Wednesday, March 23, 2022

Health and Otherwise

More than one reader has asked after Renn’s health. I thought it a good time to give a general review of the beasts’ well-being.


8th September, 2021

Renn:           6.83 kg (15 lbs)

Neville:         7.45 kg (16.42 lbs)


12th January, 2022

Renn:           5.9 kg (13 lbs)


17th February, 2022

Minuet:           5.8 kg (12.79 lbs)


22nd March, 2022

Renn:           6.47 kg (14.26 lbs)

Neville:         7.38 kg (16.27 lbs)

Hector:         5.42 kg (11.95 lbs)

Minuet:         5.25 kg (11.57 lbs)


Renn is doing better than I expected. I don’t think the Mirtazapine is helping him all that much. I have found that it can be inconsistent, probably because the form in which I give it is a compound to be applied transdermally, and thus the concentration may not always be the same. I know at one time Raleigh was given a prescription for what I recorded in my blog as ‘an appetite-stimulant’ (undoubtedly Mirtazapine), and that was every three days. I seem to recall Tucker receiving a similar dose. Renn’s is every day.



However, Renn is currently eating to my satisfaction, though this began rather before the Mirtazapine. He generally chooses between two kinds of hard-food, for which he will often ask. I present him with both bowls; sometimes he eats from just one, other times from both in succession. They are decent foods in terms of nutrition and I believe that the hard-food’s bulk is adding to his weight. Considering that he has been losing pounds for some time, this reversal is pleasing, though I worry that it is temporary. My big boy consumes very little soft-food nowadays.


Hector is too heavy for his size, I believe, but he loves his food, especially the soft varieties, and I feed him too much. But he is active and in good shape.



Another fatty is Neville. He is far too wide. He is not active, not in any way, and refuses to be stimulated to any unnecessary movement. As far as I can tell, he enjoys his life, but his life consists mainly of sleeping and eating. He does put on a burst of speed sometimes when exiting the litter-box, not unusual for many cats, but that doesn’t burn off many calories. Aside from his weight, however, he is doing well, and his previous ‘curve’ showed some good management of his diabetes.



I am still learning about Minuet and what she should be like. I have not lived with a very-oldster before but I think for a cat heading toward twenty, she is in very good condition. Now and then she seems a little unsteady on her legs, but she has no problem climbing her new cat-tree, and periodically she still resorts to jumping up on it from the back of the couch, so she must be doing well.



I worry about her loss of weight. But very-oldsters are usually light and thin. At her February veterinary visit, Minuet was rated as over-weight by the doctor who, however, expressed satisfaction at the poundage, remarking, as I have done before, that a cat - especially an elderly one - can lose weight so precipitately during an illness that a margin for loss is not necessarily a bad thing.



While there are some factors on which I must keep an eye, the condition of the Cosy Apartment’s feline inmates is good, if not very good. I am pleased. For now.

20 comments:

  1. That's great news about Renn. May this happy state of affairs last a good long time!

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  2. And..What about you John...
    Are you healthy and at a reasonable
    weight..? No matted or hair loss..?
    And..are you managing to find enough
    room on the bed at nights..HeHe! :).

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  3. I am VERY happy about Renn's wright. He gained. Now I must get out Mr Google I guess and see what their weights are in ounces and pounds. :-) Neville a fatty!? No. Never/. Minuet overweight? What is wrong with that Vet? She doesn't look in the least as though she was overweight. And Neville doesn't either. Katie said he's a hunk. Hector too big? MY gosh!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for reminding me about adding pounds to the weights in kilograms. I will amend the entry now.

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  4. Weight loss is definitely more worrisome to me. Saku is overweight at the moment, but I recall how Silas lost weight so quickly when he was ill. Sasha lost weight too but slowly and incrementally overtime. He was around 13-14 pounds at his heaviest and half that when he passed away, just skin and bones.

    I agree that a little extra weight won't hurt Minuet. It seems healthier than being underweight at this point in her life.

    In my mind they are all beautiful, and so very well cared for.

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  5. None of your cats looks overweight, and I tend to feel the older they are the more weight I am happy to see on them.

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  6. Everyone seems to be doing well, fingers and paws crossed this continues for a long time yet. I agree that I'd rather see a bit more weight on an older cat.

    BTW, I would have needed to do the conversion too, as Katie's mom did, even though I'm Canadian and "should" know these things. Multiply by 2.2 is all I know, to convert to pounds. :-)

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    Replies
    1. I generally measure in pounds, too, but I understand kilograms in terms of comparisons (to other kilograms...)

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  7. knock wood and toss salt; as it seems like right now everyone
    is great ! If you do want "weight" on Renn; try kitten food;
    either kibble or canned as it's higher in calories than regular
    chow. boomer ate it about three times a week the last two years
    of his life, to maintain his 9 pounds :) ☺☺

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    1. I've tried the soft-food for kittens, which didn't go over well, but not the hard. Then I remembered Renn's kidneys. He's in stage two kidney failure, which isn't very bad, but might not be helped by the higher protein in kitten food.

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  8. Oh, um...Neville, my mancat. 16.25? Well...you ARE a hunk. But I will cease saying that you aren;t perhaps carrying an ounce or two more than perhas would be best.

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  9. You must be relieved that Renn is holding onto his weight and eating fairly well. All look comfortable with their size and probably wonder what all the halabaloo is about on the scale.

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  10. I'm so glad to hear that Renn's weight has increased. Some folks disagree with me, but I would rather have my cats a little chubby, as I feel having the extra weight gives them something to "fall back on" so that they don't become all skin and bones as they age or if they become ill.

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  11. If Dr. John is happy, then everybody is happy!

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  12. Everyone sounds to be doing okay. I agree that a bit of excess weight should not be a problem for Minuet. At her age it is better to have some to spare. We use pounds and kilos equally here so not a problem with conversion. My biggest problem is remembering which to use depending on the blog I am commenting on. The same with Centigrade and Fahrenheit!

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  13. It sounds like everyone is eating okay and that's a win all around!

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  14. Everyone seems OK at their current state of heaviness...or lightness...but if they are relatively stable , then all is well.

    I had to hand feed Minko for 3 years...but he did well, that way and gained back a lot of his lost weight, from a mere 7 pounds, to a healthier 9.

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  15. Knock on wood that all continues well at the cosy apt!
    Have you heard how Auric is doing?

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    Replies
    1. I haven't heard about Auric for a couple of days. The last report had him and the resident cat hissing a bit, but otherwise tolerating each other; mostly typical early integration behaviour.

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  16. Great update on the cats. I think you are doing a pawsome job too.
    Purrs, Julie

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