We hoped and believed today's visit to the veterinarian for teeth cleaning would be easy for Tasha. No, it wasn't simple or easy for poor Tasha! Dr. B. called in the early afternoon to tell me that our cat had 14 tooth/root extractions — all of the teeth from her upper jaw not including the "canines." Tooth after tooth was found to be diseased —neck lesions— and in need of removal, surprising even Dr. B.The procedure took an hour and a half. I picked up our poor kitty several hours later and received a take-home bag full of pain killers and antibiotics. Tasha seemed alert and eager to get home when I picked her up but, once home, she calmed down and was obviously under the influence of the anesthetics. She'll be on a follow-up course of pain medication for several days along with the antibiotic to mop up the nasty tooth-killing bacteria; also a soft-food diet. This one really sneaked up on all of us and I feel bad about the whole thing, though it's not like we don't give Tasha good medical care. Dr. B. says with that much previously wrong in Tasha's mouth, it's likely she was fairly sore there and, once healed, she should feel better than she did before the extractions. At this hour the cat continues to recover even running up the stairs to our second floor. She has also had a small meal. She's looking more like our little gray friend and we're glad of that.
PhotonStopper 
poor kitty!! hope she makes a speedy recovery, will she be only eating wet food from now on?
Tasha's apparently feeling better already. She no longer looks strung out from the anesthesia –as in the photo– and has an appetite. She's less active than normal but is receiving light medication for oral pain. For now she's eating wet food. The vet says she should be able to return to her dry favorite as most cats kind of gulp kibble rather than crunch it. I dunno… Tasha crunched hers quite often. We'll just go with the flow. Thanks for your concern! –JG