Life is On-going Adaptation

Renn will sometimes throw up in the early mornings, usually between three and three-thirty. Sometimes, that’s the result of his kidney issues. Cats with kidney disease are prone to puking in the mornings. Also, my big boy will toss up a hairball from time to time. He gives me a good warning of the impending upchuck. I can usually get to him before he accomplishes his feat and put a bucket or shallow box under him, so as to contain the mess.

But someone else has learned the signs, too. When we hear Renn starting to gag, I get out of bed, switch on the light, and fetch the bucket. At the same time, Imogen gets up, climbs off the bed and sits on the little bedside staircase or the small dresser near it. There she waits until Renn has finished with his extractions, after which she returns to the bed and settles down once more. I don’t know if this is a matter of Miss Silky’s rest being disturbed, or of her not wanting it disturbed any more than it must.

Whatever the reason, she has adapted to the circumstances of Renn’s old age. While she may be annoyed, she has learned to make the best of it. And I think that may the secret to old age in general.