Ruca's brush with death...

My day started as per the usual, dragging myself out of bed at 5:30am, showering, getting mt lunch ready. Everything was fine untill 1 min before I went out the door. My cat Ruca, started to cough up a hairball just as I was about to leave, so I put my things down and pat him on the back telling him it was ok (I allways do that when he gets one cause I feel so bad that hes feeling sick, so I comfort him) and the next thing I know he's keeled over, gone all stiff and isn't moving, I near flipped thinking he was dieing. I diddnt want to move him cause he diddnt get the hair ball out yet, and he was making this awfful noise. He tried to sit up but he fell over again to the other side all stiff. After about 30 seconds or so (witch is a long time in a moment like this)he finaly got it up and was brething very hard for about an hour, thats when I ran down to my dad, who was waiting to take me to the office, to tell him he was to go without me, I felt so bad leaving my poor little kitty boy there alone but I ran up super quick to be with him. He was still in the same spot, still breathing hard, Icalled the vet, but they werent open so I tore the house appart looking for the vets pager number for emergencys and off duty calls but I couldnt find it. I called them at 8 and they said they could only take him in at 2!!! I flipped! 2?!?!?! he could be realy sick and you wanna take him at 2!!! Anyway I had no choice so I sat with him in bed till then, he looked terrified and kept moaning, he seemed ok after about an hour and a half, he started meowing again and wantng to walk around a bit. The vet said he fainted and diddnt have a seisure, he fainted from lack of oxegyn while he was trying to get the hair up.Poor thing,must have been so scared. I told him it had never happened before, and I brought him the hairball to show him. It wasnt even that big. He gave him his new shots ($98 bucks worth of em') for rabies ect. and gave me a tube of a special flavored lubricant for Ruca to lick. Im suposed to put it on his paw so he will imideatly lick it off. He did,he loved the taste so it shouldnt be to hard to get him to eat it 3 times a week. God, I was so scared mum, I cryed cause I thought he was gonna die right there infront of me. It made me realize how much I really love him, and I would spend any amount of money to keep him well.