I haven’t written about Renn on the blog in a while. The fact is that there is little to write about regarding my big boy, which, at his age, is probably good. He is fifteen now.
Thinking about Renn - indeed, about all my cats - clarifies my philosophies sometimes. Renn is doing well, for the most part. He has off-days. I can tell those days because he doesn’t want any breakfast, which for him consists, as do most of his meals, of two varieties of hard-food. His off-days usually - though not always - have him throwing up later. This upchucking is sometimes caused by hairballs, sometimes not. I have tried hairball remedy, but it doesn’t appear to work in his case. I have also used Cerenia to calm his stomach, but, unless it is injected, it has little effect. The pill-form doesn’t work for Renn: he will frequently just throw that up, too. The same may be said for slippery elm.
Renn is doing all right. At fifteen years of age, he is old, but not very old. He is thinner than he used to be, lighter. He has lost muscle-mass. He doesn’t eat nearly enough for my liking, but ever since he came to live with me, he has been a sparse eater. He consumes almost no soft-food, but drinks a satisfactory amount of water. (I have two bowls in the bedroom to which he resorts; they are conveniently placed for him and I make sure they are always full.) His litter-box habits are regular. He doesn’t play any more, but moves about, not always remaining in one room or in one spot. If he can’t jump as far as he used to, and has to scrabble for a hold now and then, he still gets to where he needs to, with the aid of stairs.
In short, Renn is healthy enough for his age and condition. I believe it is our duty as the guardians of our animal friends to make sure their lives are as pleasant as possible for as long as possible, and not merely the latter half of that formula. I might be able to find a cure for Renn’s periodic nausea if I were to take him repeatedly to the veterinary hospital. But from previous consultations, I know that the doctors aren’t sure of the causes of Renn’s problems, and, while my big boy doesn’t suffer the anxiety that such visits bring many cats, such appointments are hard on him, nonetheless. There would be various medicines, liquid and solid, for him to consume, different foods for him to reject, and all so that he could live two or three more years in marginally more comfort than he feels now.
So I will let Renn continue as he is. He has his off-days, one a week, perhaps two. But as long as his good days out-number his bad; as long as he purrs as much as he does now; as long as he wants to lie beside me every time I relax on the bed; as long as he pushes his head against me for rubs; as long as he tells me when he wants food, I will know he is content, maybe even happy. If these things change, so will my plans for him.
But right now, life is kind to my big boy.
I've been guilty of being a helicopter catmom; taking the cat to the vet, to the holistic vet, fussing over litterboxes and beds, and how many mouthfuls of food was eaten. I had to do what was right for my kitty! And yet, when I really thought about the quality of life for said kitty, I quit all of the fuss, and just kept up with needed meds and plenty of loving time. It's not up to us to force a cat to stay at optimal health, and no vet can do it either. We know our furry friends better than anyone; what we know our cats need is most important.
ReplyDeleteI like the Eastside Cats' comment. I've been a helicopter cat mom, too, still am, really. Okay, yes, I am. But one thing I stopped doing after Nicki's death was worry about the brand of food I was feeding. All that money over the years, for "premium" brands, only to have Nicki get sick anyway. All the homeopathic meds and quarterly vet visits (those for his anal glands, then in later years his asthma too). None of it mattered in the end. I realized then that was matters most is the love.
ReplyDeleteGood points. And what I have to remind myself is - how does the cat feel ? They don;t worry about what might happen. As long as we make sure they are eating and drinking and seem comfortable, that is about all we can do.
ReplyDeleteIt appears Renn has the proper amount of love and kindness and food and wonderful Cosy Apartment dwelling. It has made his 15 years long a good road to be on.
ReplyDeleteKea and Eastside Cats are both correct. As our cats age the best we can do is make sure they're comfortable, have a good quality of life, and give them plenty of love.
ReplyDeleteI so agree with everyone. My miss pops is getting lots of cuddles and her favorite fancy feast, no drastic measures for her renal failure. No blood tests or unnecessary vet visits, just love and kindness.
ReplyDeleteRenn is a handsome boy. I mush up the cernia and mix it with a little gravy from cat food then syringe it in. I wonder if that would help him not throw it up.
ReplyDeleteI've tried mixing it with different fluids but when he is feeling poorly, it almost always comes back up.
DeleteHooray, doing fine at 15 is a darn good thing.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like he is doing pretty well.
ReplyDeleteCerenia in pill form can take a few days to kick in. If you are interested, you could ask your vet about zofran. It works really well for both my boys. They get it daily for nausea caused by kidney disease, but it is for nausea in general. Just a thought.
15 and in relative good health is fantastic. May it so continue.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's important to keep our seniors content & well loved! He's still looking mighty handsome!
ReplyDeleteOzzy has tummy issues too with vomiting up hairballs. Dr had him on probiotics and it helped him immensely. When the pills ran out he was vomiting but not much. Well, it's been a year and he's back to being sick once a week. Bought more probiotics and hoping that's all he needs. Fingers crossed it solves the issue or back to the vet we go. I was just wondering if it might help Rehn?
The only way I can think of giving him pro-biotics is mixed with soft-food, and Renn eats far too little of that to be effective. I hope Ozzy feels better once is pro-biotics start again.
DeleteRenn is looking well, and as long as he is content that is the important thing.
ReplyDeleteRenn has certainly aged with dignity....Bless him...!x
ReplyDeleteMy Ernie has had chronic stomach upsets for the 13 years he's been with me. Nothing seemed to help until recently, where I thought to try mixing a pinch (I don't measure it, but it's less than 1/8 teaspoon) of apple pectin powder into his morning meal. So far, it's settled his stomach extremely well. He vomits much less often, too. I'm just not sure if it would work with Renn, as from what you say, he eats much less soft food than Ernie does.
ReplyDeleteI figure that as long as a cat is moving around and appears happy, let them be. Maybe Renn eats enough to sustain him. If he is not too active he may get by with less food. Sending purrs :)
ReplyDeletePurrs, Julie
Loving the words about Renn. May he continue and be. Sending him love.
ReplyDeleteRenn is a gorgeous boy! For me with aging cats it is a lot about quality of life. As long as they aren't in any pain and doing all the cats things then I let them do as they wish and just give them as much loving as they allow.
ReplyDeleteRenn is looking good and from the sounds of it doing just fine. My mother's doctor once told me, when I expressed some concerns to him, that we have to live until we die. That struck a chord with me, a reminder that life goes on until the end. Making the best of everyday for ourselves (and our cats) is all we can really do.
ReplyDeleteMy beautiful boy.
ReplyDeleteAll our beautiful boys.
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