Thursday, January 27, 2011

End Of Days


I'm pretty sure my cat is dying. She had a cold back before Christmas. She'd sneeze every once in a while, and slowed down on her eating a lot. A few days into her being sick, I got sick, too, so we were sick together. I got better, but she didn't. She finally stopped sneezing, and I waited for her appetite to pick back up. It never did. She quit eating her dry food completely, but she would still take a soft treat. So I got her some wet food, which she ate for a while, but then ate less and less until all she would do was lick off the gravy. Then she quit doing even that. She's drinking, but not very much. I finally took her to the vet earlier this week, and he thinks it could be a number of things, liver, kidneys, thyroid, cancer, etc. But the tests didn't come back and show anything definitive. She's lost almost half her body weight so far, and tonight I realized that she's gone deaf. She used to meet me at the door when I got home in the evenings, but lately she's not noticed I was home until she could see me. I finally realized that tonight when I actually had to touch her before she realized I was home. I tried to get a response out of her with a loud clap or a yell, but she didn't notice. I suspect all of these things add up to something terribly wrong. I've had her for about ten years now, and she was a stray before I got her, so I don't know how old she is. It could just be her time to go. I've recently seen her sitting there, looking at an empty wall, paying no attention to anything, looking completely in the wrong direction. That's out of character for someone who makes sure to lay down in the spot most likely to be underfoot. I'm not going to spend a fortune at the vet to extend her life for another short period of time. We'll see what he says tomorrow, and then it may be time to let her live out her last few days in peace.  She's still got a lot of spunk in her for someone who hasn't eaten much in a while, though.  I learned that when I tried to get a syringe of vitamins down her throat.  So she may stick around for a while yet. I'll let you know what happens.

11 comments:

  1. sorry to hear about what truly is part of your family....my folks got me a cat when i was 5....he was my "pal" for the 21 years he lived (imagine what he witnessed during that tme span) - it was amazing to me then (as it is now), how many "vets" have no idea what is truly "wrong" with a cat.... no matter what - yours will always be part of your life! you are a lucky person (in that she chose you, just as much as you chose her!!!).
    an avid fan of your blog - gmb

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  2. I'm sorry, Ernie.

    I had a friend that looked a lot like yours go through similar symptoms about a year and a half ago. Like yours, he had a little spark left until the final days. His last trip outside he finally caught that squirrel that must have been driving him crazy for all those years.

    I hope yours perks up and hangs around as long as she can.

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  3. Sorry to hear this, Ernie. What's her name? Unfortunately, it's unusually a bad sign when pets stop eating. My dog, Mulligan, passed away last summer when he almost 15. He was a fighter 'til the end. Enjoy your time with her.

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  4. Her name is Baby, but I don't think I ever call her that. Lumpy is probably her most popular nickname, but she gets called everything under the book. Not like she would answer to anything...

    The vet called today and said the additional blood tests didn't show anything wrong. It's most likely that she's just gotten to the point where she's too old to go on, or there's something too wrong to fix. I'll take care of her as best I can until I feel her quality of life is too poor to go on. It might be days, weeks or months from now. Or she could perk up tomorrow and start eating again. Anything's possible.

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  5. Hey Ernie,
    I know just what you are going through, and the only way to describe it, is that it hurts. It amazes us when we discover how close we have gotten to them and they to us.

    I had to put a Simease down a few years back that I was really close to, and he too had started out as a stray, but became one of my closest friends after my wife divorced me.

    You are both in our thoughts and prayers. . .

    Kindest Regards,
    Wesley H.

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  6. What a great looking cat! Too bad cats and dogs and horses can't talk, so they could tell us what was bothering them. Good luck and God bless you both.

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  7. Hello Ernie,
    I know what it is like for you at the moment. I had the same symptoms with a seventeen year old cat last summer. Tests by the vet found nothing. He followed the same pattern as yours until he could no longer jump on my knee. The time had come to put him to rest. He lies at the top of the garden with six others. There are now four in the house including two ginger toms, one of which adopted us. Be glad you had him for ten years.

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  8. For someone who shares so much of their life with us, it's like we're all a member of the same "cyber"-family. As such, my heart goes out to you. A pet is as much "family" as any person. It's an agony to go through the situation you're in right now.

    Know that there are many people who read your blog and download your shares and care about you as "friends" if only through cyberspace. Take care, you & your pet are in our thoughts and prayers.

    Nick
    aka "Shemp" from Falalalala.com

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  9. nothing could be sadder. i hope that if it's time for your kitty-friend to go, that it is as easy a transition as possible. i had a vet come to my place to make it more comfortable in the end - it saved an agonzing trip out into the world and a lot of stress for both of us. take it as it comes and remember the good times.

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  10. Terribly sorry to hear. At the moment, our eleven-year-old Manx, Bill, seems to be on his last days, as well.

    Baby is gorgeous. And it sounds like she's had a terrific life.

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  11. I'm sorry for you and your kitty. It sounds as if she has had a wonderful life with you.

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