My two kitties, Phaedra and BrieBrie, are 12 this year. They both have come down with old cat issues and I just can’t think of them as old kitties. Stella was an old cat, at 17, when she started having trouble. Kiesha was 16 when she had...
BrieBrie loves getting into anything that’s open: closets, cabinets, backpacks, boxes, and now washing machines with damp clothes in it. Every time I do laundry now, BrieBrie is exploring the washer and dryer. She doesn’t care if it’s wet or dry clothes. It’s an open door, she’s...
It seemed appropriate to post this picture today since Basette’s ashes have arrived at the vet’s. It was the last picture I took of her, minute before she was put to sleep. It’s painful to see how different she looks. So lost. She wasn’t there any more;...
I think I’ve figured out a way to deal with some of the grief: making a memorial for Basette here at the house. I have a small table with pictures of all of my relatives who have died, poems I wrote for eulogies, and knick-knacks that remind...
It hasn’t really hit me that Basette won’t be back. On an intellectual level, I know that she won’t be back; that she is gone forever to visit only in memories. On an emotional level, it’s very hard to accept. No, not hard to accept. It is...
It has been only a few days since Basette was put to sleep. I left for travel that same day. How do you prepare to walk into your home and not be greeted by a furry little friend? How do you know for the emotional shock of...
Basette purred when I picked her up during the consultation with her vet this morning. We spoke candidly about the Little Black Wonder Cat(tm): treatment options, outlook, and chances for Basette to have a normal life. She had received regular fluids to flush toxins (side effect of...
I visited with Basette for 1.5 hours today. When I first got there, she purred, stood up in her cage, and walked over to me. Purring so loudly. So happy to see me. She seemed better at first. She cuddled under my chin, purred contentedly. After about...
Quick note: the vet called this morning. Basette hasn’t improved. My regular vet wasn’t in today, so she asked another vet to call me. Her glucose levels had dipped low again last night, so she is still responding to the insulin. I’ll post again after I visit...
Basette spent the day at the vet’s for monitoring. We’d hoped that she would continue to improve Wednesday after bouncing back so thoroughly on Tuesday. The vet called me this morning. In a long voicemail message, she said that Basette looked worse: lethargic, not interested in eating/drinking,...
The vet called this morning with some good news! Basette’s morning glucose was 405 (much lower then the prior day’s 500+), and her lunch-time glucose was 339. She’s edging back towards a normal glucose level finally. The best news was that Basette was up and walking around...
When Basette was a kitten, she used to play tag. She’d sit under my chair and purr when that tail-twitching mood descended. Not a half-hearted purr-so-you’ll-put-me-down, but her full-throated, shake-the-floor-like-Granddad’s-snoring purr. It didn’t matter if I had to finish a paper for the next day’s class. She...
Every other day with Basette has paled in comparison with today. When I took her in to the vet’s this morning, I fully expected to face a horrible decision. She wasn’t comfortable, and I did not want her to suffer. It’s a sad considering saying good bye...
A friend just sent me an email with some Web sites with additional information on diabetes and adrenal gland problems in cats: Feline Adrenal Disease Feline diabetes tips Related Images:
Basette went back to the vet’s this morning. She really isn’t herself today. She’s been walking into cabinets. Her water and food seemed almost untouched. Only one spot in the litter box this morning. She is still having trouble standing. I was on my way in to...
Basette isn’t doing well tonight. For several minutes, she couldn’t stand up. Whenever she tried to, her back legs gave out and she collapsed on the floor. She sat there for several minutes, unmoving, tail flicking unhappily. I picked her up, and comforted her. She fidgeted to...
After several days of feeling spry, Basette went back to the vet’s today to have her glucose checked. It was above 500 again. Her insulin dose has been increased two units, and she’ll return after a week for a checkup. Some days it seems to be touch-and-go...
