She played with her cat and it was a wonder to watch the white hand and the white paw frolic in the shade of the night.--Paul Verlaine

Path to the Rainbow Bridge

It’s hard to believe that a year has passed since Toby passed away.  We were on our cross-country RV trip from May 10-June 16, 2011.  The day after we came home, we noticed that Toby was having breathing problems. 

We too him to the vet.  After tests and scans, it was determined that Toby had a hernia which was pressing his lungs.   We approved surgery which would correct it.

Upon the start of surgery to repair the “hernia”, it was discovered that Toby had a malignant tumor and it was inoperable.  We received the call just after midnight on Saturday, June 18, 2011.

Toby was the second of “Jezibel’s babies”, as we called them, to pass away.  He was 11 years old.  His brother, Grady, left us in February 2010 at 9 years old.

My friend, Kim, adopted one of Toby and Grady’s brothers, “Pinto”, when he was 8 weeks old.  Through the years, we have seen Pinto regularly.  I usually take care of Pinto and Kim’s other four cats when she and her daughter, Haven, travel.  

Pinto in his box top.  This is one of his favorite places to lie.

I love Pinto.  He was one of ours and for those who know me, I try to stay in touch with how “our” cats are doing.  It was easy with Pinto because Kim and I became good friends as well. 

A couple of weeks ago, Kim noticed that Pinto was not drinking water.  She took him to the vet.  Upon examination, the vet found a tumor under Pinto’s tongue. 

The next day, the vet did a biopsy on the tumor.  The report said that it was malignant.

Pinto on the scales at the oncologist at VSH, Sorrento Valley

Kim took Pinto to an oncologist for a second opinion and to see what the options were.  There were no feasible options:

Chemo would not help; radiation would cause such horrible side effects.  He would need it twice a day for a week.  It would cause terrible sores in his mouth for about a month and he would have to have a feeding tube inserted; surgery would be very complicated and would drastically lower Pinto’s quality of life.  A feeding tube would have to be inserted.  None would extend his life by more than a month or two.

The tumor was very aggressive.  It would grow and eventually make it impossible for Pinto to eat or drink.  He would slowly starve.

Kim made Pinto as comfortable as she could.  He had always slept with her, so she put up a gate at the bedroom door.  The other cats stayed out and Pinto had Kim all to himself. 

He was having trouble eating because of the tumor under his tongue.  He liked his kibble, but could only smell it and couldn’t chew it.  He did manage to eat the rich pate A/D canned prescription food, but he wasn’t getting enough.  Kim mixed it with water and managed to feed him with a syringe.  For the past couple of days she gave him kitten weaning formula.  That helped with his hunger.

Pinto also was on pain medication and that helped him rest.  Kim gave it to him twice a day.

Kim and her baby, Pinto 6-13-12

Kim took very good care of Pinto and she didn’t want him to suffer any longer.  She scheduled a vet who does home euthanasia, to come to her house today and help Pinto along on a peaceful journey.

Pinto is now with his brothers, Grady and Toby.  The three of them are again running and playing like they did long ago with they were kittens together.  Their legs are strong and they are pain free. 

Toby and Grady with their sisters, Lexi and Ellie 2003

Kim and Charlie with Pinto 6-18-12

Rest in peace little "Pinto" pony...rest in peace.

More later......
TazzyD..... _^..^_

“Beware of a man that does not talk and a dog that does not bark”---Portuguese Proverb

I just went outside to put something in my neighbor’s mailbox.  I didn’t turn the outside light on since I could see okay from the street light.  I saw something at the end of our driveway and really didn’t know what it was.  Then it turned and moved on down toward the neighbor’s house.  I still didn’t get a good look at it.  As I started out to the street, I saw a large raccoon on the sidewalk by my car.  It moved up towards the other neighbor’s house.  There were two raccoons. 

I guess that was why the dog in the yard behind us was barking for the past hour non-stop.  Of course, he barks quite a bit anyway.  We see a opossums in our yard sometimes and the raccoons have been on our patio before.

