. and now suspect that it's got some sort of wobbly cat syndrome which it'll eventually get used to, though the cat will still fall over occasionally!
Mark
For almost a month I haven't been able to work and I can't hire a car due to my age. Public transport isn't an option because it's rubbish - it took me 4 hours of travelling to go to M&S 12 minutes away by car last week!
On a plus side, the cats okay. It had the CAT scan (cost £1900 - hope the insurance didn't lie when they said it's covered!) and they've ruled out infections, tumours, strokes etc. and now suspect that it's got some sort of wobbly cat syndrome which it'll eventually get used to, though the cat will still fall over occasionally!
Mark
Sorry to hear of your troubles, Mark, but very glad of good news on the cat front.
I surprised me to find that (unlike most things) veterinary care is a bit cheaper over here in France. Not so, garages, it would seem!
I surprised me to find that (unlike most things) veterinary care is a bit cheaper over here in France. Not so, garages, it would seem!
Jacob
Pint of bass, porkpie, and packet of crisps please
Bicycle?mark aspin":yzruuj0e said:
Strewth! I'd just have it put down and get another one (if I wanted one at all but I don't). :lol:
gus3049
Established Member
Jacob":knhkp9c9 said:
I hope that a certain party never needs an expensive operation. There are plenty more men out there so I imagine the decision would be an easy one. Its not as if you can get attached to them or anything.
Mark A
Established Member
Have a heart Jacob.Jacob":3fs2igmi said:
Jacob
Pint of bass, porkpie, and packet of crisps please
Yes OK sorry. Anyway I don't want to give the Mrs any ideas, as Gordon pointed out!
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Haven't you noticed Mark? He's all heart :? :?
Modernist
Established Member
Further proof if any were needed that Fiats are rubbish. I've just scrapped ours after 85k from new. Reason only 2 gears left. As a yardstick for repair costs try £600 for an replaced ignition switch and that was not even the main dealer who quoted more.
Cheap to buy but you pay later. We have succumbed to a transit.
Glad the cat is on the mend to resume it's soporific life.
Cheap to buy but you pay later. We have succumbed to a transit.
Glad the cat is on the mend to resume it's soporific life.
Losos
Established Member
mark aspin":3cdbm82y said:
And you Mark have been responsible for bringing that happiness to the little creature - something you can be proud of and which in my opinion makes all the trauma associated with the van pale into insignificance.
Our dog mobile is a FIAT Scudo as well so I'm getting a tad worried now after reading of your experience, but at least we never go more than 15 miles from home in it so hopefully not likely to be held to ransom by some foreign garage.
As for getting some recompense from FIAT there's not a hope. One of the journalists on Motorhome Monthly magazine spent two years and numerous articles in that journal and confronting them at exhibitions etc. over the fact that the FIAT Ducato has the wrong gear ratio in reverse and trying to reverse up a hills burns out the clutch. Changes were (eventually) made to the geabox ratio but the journalist and hundreds of other users never got a penny.
gus3049
Established Member
Jacob":3azolo4r said:
I think I might frame that :lol:
Losos
Established Member
gus3049":as058iao said:
Saying sorry is easy, having compassion for a creature is not so easy, I am much more a dog person than a cat person but I still think that if a cat comes into ones life it should be respected, cats seem to be more detached from us humans than dogs but still like to be cuddled, on their terms of course. Apologies if this is taking the thread 'off subject'
Not being able to work for four weeks must be hell, I hope you get the van back soon and when it comes to trade it in I guess you'll not be going for a FIAT :lol:
Jacob
Pint of bass, porkpie, and packet of crisps please
It's OK don't worry I didn't mean it. :lol: :lol:Losos":1gleomwe said:
Mark A
Established Member
THE VAN'S READY!!!
Train is booked so I hope they've got it right -it will be 29 days tomorrow so they've had long enough!
Train is booked so I hope they've got it right -it will be 29 days tomorrow so they've had long enough!
Mark A
Established Member
Since picking up the van it's been in-and-out of a garage for various problems...
Within minutes of arriving home after driving the van back from London we noticed diesel running down the driveway. After many trips to our local garage they diagnosed a hairline crack in the fuel rail (which the London garage had replaced) and the diesel was pooling on top of the engine. That was eventually fixed.
The leaking diesel had softened a radiator hose, and a week after the rail was repaired the hose split while I was a 115 miles away from home and had to refill the header tank about every five miles. That was fixed.
Now the van is in the garage again! This time for an oil leak from what they think is the fuel distributor. They won't know for certain until tomorrow, but if it is they may have to order a gasket so I'm stuck without a van and my means of working for yet another day.
It's been over 10 weeks since it broke down in France, and we're going back on Saturday to complete our WWI battlefield tour and visit Crécy (still had unused Eurotunnel tickets). Truth is I don't trust the van to do it, but we don't have much of a choice. Must be mad!
Mark
Within minutes of arriving home after driving the van back from London we noticed diesel running down the driveway. After many trips to our local garage they diagnosed a hairline crack in the fuel rail (which the London garage had replaced) and the diesel was pooling on top of the engine. That was eventually fixed.
The leaking diesel had softened a radiator hose, and a week after the rail was repaired the hose split while I was a 115 miles away from home and had to refill the header tank about every five miles. That was fixed.
Now the van is in the garage again! This time for an oil leak from what they think is the fuel distributor. They won't know for certain until tomorrow, but if it is they may have to order a gasket so I'm stuck without a van and my means of working for yet another day.
It's been over 10 weeks since it broke down in France, and we're going back on Saturday to complete our WWI battlefield tour and visit Crécy (still had unused Eurotunnel tickets). Truth is I don't trust the van to do it, but we don't have much of a choice. Must be mad!
Mark
