The Watch on the Nev

Neville’s visit to the hospital has put him on a kind of health-watch. The doctor is worried that my foster-cat will develop ‘fatty liver’ over the weekend, due to his inappetence, so I am force-feeding him. This won’t result in a whole tin of food being put into his stomach each day, as the doctor would like to see, but it will keep Neville’s organs working. In addition, I am giving him sub-cutaneous fluids, a kind of oral Cerenia, and two kinds of anti-biotic, all twice a day. I am also to watch for signs of jaundice. And I must continue to give him his insulin.

The fluids have gone quite well, surprisingly. The Nevsky didn’t make a fuss at all. The force-feeding is another matter, though the second time proceeded better. One medicine foams a great deal; I give that to my patient last, a sequence learned from the first instance. All this unwelcome attention has made Neville quite shy of me, and worried that I am coming to inflict some torment upon him whenever I pass near. That unfortunately cannot be helped. I hope that he will realise the schedule I have adopted for his treatments, and not fear me all the time.

All of this is due to something which we haven’t yet uncovered. The fear of ‘fatty liver’ is due to his refusal to eat, but the cause of the latter remains a mystery. Nev will be returning to the hospital for more tests, and possibly an x-ray. I fear cancer, of course, as that is prevalent these days, and my friend Parker died of a cancer that initially started growing on his liver.

But at the time of writing, Neville has eaten some on his own, and recovered a little. He is not well, though I remain hopeful of a full return to the vigour of his recent past. I continue his health-watch…

Neville, Not Tucker

Tucker is still suffering through his cold. He is eating, but not much; his air-ways are very congested. I hope to see improvement over the weekend. It is very worrisome.

But it was Neville who went to see the doctor today. He has been throwing up, and his appetite has fallen dramatically. Tests were run, though there was not enough urine in his bladder to provide for that test. Those that were conducted gave some cause for concern.

I won’t record all the details – partly because I don’t understand them myself – but the doctor is worried about the Nevsky’s liver. Readings of enzymes from that organ show extreme numbers, where there should be much more moderate amounts. It may be a case of pancreatitis, as the pancreas and its ducts are in very close proximity to the liver and its ancillary parts, as well as the intestines; all of these organs can be related when it comes to illness or damage. The doctor wants to run more tests, including one on Nev’s urine, and she wants to take an x-ray.

These actions will occur next week. Tomorrow, I will be receiving medicine for my suffering foster-cat: two kinds of anti-biotic and Cerenia. All will come in liquid form. Some Mirtazapine was prescribed today, to encourage the appetite, but it came in pill form. Though the single pill was already broken into quarters, I will leave to your imagination how well it went when I gave it to Neville.

In the meantime, the battle will be to find something Nev will eat. After no more than nibbling at various foods that he formerly enjoyed, he consumed a small but satisfactory amount of Z/D hard-food. I believe it is far from the best thing for a cat, but when he will eat nothing else, the distinction between good and bad nutrition becomes immaterial.

I hope I haven’t used up all my readers’ kind thoughts when Tucker became sick, because I think Neville will now need them even more.

Tucker and the Felons

Tucker is a little better today. It is difficult to tell from the sounds he makes, but he ate something, and his behaviour demonstrates that he has improved a small amount. I am grateful for all the kind thoughts and words that were directed to my roly poly. They are working.

As for the Felons in their prison, they are becoming a bit restless. Whenever the bathroom door is open, Oleo tries to make a break for freedom, though he is unsure what to do once he crosses the threshold. They are climbing more, and I have had to store the bathmat elsewhere than draped over the bathtub’s edge: Bisto was using it to claw his way upward. I intend to let them out on a day-pass during the weekend. I can’t have them interacting with the perma-cats yet, not with Tucker’s cold, but, under my supervision, they may have an hour or two in the bedroom.

In the meantime, here are some of the several hundred photographs I have taken of them. These are from several days ago, but the little villains haven’t lost any of their appeal in the interval.

Roly Poly Wheezy

In the midst of all the fun of the kittens, I’d like to ask that readers of this blog keep Tucker in their thoughts. He is battling a very bad cold. His breathing sounds like oatmeal being pushed through a garden hose. I have started giving him Lysine; I hope that will ease his condition at least enough to give him a good night. I don’t think he will sleep well otherwise. I know I won’t, listening to my roly poly…

 

The Foiled Plot

Word reached the governor of Her Majesty’s Prison that there was an escape plot afoot in the convict population. Careful gathering of intelligence revealed that those involved were the two newest inmates. Surveillance photography captured them in the midst of their discussions.

Talk apparently became quite heated at one point…

They practiced their code-words, comprehensible only to themselves. Apparently, this secret language sounded like tiny, high-pitched peeps.

The plot involved exiting through the ceiling of the two prisoners’ cell. One would break through the material while supported by the other.

Work was performed using miniscule but very sharp claw-like tools. Prison warders are still investigating how the instruments came to be in the felons’ possession.

Fortunately, as happens with such rough and unscrupulous individuals, the plan came to naught as the conspirators fell out amongst themselves, and began fighting. An extra week will be added to their sentences…