One night I saw an opossum walking along the fence.  Something looked weird.  When I looked closer, there were several baby possums hanging onto her fur.  I don't know how many survived, but I'm sure they are around somewhere.

What an improvement!

Today a “shelf genie” came to our house and put sliding shelves in our kitchen pantry and in the cupboard where I keep the pans.  It makes all the difference in the world.  Now I can slide the shelves out and get to everything that is stuck in the back.  The pans are easy to get to also.  Now if I can get new countertops and a new sink!

We have been letting Jonesie outside on nice days when I have the time to go out and keep an eye on him.  He’s discovered he can climb the tree at the front window and get on top of the house.  He walks around the roof and then comes back and meows because he can’t figure out how to get back down by himself. 

One day I was working in the yard and I didn’t know he was on top of the house.  Charlie came out with the ladder.  He said he heard Jonesie meowing and when he looked out, Jonesie was on top of the patio at the side of the house in the backyard.  He rescued Jonesie.

The other day I was sitting on the bench and I heard Jonesie meowing.  He was on the house again.  He walked out on the beams near the front door.  That’s about 10 feet high.  Before I could go and get Charlie to help him, he jumped down to the concrete walk.  I don’t want him doing that again since I know that he could sprain his leg.  Mr. Creme did that once just jumping down from our 6 foot fence. 

Mr. Creme is still doing well.  His walk is close to normal now.  We’re still giving him the B12 pills.  He’s also still on 2 units of insulin a day.  Charlie took him in for his fructosamine test and blood glucose test today.  The blood glucose test was very good (128) and he weighs 14.9 pounds.  We will hear the results of the fructosamine test tomorrow.  We’re hoping he’s on his way to remission.

Sheila’s usual spot is at the top of the stairs.  From there she can see anyone who walks or drives by the front of the house.  The front door has windows at the top and she can see anyone who comes to the door.  We have really tried to curb her barking because since she sees everything and we don’t, she will all of a sudden let out a bellow.  It’s so throaty and loud.  If you’re not expecting it, it startles you.  The cats all run in different directions. 

She still hasn’t been able to differentiate between the real doorbell and a doorbell on the TV program or commercial.  It’s just so disruptive when we’re sitting there watching something.  We always try to stop her by saying, “It’s on TV”.  That works most of the time.  But, I have to say that when she barks, there’s usually someone there.  It may be someone hanging a flyer on the front door that we don’t even hear.

She knows the sound of the UPS trucks, the Sparkletts water delivery truck, and the mail carrier.  They are her favorite things to watch for.  Recently Charlie brought home a little device called a “bark buster”.  It was inexpensive and for awhile it stopped her outbursts.  Supposedly it emitted a high pitched sound that only she could hear and it was uncomfortable.

Either it isn’t working any more or she has decided that she can stand the noise and would rather bark.  I still think of the dog that Charlie had years ago.  She was barking one night.  They opened the window and told her to be quiet.  The next morning their cars had been broken into.

More later......

for TazzyD..... _^..^_

“Cat people are different, to the extent that they generally are not conformists. How could they be, with a cat running their lives?” -- Louis Camuti

I took a few days off to go up to Utah to see my brother, Richard, and his wife, Alice.  They moved up there last October.  Their younger daughter, Jamie, and her husband, Josh, are in the Air Force.  After being in Germany for several years, they were transferred to Hill AFB near Ogden.  Richard and Alice wanted to be near them, so they moved with them to Utah.  Of course, their six year old granddaughter, Anna, had quite a bit of influence in their decision to make the move.

They like Utah and they love being able to spend time with Anna, Jamie and Josh.  I met Anna and Josh for the first time.  Anna was born in New Mexico.  Soon after, Jamie was transferred to Germany and Anna has spent most of her life living there. 

Jamie and Josh bought a house and Richard and Alice are renting a town home which is less than a mile away.  There is a bike/walk/run path near the town home.  It used to be a railroad track, but the tracks were taken up and it was paved over.  I really enjoyed going for walks on that path.

That bike/walk/run path goes on and on.....all the way to Ogden

My nephew, Patrick, drove down from Nevada and spent a couple of days with us.  I hadn’t seen him since 2005, so I was happy that he could meet me there.

