MAN! I was so happy.
There is a great acceptance of the miraculous going on, but she said that prednisone can really mess up their tummy so go get pepcid! I am back up on the prednisone with a promise to come back after he is fattened up.
I want to apologize again to everyone who is so patient with me portending my trip to euthanize him and not doing it. There are STILL viable options with his condition and I am just too effing stubborn to give up.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Well, we may be premature.
So I have been so worried about his kidneys I wanted him to reduce the prednisone. Apparently those side effects I was not seeing (weight gain and over-eating) were diminishing. So I just watched him war with me about food for a whole day and went back to the full dose.
Today he is so much more himself.
He loves to go outside and watch the birds. The dove circles him and the two mocking birds that eat his leftovers watch, he watches back. I have not had much luck of recent days doing much but sitting outside, but he does think the same kibble is tastier out there.
I keep reading about acclimating pets to new food. It seems he literally cycles. One day he only likes treats. One day it is the fake steak red bits in the kitten food. One day the green ones. I swear, he is messing with me!
So, because he has a foot stool near the window but likes to sleep on the electric blanket all day (on) I saw a little sort of an electric muff in the Walgreens and put it on his glass viewing table with a (yes, I have one) Snuggy, all folded up to allow me to unplug and possibly save a bit of fear and electricity.
He is good today.
I am ok too!
Today he is so much more himself.
He loves to go outside and watch the birds. The dove circles him and the two mocking birds that eat his leftovers watch, he watches back. I have not had much luck of recent days doing much but sitting outside, but he does think the same kibble is tastier out there.
I keep reading about acclimating pets to new food. It seems he literally cycles. One day he only likes treats. One day it is the fake steak red bits in the kitten food. One day the green ones. I swear, he is messing with me!
So, because he has a foot stool near the window but likes to sleep on the electric blanket all day (on) I saw a little sort of an electric muff in the Walgreens and put it on his glass viewing table with a (yes, I have one) Snuggy, all folded up to allow me to unplug and possibly save a bit of fear and electricity.
He is good today.
I am ok too!
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Talking to myself...
When you have four followers, I know this information is not earth shattering.
I know it is a lot more isolating caring for the sick, whether human or furry, and I have exhausted the ears of my face to face friends, but I am venting again.
Seems like holidays and weekends tend to seem worse. Not sure if it is me because I have no distractions or if what I am seeing I should be looking at EVEN MORE closely. He is sleeping a lot. He is not eating again. I am hallucinating the tummy is getting bigger.
Bigger.... about like he was in September when I brought him in because he was throwing up and acting oddly. Now I am not at all sure what oddly is. BUT because I am inflicting nourishment on him multiple times a day, he does not vomit much at all. Tends to on empty to wake me up gently in the morning, running for the paper towels! But more than a week apart. When he was healthy he would eat too much too fast and throw a full tummy up... when I was gone it would end up cleaned up by him, but as I am around a lot more now, I know it is staying down and only once.
His fur is shiny, although when I pet him a lot it looks clumpy. I know that is static electricity because we spark a bit too. Unloved he is fluffy, not shedding and full.
There are very odd and distinct brown clumps in the irises of his tree-frog green eyes. I wish I knew someone skilled in pet virology because I KNOW it is telling us something.
And he barely notices birds when we go out.
My plan was to sort of stimulate his appetite. Let him think of stalking his food and bring him in to chase treats... but he is so used to it, he barely chatters at the mocking bird or two and the Inca dove that tends to join us (THEY like the kibble... even if he is ignoring it.)
Yesterday a neighbor and her sister walked by and humans chatted, but he made an escape right out of his collar and into the door. That was great! I don't want him panicking but if he comes inside I don't have to fear him running off.
So.... I see him doing little muscle twitches that I think must be from the DCA. I am going to invest in the B1 they say we need and the neuropathy is reversible. BUT I still don't know what that tumor IS. I am trying to cut the steroids in case I actually have a whole cat at the end of this. I would like him functional, not sick from the side effects... but I really am hoping his wonderful sleepy, cheerful self (not him, really... so I know he is not well) can stay a LOT longer. But I really will need to get a life SOME day!
I know it is a lot more isolating caring for the sick, whether human or furry, and I have exhausted the ears of my face to face friends, but I am venting again.
Seems like holidays and weekends tend to seem worse. Not sure if it is me because I have no distractions or if what I am seeing I should be looking at EVEN MORE closely. He is sleeping a lot. He is not eating again. I am hallucinating the tummy is getting bigger.
Bigger.... about like he was in September when I brought him in because he was throwing up and acting oddly. Now I am not at all sure what oddly is. BUT because I am inflicting nourishment on him multiple times a day, he does not vomit much at all. Tends to on empty to wake me up gently in the morning, running for the paper towels! But more than a week apart. When he was healthy he would eat too much too fast and throw a full tummy up... when I was gone it would end up cleaned up by him, but as I am around a lot more now, I know it is staying down and only once.
His fur is shiny, although when I pet him a lot it looks clumpy. I know that is static electricity because we spark a bit too. Unloved he is fluffy, not shedding and full.
There are very odd and distinct brown clumps in the irises of his tree-frog green eyes. I wish I knew someone skilled in pet virology because I KNOW it is telling us something.
And he barely notices birds when we go out.
My plan was to sort of stimulate his appetite. Let him think of stalking his food and bring him in to chase treats... but he is so used to it, he barely chatters at the mocking bird or two and the Inca dove that tends to join us (THEY like the kibble... even if he is ignoring it.)
Yesterday a neighbor and her sister walked by and humans chatted, but he made an escape right out of his collar and into the door. That was great! I don't want him panicking but if he comes inside I don't have to fear him running off.
