When a cat is as old as Renn, and has his medical problems, each day may be the one that has the climax of his crises. When he is sleeping so peacefully he is still, and I hear no sound from him, I have to check to see if he is breathing. On the other hand, when I hear strange noises coming from him, I have to check, as well.
This weekend, I heard dreadful wheezing coming from the saddle-topped cat-tree. I knew Renn was lying there. He is prone to respiratory infections which leave his nostrils clogged, and he sometimes has difficulty breathing properly. I quickly moved to determine the problem.
The problem was my old hang-dog. From the first days that he came to live with me, Renn has had the habit of drooping his head over whatever he is lying upon; often, it is the platform of a cat-tree. He’s been doing this for fourteen years. He was doing it this day, too.
But his body isn’t what it used to be. Instead of hanging his head from the neck, as he had, he is hanging it on the neck. In other words, he puts his head on the cat-tree platform so that his throat is on its edge. The idiot was half-strangling himself.
I spoke to him and made sure that he could, in fact, breathe. He seemed to be just fine, collecting no less air than normal. He was making rather frightening sounds, but nothing was amiss, this time. It was just my old hang-dog.
I think he wants to kill me before he goes himself.
There's never a dull moment when it comes to ill or aged cats. But as Shakespeare said - All is well that ends well, and may Renn stay well for a long while.
ReplyDeleteI understand the checking. You want them to sleep and rest, but sometimes you need to make sure they're still breathing. Please give Mr Renn a pat from me.
ReplyDeleteThat was a scare...but trouble averted! Phew!
ReplyDeleteAgh, Ren...! That would have caused my anxiety to soar! I'm glad he was fine, the silly fellow. ❤️
ReplyDeleteAh! Bless him..!x
ReplyDeleteOne thing about pussy~cats, is they know what
they want, and they know how to get it...even if it's
on the platform of a cat tree..! :O).
Maybe he just likes to keep you on your toes!
ReplyDeleteI can understand your concern at the noise. However I have to chuckle with this post. I'm glad you was just fine, maybe just his way of getting your attention.
ReplyDeleteThat would about do me in! Whew. Good that he is fine and that it was a miscalculation on his part.
ReplyDeleteOh Renn!
ReplyDeleteOne of my cats does that. It's rather terrifying, especially since on at least one occasion he leaned over too far and somehow managed to fall to the ground head-first. (Luckily, he wasn't high off the floor...)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad Renn is okay and yes, that sound would be very concerning.
ReplyDeleteSounds like Renn is a bit of a worry at this stage
ReplyDeleteOh Renn, you are bound and determined to cause your Dad a heart attack. Poor John, I'm sure it's frightening to find Renn in such a position.
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