The mountains after we had rain and they had snow

We went up into the Wasatch Mountains one day.  It was beautiful up there. 

Don't look now, but there's a buffalo behind you!

I can hold him in my hand!

Another day we went to Antelope Island State Park in Salt Lake.  It’s the largest island in the Great Salt Lake.  There are free-roaming herds of bison, bighorn sheep, mule deer, and pronghorn antelope.  Twelve bison were introduced to the island in 1893 and today the herd is 500-700.  They do an annual bison roundup each fall to check the health of the animals and sell extra ones.  We saw the bison, of course, and also antelope and deer, but no bighorns.     




After a restful week, I came home to Charlie and our house full of cats.  I was getting updates on how everyone was doing, so I really didn’t have any worries while I was gone.  Charlie had it all under control.

He got into the daily routine of giving Mr. Creme his insulin shots.  Since MC was due for a fructosamine test, Charlie took him to the vet for that. 

Mr. Creme relaxing on the back patio

The vet called and said that the glucose level was low.  She wanted us to reduce his insulin.  She thought he might be going into remission, which happens with cats sometimes.  We reduced his insulin from 6 units per day, (3 a.m./ 3 p.m.) to just 2 units, once a day.  We’ll take him back to be tested again in three weeks.  If he goes into remission, it will be a good thing.  Mr. Creme is walking “almost” normal now too.  We are still giving him the B12 pills, but also if he is not needing as much insulin, it helps.

I went to Walgreens and bought a glucose test meter and test strips.  I didn’t know how it worked.  You have to use the lancets to puncture your finger to get blood and then use the test strips in the meter.  The meter was fairly cheap, but the test strips were expensive.  You also have to buy the lancets.  The total for everything was $118, but, it beats the price of $193 that the veterinary hospital wanted.

We haven’t experimented on testing MC’s blood yet.  I still am nervous about it, but we will try it soon.

Of course, all of this is after we bought a new bottle of insulin and new syringes (200).  The insulin is dated, but the syringes are good forever.  We’re hoping that we won’t be needing them much longer though.

My back problem is getting much better too.  I’m now going to the chiropractor every three weeks instead of every two weeks.  I’m still getting acupuncture treatments twice a week and will do that for this month at least.  If I feel like I can reduce it to once a week, I will.  I actually look forward to the chiropractor and the acupuncture.  I wish doctors could make people look forward to seeing them!

I went for a walk yesterday morning.  I’m used to seeing signs on fences and poles advertising lost dogs or cats, etc., but I saw a sign I’d never seen before.  It was for a lost duck and her ducklings.  The picture showed them floating in a swimming pool.  Since the babies can’t fly, I imagine the gate to the yard was left open and they wandered out.  I always wonder if any of these dogs, cats (and ducks) are ever seen again.

Our pet insurance policy expires July 1.  I renewed for Jezibel, Ellie, Lexi and Mr. Creme.  I was happy to see that the coverage went up and the deductible stayed the same.  But, I was not happy when I talked to the agent and he told me that even though the policies have never lapsed, because of age, over 10 years, Mr. Creme’s diabetes will be considered a “pre-existing condition” after July 1.  That means that they will no longer help with the cost of his blood tests, medicines and syringes.  Same goes for Ellie.  Her asthma will be “pre-existing” as well.  Of course, Lexi is on thyroid medicine for the rest of her life and now that’s “pre-existing” too.
I told the agent that I didn’t think that was right.  After all, it’s when the pet gets older that they start having more health problems.  These illnesses should be covered right through the renewed policy. 

They’ve always had what they call “continuing care”, which would cover any illness from one period to the next.  But, when the pet becomes 10 years old, they do not qualify for that.  I told “John”, that in the interest of good public relations and because we’ve had insurance with them for the past several years, they should grandfather in that these cats should continue to be covered.

He said that I should go ahead and put in a claim for MC, Ellie and Lexi after July 1 and even though it would be denied, I should challenge it and explain how I feel.  These cats are 12 years old and these problems are not going away, but then, how long will they need coverage?  I want them to live as long as they can, but how long is that?  Two or three more years?

