Health, One Day at a Time

All the best wishes and good thoughts worked: Cammie is much improved today. I waited all yesterday for her to visit the litter-boxes. She didn’t move from her favourite cat-tree once during the daylight, so I brought food and water to her there. She ate small portions (I kept them small) through the day, and drank.

The lack of urination concerned me; I suppose it was good that it was not the opposite, repeated attempts to go that produced no result. After I went to bed, I couldn’t sleep; I knew she would go to the litter-boxes eventually because she started wandering. Sure enough, at 1.30, she wet in the litter-box. After she finished, I checked the result; I had been scooping the boxes after every other cat had used it, so I would know what deposit was the princess’s. She had left a big lump of urine in the litter, the size of her head. I was able to sleep after that.

When I woke at six to give Tucker his injection, Cammie was at the hard-food bowl. She followed this by eating a good soft-food breakfast. I have been feeding her little amounts since then. She has drunk water on her own. She hid again today but I think that either she is not fully recovered from her ordeal (which is likely) or she simply finds the corner of the library behind books where no one can get to her restful. She came out twice, once when I lie down and patted my chest (she lie on me for about fifteen minutes purring) and again when I opened the window; she emerged for the fresh air. So I didn’t worry much about her hiding. She has wandered about the apartment today, like a convalescent roaming the hospital corridors in her pyjamas and robe, just to get out of her room. 

I don’t know what this condition was. It doesn’t appear to have been cystitis. It may have been a simple infection - the veterinarian had suggested that it was a minor one – that was cured quickly by the Clavamox, which then caused its own problems. I will definitely watch for signs of a recurrence. I still have the Veraflox but will not use it, as there seems little point in treating a problem that appears to be gone, or at least in retreat. I will be speaking to Cammie’s doctor about this tomorrow. For now, the princess is feeling good. She is no longer nailed to her cat-tree or secluded behind bookcases. She is, at this moment, lying on the bed in the full blaze of the evening sun. She just ate another satisfying portion of food, and I await her next urination (really, that’s constitutes an event in my life.)

Another crisis seems to have been staved off, though, as I wrote to a friend today, a cat’s health seems to be a matter of one day at a time. Well, this day has been a very good one.