A Grey Holiday

This weekend was not a good holiday at the cosy apartment. Cammie is sick again. It started Thursday. She was well in the morning, but as soon as I returned from work I knew something was wrong with the princess. Through that evening and Good Friday, she regurgitated everything that she ate, usually within a few minutes. She also vomited without having eaten anything.

I gave her slippery elm to calm her stomach; this remedy usually solves the problem, but did not in this case. I called our veterinary hospital’s emergency number - as the hospital was closed for the holiday - and was put in touch with the doctor on call. I asked about Cerenia, the medicine that settles the stomach. The doctor agreed that Cammie could benefit from an injection, so I arranged to bring her in the next morning, as the hospital is open until noon on Saturdays. (We were lucky, as there were no appointments made until about 9.30 that morning; when I arrived, however, I overheard a telephone conversation which stated that the hospital had had a flurry of calls and was now booked solid that day.)

The Cerenia helped Cammie. She ceased throwing up but, though she had tried to eat through most of Friday, the resultant vomiting robbed her of any desire to attempt further. Consequently, she returned to eating very slowly, and I was forced to feed her Recovery by syringe, which is stressful for her, and wasteful, as I suspect only half - if that - of the food gets into her. She tosses the rest away with violent protests.

Easter Sunday, she began eating, small amounts, on her own. The Cerenia, good for 24 hours, would have worn off about 8.30 that morning. Cammie continued to take in little bits of food. She was not eating or drinking enough and her appetite for hard-food came back only in the evening. I was relieved at this, since what she was eating in Fancy Feast wasn’t going to restore the weight she’d lost in the past couple of days (she’d diminished from 4.8 kilograms to 4.52), and I wasn’t forcing enough into her to do any more.

Unfortunately, Cammie threw up during the night. She had just eaten a large amount of hard-food, and I heard her wretching at 2.09 a.m., and all of the hard-earned meal had come back up.

The doctor provided me with a Cerenia pill, of which I can give Cammie half to duplicate the effects of the injection. But I need to be able to give it by syringe with water or it will never get down her throat. And once it goes down, there is no guarantee that it will stay down. I will be consulting with the doctor as soon as the hospital opens.

My princess was drinking water - a long draught of it - just before I left. With her kidney issues, she needs that as much as food, if not more. A great drink of water and a sick cat’s empty stomach do not sound like a successful combination, so any good thoughts for Cammie would be appreciated.

Happy Easter!

This weekend is Easter, and I want to wish everyone a happy holiday. I hope you will be able to celebrate the event with the ones you love. I will be keeping a quiet Easter, as always, and staying home with the beasts. I may take advantage of the extra day off I have and follow Tucker’s example.

On Bended Paw

When it comes to posture, Renn appears to be my most imaginative cat. Tucker comes second, but not a close second. Renn is always finding different ways in which to sit and lie. Look at this instance. My big boy is resting on bended paw.

His extremity wasn’t sore. I made sure of that. It wasn’t weak. He continued to jump and run and trot as normal. And though he placed his foot like this several times over a few days, he hasn’t since.

Renn is frequently leaning, hanging, drooping, lying or squatting in some strange position; strange but, apparently, not uncomfortable. My big boy has always had a unique way of doing things.

Sunny Whiskers

I saw Parker playing with a milk-jug top-ring on Saturday (he likes other toys but seems to find those which cost me money less appealing than the free ones). He stopped in a sunbeam, and the light illumined his whiskers.

He has a fine set of whiskers. They are not as long or as luxurious as Renn’s but they are a good collection, nonetheless. In the sunshine, they make him look a bit like a walrus. But in any case, I think his sunny whiskers suit him very well.

Flying Colours

Cammie’s dental procedure went very well. She required no teeth extracted. Early on, the veterinarian called me because she was concerned that some inflammation of the gums may have been indicating bad roots in a couple of molars, and wanted to know if I would authorise the expense of a couple of x-rays. I thought it would be foolish to deny it, so the pictures were taken, and showed that the roots were in fine condition. So my princess’s mouth required nothing but a good cleaning.