So.... I see him doing little muscle twitches that I think must be from the DCA. I am going to invest in the B1 they say we need and the neuropathy is reversible. BUT I still don't know what that tumor IS. I am trying to cut the steroids in case I actually have a whole cat at the end of this. I would like him functional, not sick from the side effects... but I really am hoping his wonderful sleepy, cheerful self (not him, really... so I know he is not well) can stay a LOT longer. But I really will need to get a life SOME day!
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Gruel
I have been beside myself trying to get more food into him and less on me.
There is a phenomenon. He still eats kibble. Mostly as a treat, as in when thrown. My samples of some Blue Buffalo and Taste of the Wild are great when I take him outside for his jaunts. Usually if the birds have not eaten all the snacks thrown earlier in the day, he will down small handfuls. Not enough to qualify as meals but enough to qualify as eating.
So this morning I softened up a fist full with warm water and while softening I put them on the floor and LO! He ate a bit of that!
Soggy kibble plus some instant uber condensed dried food to maximize caloric intake will save a LOT over the $2 per go cans. When he stops getting to hungry at night so he gags and throws up empty in the AM I think I will feel much better.
Also, he is looking big. He has a soft but roundish belly. I can't tell if it is healthy, can't remember how big or hard the tumor felt, but this seems squishy and cat-like. I sort of wish I could see him skinny. JUST to know I was fattening him up.
I washed the "Jethro leash" my friends shamed me into trying to upgrade, but it never seemed to make it out of the washer..... may have to check to be sure it is not wound up in horrible places. Here is a wonderful photo of a recent jaunt.
There is a phenomenon. He still eats kibble. Mostly as a treat, as in when thrown. My samples of some Blue Buffalo and Taste of the Wild are great when I take him outside for his jaunts. Usually if the birds have not eaten all the snacks thrown earlier in the day, he will down small handfuls. Not enough to qualify as meals but enough to qualify as eating.
So this morning I softened up a fist full with warm water and while softening I put them on the floor and LO! He ate a bit of that!
Soggy kibble plus some instant uber condensed dried food to maximize caloric intake will save a LOT over the $2 per go cans. When he stops getting to hungry at night so he gags and throws up empty in the AM I think I will feel much better.
Also, he is looking big. He has a soft but roundish belly. I can't tell if it is healthy, can't remember how big or hard the tumor felt, but this seems squishy and cat-like. I sort of wish I could see him skinny. JUST to know I was fattening him up.
I washed the "Jethro leash" my friends shamed me into trying to upgrade, but it never seemed to make it out of the washer..... may have to check to be sure it is not wound up in horrible places. Here is a wonderful photo of a recent jaunt.
Monday, December 24, 2012
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Hefty!
I swear. He is getting bulkier.
Yesterday a friend gave me a couple of bags of the cat food she feeds her pets. Blue Buffalo and Taste of the Wild. He ate it like treats. I didn't put it in a bowl, for fear he would know I wanted him to eat a lot.
He is eating (not nearly enough) but kibble and on his own.
The vertebrae are less visible and I really can't tell if the belly is round from eating properly or if it is still the tumor. I would sort of like to see it a bit shrunken, but I can't honestly remember what a normal tummy feels like. It LOOKS perfect.
He is leaving his little halter on all the time. It is a wee bit tighter than I like it but he is very comfortable with it up in his armpits so when I link my "Jethro" lead to it, he just saunters our the front door with less stress.
The trips outside seem really to help him. He is more alert and much grumpier. He has always been grumpy. Demanding and vocal, I was worried at first and then realized that the sweeter he is, the sicker he is. His returning nastiness is all great!
dj*
Yesterday a friend gave me a couple of bags of the cat food she feeds her pets. Blue Buffalo and Taste of the Wild. He ate it like treats. I didn't put it in a bowl, for fear he would know I wanted him to eat a lot.
He is eating (not nearly enough) but kibble and on his own.
The vertebrae are less visible and I really can't tell if the belly is round from eating properly or if it is still the tumor. I would sort of like to see it a bit shrunken, but I can't honestly remember what a normal tummy feels like. It LOOKS perfect.
He is leaving his little halter on all the time. It is a wee bit tighter than I like it but he is very comfortable with it up in his armpits so when I link my "Jethro" lead to it, he just saunters our the front door with less stress.
The trips outside seem really to help him. He is more alert and much grumpier. He has always been grumpy. Demanding and vocal, I was worried at first and then realized that the sweeter he is, the sicker he is. His returning nastiness is all great!
dj*
Thursday, December 20, 2012
The Dude on a walk...
My boy is an indoor cat.
I have had a very bad habit of allowing my indoor cats to go walking as their end is near. Partially because they are weaker and I can catch them, but also because it is boring sitting around looking sick.
So I found this little dinky collar that goes around his neck and under his elbows. He CAN pull out backwards but he has to do just enough squiggling that I can catch him.
My DCA treatments have VISIBLY shrunk his tumor. I was not taking photos as I found it too depressing. The ones I have... well black is a very slimming color so you can't really see the bulge, but my description of about to have a litter of 10 kittens really summed it up.
Except that he won't eat enough food (he likes treats but only about 20 at a time, I tricked him into some kitten food but that was still only a few) canned or dry or anything twice to keep him alive while I give him the meds, I am slurping pumpkin/A/D pet-food and whatever open can he would not eat in the mix 6-10 fat syringefuls on both of us and hopefully into him daily.
BUT he is looking so good, I am going to keep it up.
\
No trips anywhere for the holidays... which is a GREAT thing!
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