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UPDATE: Kitteh
Dec. 6th, 2008 06:11 am All we know so far is "some stage of kidney failure." On Wednesday, he noticed that he was acting 180* differently than he normally does. He's not a snuggler, but he's normally very perky, normally very "in your face." He doesn't like to be held, but he likes to be touching you at all times. And he didn't come around at ALL until Wednesday night, when he hopped up on the bed. One of his quirks is that he comes when he's called, like a dog. I tried to call him over and he didn't move. Clue #1. This is the first I saw of Reese on Wednesday, so I was immediately alarmed. I picked him up and pulled him over to me. Clue #2. And he laid there next to me and let me pet him until I fell asleep. Clue #3. I did the "skin-pinch" test and could tell he was dehydrated and like I said, just wasn't acting normal. Nothing had changed on Thursday, in fact, we had to search for him because he didn't come out to say hello like he normally does, and we took him to the vet at 11 on Friday.
As I said, all we know right now is kidney failure. There's a chance we caught it early enough, but I don't know. He's on a slow drip and they're pumping him full of water and drugs and trying to see if they can get him to pee so they can do a urine test and take more tests. They're doing a blood workup. We're to call around 10-11 today, so I imagine we'll know what needs to happen then. I don't think it's going to be good - depends how quick we caught the kidney failure - but it's just a feeling I have. I've come to terms with it, but I do feel sorry for our youngest kitteh, because Reese is his best friend. As I said the other day, Reese is only 3. He'll be 4 in April, so he is much, much too young for this.
I want to know why all of our cats are dying all of a sudden. Well, not all of a sudden. Missy died two years ago (she was 5) of kidney failure. Murphy died earlier this year from kidney failure due to advanced diabetes. The vet said there was absolutely nothing we could do about Murphy because untreated diabetes in animals is so rampant that they go from fine to failing in a matter of days - and if you're a cat owner, you know that cats do NOT tell you when they don't feel well. Quite the opposite. Apparently: if you visit Iowa, don't drink the water.
So, that's where things stand, if you wanted to know. I'll post after we know more, or have him put down, today. If it's diabetes or something else manageable, where he will not suffer at all, then we will continue on that course. If there's the slightest chance he'll be in pain or discomfort, especially for the rest of his shortened life, then I very much am an advocate of putting him down. No one, cat, dog, human or fish, deserves to suffer, period. Well, maybe fish, but only because they're tasty.
Reese is my kitteh, but we aren't terribly close. Like I said, he's not a snuggler, but he's a nice cat. He was starting to come around and we were getting close again. But I love him. I love all of the cats, even the one who sits on the fridge and throws up on people as they walk by.
As I said, all we know right now is kidney failure. There's a chance we caught it early enough, but I don't know. He's on a slow drip and they're pumping him full of water and drugs and trying to see if they can get him to pee so they can do a urine test and take more tests. They're doing a blood workup. We're to call around 10-11 today, so I imagine we'll know what needs to happen then. I don't think it's going to be good - depends how quick we caught the kidney failure - but it's just a feeling I have. I've come to terms with it, but I do feel sorry for our youngest kitteh, because Reese is his best friend. As I said the other day, Reese is only 3. He'll be 4 in April, so he is much, much too young for this.
I want to know why all of our cats are dying all of a sudden. Well, not all of a sudden. Missy died two years ago (she was 5) of kidney failure. Murphy died earlier this year from kidney failure due to advanced diabetes. The vet said there was absolutely nothing we could do about Murphy because untreated diabetes in animals is so rampant that they go from fine to failing in a matter of days - and if you're a cat owner, you know that cats do NOT tell you when they don't feel well. Quite the opposite. Apparently: if you visit Iowa, don't drink the water.
So, that's where things stand, if you wanted to know. I'll post after we know more, or have him put down, today. If it's diabetes or something else manageable, where he will not suffer at all, then we will continue on that course. If there's the slightest chance he'll be in pain or discomfort, especially for the rest of his shortened life, then I very much am an advocate of putting him down. No one, cat, dog, human or fish, deserves to suffer, period. Well, maybe fish, but only because they're tasty.
Reese is my kitteh, but we aren't terribly close. Like I said, he's not a snuggler, but he's a nice cat. He was starting to come around and we were getting close again. But I love him. I love all of the cats, even the one who sits on the fridge and throws up on people as they walk by.
