I got home last night and went to the bedroom to check on Stella. She was curled up where my pillow is. I lifted the end of her tail and let it fall back to the bed it. She didn’t wake up. Pushed on the mattress next to her and she didn’t wake up. Mild panic ensued. In the dim light, I could barely see her rib cage rising and falling with her...
Continue reading...Cats
Did I mention Stella is eating?
Stella is eating food again. None of the wet food I’ve been giving her, but she is eating new dry food. Her flavor of the week is Solid Gold Kats N Flocken cat food. The pet store manager I spoke to swore up and down that she would eat the food or else I could bring the unused part of the bag back for a refund. Okay, so we’ll see what happens. I...
Continue reading...Where has Ceffyl been?
For once, mostly having fun by riding and working the girls. My main concern has been that Isis has been in the middle of an insulin resistance episode. We have been careful about her diet, so the next item was to up her exercise. All of the girls are getting worked more. I’ve mostly focused on Isis and Kasane because they are both overweight. Stella is also having trouble with her weight. She...
Continue reading...Stella update, part the x
Stella has been back on track with her fluids for the last three weeks. After the day when she lost four ounces, I went to the pet store and tried some kitten food. Higher fat, lower protein: seemed like a reasonable choice if Stella would eat it. And eat it she did. Like it was going out of style. Two weeks ago, I was absolutely delighted with her because at her weigh-in before...
Continue reading...Stella: Little kitty is smaller
Stella had her regular appointment for fluids this morning. She is still down 4 ounces from three weeks ago. She now weighs 4 pounds, 4 ounces. I don’t know if there is anything I can do to help keep weight on her. She’s lost a lot of muscle in her hips. It’s hard for her to coordinate things. She still jumps on my shoulder while I’m sitting, so some things are still normal....
Continue reading...Older kitties: joys and pains
Stella’s eyes are changing. Today her eyes are not very responsive to the light. When she opens them, the pupils stay wide and are slow to adjust to the light. The vet warned me on Friday that Stella might end up with detached retinas from the hypertension (high blood pressure). Basette ended up with detached retinas as a side effect of her diabetes. The night she lost her vision, she wandered in to...
Continue reading...Happy birthday to Stella, and a vet visit
Stella is 21 this month. She is the oldest cat I’ve ever had. She has been very healthy and spry for the most part. Since the move to the new apartment, she has been losing weight and not looking as good. She is looking more her age instead of being so kittenish. (She did play with her tail last week in the bathtub. First time she had done that in a while and...
Continue reading...Ambush’s ashes
I picked up Ambush’s ashes today: a little white box in a purple velvet bag that says “Until we meet again at the rainbow bridge.” My poor little buddy. I held it together until the person at the clinic handed me the bag with Ambush’s ashes. I’ve cried almost every time I’ve seen something that reminds me of Ambush. Places where he used to sleep. Clothes coming out of the dryer still covered...
Continue reading...Funny kitty behavior
It’s only been a few days since Ambush past and the kitties seem to be adjusting. Kiesha periodically walks around the house yowling. When she’s called, she meows lightly and trots in for pettings. Stella has also yowled a little, but, being mostly deaf, she doesn’t hear it when I call her. Instead I find her, and she does her little “purr-ip” and trots up to me. After Saturday, the kitties started doing...
Continue reading...Ambush Tale: Great Escape
One of the things I loved about Ambush were his antics. He had to explore every where: not to necessarily get out but to just see what was on the other side. In August 2009, Ambush decided that he was going to go on a walkabout. I had had dinner with a friend, got home kinda late, and took a shower before going to bed. It must have been about 1:00 AM or...
Continue reading...Ambush, 1994-2010
Ambush’s diabetes has gone into ketosis (very bad stuff for a diabetic). His glucose level was over 700 (off of the scale). It impacted how his kidneys function. Even if aggressive treatment was started, there was no telling if he would survive and what quality of life he might have. Best case scenario would have put him with a lot of trips to the vet to be constantly monitoring his blood glucose levels....
Continue reading...Ambush going to the emergency clinic
Ambush is going to the emergency vet clinic. He isn’t doing well at all this morning. He isn’t keeping food down and he just doesn’t look right. Poor guy has thrown up three times. I’ll post again when I know more. Related Images:
Continue reading...Ambush not doing well
I got home from the Horsemasters meeting about 10:30 last night and fed the kitties. Ambush didn’t eat much when I gave him his shot. About 20 minutes later, he threw up twice. He drank a lot of water and then refused food. I rubbed honey on his gums and stayed up to keep an eye on him. He wandered into the closet and fell asleep. He seemed okay, until I was getting...
Continue reading...All kitties to the vet tomorrow
All of the kitties are going to the vet tomorrow morning. Ambush and Stella are having fluids. Kiesha is going to be tested to see if she has a UTI like the other two, and if so, she will needs meds. The farrier is also coming out tomorrow morning for Isis and Kasane. He’ll check Prize’s feet to find the best way to get her on the same schedule as the other girls....
Continue reading...Update on Ambush
Vet called me back with the results of Ambush’s blood panel. He is showing early stages of kidney problems and needs to start getting fluids like Stella. He only needs them once per week instead of twice per week. He dropped three pounds since August. That is a lot of weight. 🙁 I may be asked to start doing blood glucose levels on him at home my pricking his ear. Will find out...
Continue reading...