When she returned home, Cammie appeared unaffected by the anaesthetic. Though I was told that she may be a little groggy, she trotted about the apartment and climbed cat-trees as if she had never been sedated. I was also warned not to feed her too much at first. Cammie doesn’t eat a great deal even when she is hungry, but last evening, she ate quite well - the result of nineteen hours without sustenance. I spread her dinner over several portions, but I thought this a good chance to put some soft-food into her, and she was willing. The only noticeable effect of her ordeal was that she was a little troubled eating hard-food. While I was advised that there was no reason Cammie could not, my princess was undoubtedly suffering a bit of soreness in the mouth, so the hard kernels were initially less desirable than the soft-food. But at bed-time, she was eating as usual.

Yesterday was good for Cammie. It not only gave her teeth a cleaning that was needed, it demonstrated that they are in very good condition, and won’t likely need a great deal of work as she ages, and is less able to handle anaesthetic and surgery. I will of course have her looked at in the future, but for now, she has passed her examination with flying colours - one of which was tied about her neck as a bandana by a veterinary technician.

(And thank you to all those who expressed wishes for Cammie's health. Such thoughts were appreciated.)

The Awful Tooth

Cammie is at the veterinary hospital today. She required a dental procedure, as determined during her physical examination a month ago, and, considering her middle-age (eleven years) and budding kidney issues, I decided to schedule the dental work for sooner, rather than later.

Denying a cat food when it is used to having it at certain times is difficult. There is no explaining the situation; there is only a lack of food that she doesn’t understand. The princess could have nothing to eat after ten o’clock last night. Prior to that hour, I plied her with tempting dishes but, having had an unusually successful meal-time (everyone ate well and Cammie in particular) and it not being the time for any food, according to a well-established household schedule, she was having none of it. Naturally, about ten o’clock, she wanted food.

Cammie was abnormally friendly during the night. She almost never comes onto the bed during the dark hours; her time is right at bed-time or when I wake. But I think she was trying to coax some edibles from me. I was on my stomach and she lie on my back and purred, most unusual. And this morning, she of course wanted breakfast, and could have none. The others received theirs; however, the routine was thrown off and they being aware of something strange occurring, and so were off their appetites.

Now my little Siamese cat is at the hospital. She will receive fluids during the surgery, of course, but also afterward for as long as she is there. I have requested that I be notified of any teeth that may look like they need removal. I think that considering Cammie’s physical condition, it is the best policy; bad teeth in a cat won’t get better and, as she ages and fights kidney failure, neither will conditions for a smooth operation.

I await word of the results. I don’t expect any bad news. There really isn’t much to go wrong, but one always worries until one’s pet is home. A doctor may know more, but home is safe. Cammie will be home after four o’clock today.

Worth the Wait

There was good news for the household over the weekend. Tucker’s insulin dosage - which had been at three units in both the morning and the evening - was not giving satisfaction. After consultation with his doctor, the dosage was raised a unit in the mornings only. This change has resulted in quite an improvement.

I performed a curve on the roly poly one Saturday. His nadir - the lowest number induced by the insulin, which should come about half-way between the two injections - actually comes about ten-thirty or eleven. I take readings every two hours, but, as his nadir approaches, I take a single reading at the hour, rather than the two. When his number dipped to about 14 at nine-thirty, I was pleased, as I suspected that it would fall to twelve at its lowest. Taking a sample sixty minutes later, it had fallen to 10.9, which was a pleasant surprise. Then, after taking a sample at the next hour, I found that his glucose reading had slipped more than half a point, to 10.3 - an even more pleasant surprise. Thereafter, the numbers started to rise, as anticipated.

The number Tucker’s blood-glucose reached at its nadir is a very good number for him. I don’t think it needs to go lower, and I think the doctor will concur. I want to ask her if Tucker’s evening dosage should be raised as well. Before his morning injection, his number was 22, which is high but only to be expected. With a dosage of three, rather than four, in the evening, his numbers may not fall as low as during the day. On the other hand, since he is sleeping during the night and eating nothing, a higher dosage may not be necessary. We will see about this.

In any case, I am quite happy about Tucker’s new numbers. He was switched to four-and-three some weeks ago, but the body takes time to absorb the alteration, so his curve had to wait. It was worth it.