It's time...

Shady's mama here... After a month of grieving, and a few more weeks of consideration, Fred and I have decided to head over to the local Humane Society and see if we can be adopted again.

I think it's a good time - I am no longer weepy, but instead remember all the good times with Shady, and the funny little quirks she had. Also, it's a few months before we have another new addition, our new baby girl, Elizabeth, due on February 1st. Time enough for a furry friend to get used to the house, the noises and the people, and then being able to introduce him or her to the new baby in stages.

So, wish us luck in being found by another wonderful fuzzy baby - I'm a firm believer that we will not adopt them, but they will, instead, insist on adopting us.

~M

Reprieve

So, the vet says that if we give Shady the Lactulose (a major stool softener), as well as continue on with her normal food regimine, Shady should be fine. It apparently isn't a prolapse, or if it is, the vet doesn't feel that it's overly concerning at this point because it's so small... And the Lactulose should help with everything, as long as we keep her on a daily routine of giving it to her twice a day.

She hates it, but she quickly forgives me for giving her the nasty, sticky crap. I tried talking to her last night, and telling her if she really *did* need to leave, then we understood and it was ok... Don't ever tell me that pets can't understand waht you're saying. She got up, glared at me, and went to a corner to sulk, back turned toward me for a good two hours. Every so often she'd look over her shoulder as if to say "See? This is what I think of THAT suggestion!". She forgave me an hour after she came out of the corner, and has been quietly talking to me ("mrrrp - murple-murp") ever since.

I do know that it's only a matter of time, and I am (mostly) ok with letting her go. However, if the vet feels that she's going to do fine with something as unintrusive as Lactulose and the occasional sub-q, then I will do that - obviously, SHE feels fairly strongly currently about NOT leaving quite yet.

~M

Sadness...

Shady's mama here. It's been a while since we last updated here. Things got really hectic, and we had been hoping Shady was getting slowly better.

Unfortunately, it seems as though the impacted and distended bowel she had been diagnosed with and suffering from for some time now has caught up with her. She now has the beginnings of a prolapsed colon, and there is no way to fix it without major surgery - which she is too old to endure.

Monday morning we will be calling the local vet to get a prognosis and possibly to send her to sleep. She is in such pain and is so uncomfortable - neither my dh or I can stand seeing her like this any further. Her quality of life has gone to a point of almost nonexistance.

I feel so blessed to have had her in my life for 21 years, and my dh fell in love with her when he first met her 2 years ago, and has continued his adoration throughout her trials and troubles. Yet, at the same time, I feel an immense emptiness in my heart at thinking of her not being there when I get home at night, of not having my head stepped on in the morning during her demand for food...

I know that it will be for the best, as she does not deserve to live in pain, but instead have dignity and love, remembering both my dh and myself as loving creatures who cared for her to the very end. It does not, however, lessen the grief we both feel at having to say goodbye. We were both hoping to have her for a few months longer, at least until the baby arrived.

I will be holding her to me for as long as I can, cuddling her to me and making sure she knows I love her. And we shall see...

Images..

Silken fur
Green-gold eyes
Pretty poses all for mama

Head bumps
purrs of love
Paws patting on face

Scolding when late
Inspecting paintjobs
Climbing ladders for high perches

Jack-rabbit long legs
big, big ears
long tail wrapped around you

Toilet-paddler
midnight butter-eater
finicky kibble-muncher

Brat-Catt
Rumple-furr
Pantaloon-butt

My kitten
My sweet-face
My dearest sweet babu

21 years young
Venerable ancient one
Shades of Bell - my loving sorrow

~M

New photos...

Mama uploaded two new photos of me today... I'm a very well-rounded cat, and my photos prove it. I am quite well-read, as you can see from my new main photo. I also control the tv remote so I can watch the nature channels.

I like sleeping with things under my head, like a pillow - because, you see, I'm really a human - I just have a bit more fur, and no thumbs. But that's ok - Mama takes care of me.

~S

Back for a check-up

Mama is getting me back in for a check-up with the vet. It's taken longer than originally planned, due to something Mama calls mon-ey. I do not understand this mon-ey, or why Mama ends up being so upset about it. If it's so upsetting, then Mama shouldn't be around it anymore. I have tried to cheer her up by sitting on her and purring, but it doesn't help much.

Mama says that she got some mon-ey from Grandma, and as soon as it's given to her, she will take me into the vet. I am hoping there will be no more poking with the sharp thing into my skin - it's uncomfortable, and last time I couldn't help myself... I said nasty things to Mama and tried to bite her.

Mama is frustrated that I'm not eating very much of the soft food. I'm a kibble girl at heart, though, and while I love the gravy of the soft food, I'm not all that keen on the mushy stuff all the time. But I am eating more, and quite a bit of the kibble each day (I nibble all day), and I'm always hungry and demanding food and lovings each morning.

~S

Eating! (written by Shady's mama)

Well, either tonight or tomorrow will be the last sub-q injection... Unless the vet says otherwise, Shady will not have to endure them further - which would be nice, since she's getting to a point of almost being uncontrollable when injection-time comes around.

She's also suddenly decided that food is a *very* important part of life, and has spent the last 2 days chowing down on the Royal Canin renal lp soft food, and on her Hill's renal kibble. While before she was barely finishing one of the pouches (3 oz) of soft food, she's now finished it pretty well completely each night and looking around for more.

She's still attempting to convince us all that cheese=love, or that chicken=love... However, everyone in the house has stayed strong and not given into her sittin' pretty for table scraps. No more human food for her. It's the script food or nada.

