Monday, March 21, 2016

Josie's Sigh of Relief

I have learned the results of Josie’s tests, conducted on Friday. Her T4 ‘numbers’ are good, and she does not have hyperthyroidism.

Her weight loss is not as drastic as I first feared, and that is my fault. The scale I used to weigh her at home is accurate, but clearly I misread the figures when I placed Josie upon the scale. Though I know it displayed ‘4.89’, my Chubs perhaps did not have all her legs in the right places, or she was stepping off at the time. Something caused an error in the reading, though I am very careful to keep the cat in question still for a second or two.


At the hospital on Friday, however, Josie weighed 6.08 kilograms. Puzzled by the great difference between that and what I thought her weight now was, I used the PAW Society’s scales again upon our return home, and they registered her poundage as 6.07 kilograms. While there was relief that Josie was not vanishing before my eyes, and that the scales the rescue-group uses for all its cats was, indeed, accurate, there is mystery over that initial reading.

However, all’s well that ends well, as The Bard concluded, and the Great White has neither a weight-problem nor thyroid troubles. The hospital has records for Josie going back to 2009, and at one point she weighed less than six kilograms. She gained weight and topped 7.5 eventually. The doctor describes six kilograms as a good size for my Chubs. And, to be honest, if that cat did lose a little weight, it would not be a bad thing.


I believe that the better food she is eating is having its effect. The apartment is not as constrictive to the beasts as I first imagined (nor is the view as limited, for that matter), and if I think about it, Josie uses more rooms now than she did in the house. Perhaps a little exercise is being felt, as well.

Regardless, I intend to keep a weather eye on all aspects of Josie’s health: her eating, her drinking, her litter-box visits and, of course, her weight, which I will supervise for the next few weeks and then at least once a month. Josie is now my senior cat, in more ways than one, the matriarch of the household and, though she will turn thirteen in a few months, I want her to be my senior for a long time to come.

16 comments:

  1. Oh I am so glad that Josie is well! She looks happy and content.

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  3. Whew, this is great news, a huge sigh of relief. Perhaps an expensive weight check, but to mimic Mastercard commercials, priceless (i.e. peace of mind).

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    1. Yes, at thirteen, it was probably as well that Josie had such tests run anyway.

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  4. Glad to hear there was nothing wrong with her other than a tricky scale!

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  5. Hurrah! Answered prayers. If only all problems had such an excellent outcome.
    It looks like my Hillie is comming to the end of the long and winding road. Paralytic stroke last night. Rear legs gone , not eating. No miracles instore for us, I'm afraid.

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    1. I'm terribly sorry to read of Hillie's stroke. It must be horrible for the both of you. She is fortunate to be with you at this time. However hard it is for you, you will take care of her, as you undoubtedly always have.

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  6. I am so relieved to hear Josie is well! She is in excellent health for being thirteen. But poor Cammie, I hope she too, gets well soon.

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  7. So glad to hear the good news regarding Josie. Keeping fingers and paws crossed Cammie' prognosis will be just as good. Linda, Pepper, and Dublin

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  8. Great news for Josie, and you too!

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  9. That is wonderful news. A weighing mistake is so much better than an actual problem! Keep up the good work, Josie!

    I have to take the results I glean from my own scales with a grain of salt as the gradations are 100gr and not 50gr as at the Vet's, and I find that each time I step on it, it can vary by 100, sometimes even 200 grammes. Still, the important issue for Genji is that he has been going steadily upwards since his illness and now weighs more than he did before he got sick, at 4 magnificent kilos!

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    1. It's a good feeling when that weight goes in the right direction, eh?

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  10. Josie......we iz MEGA buzzed happee for ewe !!! high paws all a round & we noe yur dad breathed a mega huge sigh oh ree leef two.... YAY....& ta sell a brate, just thiz once....letz eat sum donuts ☺☺☺

    we each will haz 5...how manee for ewe ?

    ♥♥♥

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  11. I often have the opposite problem, cats trying to help other cats and making it look like they have gained weight :)

    Glad it was just a case of light foot

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  12. That is very good news for Josie. I hope that Cammie is soon on the mend too.

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