I think she's gained a good 1.5 lb's since we started the treatment, which relieves my mind to no end. She will most likely continue to gain weight, as long as she continues to eat like she has and we keep her on this food.

She's also MUCH more perky, and has taken to "guarding" the house at night - roaming, checking up on everyone, generally inspecting everything to make sure it's staying where it should be.

So, yeah - I'm much happier, Shady's much happier... Like I've said before, she won't live forever, but I'd like her to live the rest of her life happily, and comfortably.

~M

Purrrrr

I'm beginning to feel so much better so soon. I'm still not liking that Mama has to stick me every morning, and I don't like getting my medication twice a day, but I'm being a good cat and letting Mama do what she needs to, since it seems to help me.

I've been eating lots more than I have, and my coat is really nice and shiny now. My eyes are clear, and I even have some dialation back in my right eye. I'm also no longer passing out from being so tired all the time, and I'm not so cold.

Mama says that I seem to already be gaining weight, and I'm much more talkative and interested in everything around me. It makes Mama very happy, which makes me happy, too.

~Shady

Shady's mom here - Yes, it's true. Shady is doing much, much better. She doesn't really fight me for the sub-q shots, and while she dislikes the lactulace servings in the morning and the evenings, she deals with them with very little complaint.

She's also not sleeping on her face anymore, which I think was more from exhaustion than anything. She has more energy, is much more perky and active, and is 'going' well, too. No nasty plugs in her bowels, which is great, and she's eating quite a bit each day.

My fiance and I have really appreciated the love and support that we've gotten from everyone here. We hope that all of those who are in need of the same love and support know that we are pulling for them all as well. We have shared all your love with Shady, who loved to hear from everyone. She's such a ham. ;-)

~M

Icky vet-time!

Mama took me to the vet yesterday - and left me there for a while. There were a few nice ladies there, but the main one wasn't nice at all. She embarrassed me in front of Mama and Mama's friend, and said I had a large colon. Once she put me down I showed her a thing or two - I turned my back completely to her, laid down on my blankie, and ignored her for the rest of the visit. Harrumph.

Shady's mama here - yes, it's true. Shady had to go to the vet yesterday. She'd been losing weight over the past year or so, and hadn't been quite so hot-feeling - so I decided to bring her in and have them take a look at her.

I didn't like the vet she went to - there are several of them that work there, but this one didn't have a very good bedside manner to her. She talked down to me for quite a while, assuming that I had no idea how to take care of my pet whatsoever, or what the terms she was using were... *sigh*

Shady checked out as negative for thyroid disease or feline leukemia, and had no infections - all of which were great for a 20 year old cat. However, she had a high creo level, and another high level (I can't remember what that one was), which means she was in the beginning stages of renal failure.

Thankfully, the vet said it was reversable, but that I would need to give her sub-cutaneus injections to help flush out her system, laculose and lactulace to help her stool movement soften up, and change her diet completely to the Royal Canin or Hills renal diet.

I picked up my baby after her being there for 3.5 hours, and we went home. I let her go for a little while to calm down from the vet, and then did her first injection, and gave her each a dose of the laculose and lactulace, and gave all of her old food away.

So far, as of this morning, I've given her another injection, and another dose of the lactulace, and she seems to be doing better already. Her fur is a bit softer, and she moves better - though she's really not happy with mama currently since I keep jabbing things into her. On the other hand, she also seems to know that I'm not doing it to spite her, and she forgives me fairly quickly, so that 's good.

So - lots of positive energy and good thoughts her way. I'd love to have her a bit longer.

~M

Tummy isn't happy...

Mama is heading out to her vet today because she is sick. I can't help her, though I've tried... I guess sitting on her and purring isn't as helpful as I'd like for it to be.

On her way back home, Mama is going to try and find a stool softener for me, since I seem to be having issues with that. It's an indelicate issue to discuss, but one that I'm needing to have taken care of ASAP- or else she says I'm going to have to go to the vet.

I have found a new, yummy treat for me, though, thanks to Mama's mate, The Boy. He was eating Braunschweiger sausage and offered me some. I thought it was DE-licious, and ate every last bit up. Mama is hoping that it will perk me up a bit and make things go faster, too, since it's filled with a lot of extra fat and bacon grease - she said something about lubing the cat up... I'm not sure what that means, but hopefully it's good.

There's snow here, which is making the house colder than normal. I don't like the heating pad Mama got for me. Not unless it's on her, and then I'm on it. I won't get near it otherwise. Currently I'm curled up in the middle of the bed on the afghan Mama made last year. It's one of my favorite snuggle blankies because it's so soft.

~Shady

Getting older...

Well, I'm currently waiting for Mama to get home. The Boy is home - he's the one that spends time with Mama so much, and who we both live with. I'm glad that he's home, at least, because I can crawl into his lap and snuggle until she gets home.

Mama is worried that I'm getting so much older. I still trot around like a kitten, but sometimes my joints are stiff, and I'm crabbier than normal at times. I've taken to falling asleep on my face - Mama decided it would be cute to put one of the pictures of me doing that on the web here - but only occasionally.

I hear that she's going to start leaving the heating pad on for me during the day, which would be really nice. I like being warm, but I don't always like being under the covers... a heating pad would be really nice for me.

I'm *NOT* going to like the new vet, though... I liked my last vet, and she liked me, but since we moved in with The Boy, we've gone far away from that one. Besides, that vet doesn't work for the company Mama works for - so we wouldn't get a discount.

And since I'm fairly sleepy right now, I'm going to sign off - if you have questions, you can always ask me... I've been around a while now, and I know a few things... ;-)

~Shady