I have been happy with the insurance, but I will probably start looking around to see what else is out there.  When I looked before, the one I have was the best deal going, coverage and money wise. 

Kiki is starting to have more time in the house now.  The other cats are getting used to her.  She doesn’t bother any of them and if she gets scared, she runs back to her cat tree on the patio.

Kodi and Dash have been loose in the house at night since our boarder, Willie, came to stay with us on May 25.  Willie belongs to a friend of ours.  We’ve kept her before and she’s a little sweetheart.  This time we will have her through the summer.  Her mom had some business to take care of back east and will be gone until September.

Willie stays most of the time in Kodi and Dash’s room.  She has started coming out and roaming around the house now.  So far, she’s just a curiosity to our other cats and there have not been any confrontations.

Instead of closing the door to Willie’s room, we put a 4' gate up.  It seemed to work for a few days.  Willie stayed in the room, but could look out and the other cats could see her, but not come in.  I decided to leave it in place last night.  But, all good things always come to an end. 

Willie, watching her "subjects", Jason, Rhody and Jonesie (yeah, right!)

I woke up this morning at 4:00, hearing something like a scratching sound.  I looked over and Willie was on the floor by the bathroom door, wrestling with one of the Konga catnip toys.  Rhody was nearby, just watching.  Charlie was awake and he took her back upstairs and closed the door.  But, he said that he had already taken her up once already, around midnight.  She has discovered the art of getting on the bed and scaling the gate.  So much for that idea.

What would Tazzy D do?  _^..^_  I don't want to know!

When addressed, a gentleman cat does not move a muscle. He looks as if he hasn't heard. -- Mary Sarton

Last month we were invited to a Padres’ “welcome all new season ticket holder” party.  It was in the Western Metal Building.  That’s a five or six floor brick building left standing and becoming part of Petco Park.  They used a similar theme in Baltimore when they built Oriole Park/Camden Yards.

Our seats were in the second deck

The Western Metal seats were very nice.  They were close to left outfield, near the Padre bull pen.  The poor outfielder from the other team was getting heckled.  It was funny.  Everyone was laughing, knowing that the guy could hear every word.  He used to be a Padre.  Now his old “home” fans were heckling him!

Me and Randy

Randy Jones, a former Padres pitcher was there in the lounge area.  He was a pitcher for San Diego from 1973 to 1980.  He won the Cy Young award in 1976.  The Padres retired his number (35) in 1983 when he retired from playing.  Charlie took my picture with him and I got his autograph.  Actually I got the autograph for a friend of mine who loves the Padres.

I got Randy's autograph for "Dash".

A couple of weekends ago, Cyd, the lady who adopted Dot (now Spicey), asked if I could come by and check on Spicey and Cynnamin.  She was going to a conference in L.A. and would be gone Friday and Saturday.  I went over that Friday morning to pick up the key.  Cyd was leaving at noon.  As I was walking up to her house, the garage door was partly open.  Spicey was outside and when she saw me, she ran back into the garage.

After Cyd showed me where everything was, she called the cats into the house from the garage.  I was standing near the stairs.  Spicey came in and when she saw me, she headed up the stairs.  I called her “Dotty” and I think she recognized my voice.  She hesitated on the fourth step at the landing.  She turned and looked at me and I thought for an instant that she wouldn’t run away.  I do think she remembered me.   Then she ran up the steps. 

I came back later that evening to feed the cats.  When I went into the kitchen to get the cat food, Spicey showed up.  She let me pet her and I also picked her up and held her.  I was sure she remembered me because I used to hold her like that. 

Cynnamin is really friendly and she wants all of the attention.  It was fun seeing her and watching her and Spicey together.  Spicey rubbed up against her “sister” and it looks like they get along fine.

Cynnamin and Spicey (Dot)

I went back on Saturday afternoon, bringing gifts.  I bought a stick and string toy for them which they really enjoyed playing with.  It had three attachments.  The feather thing was a hit.  It was fun watching Spicey play like she used to when we had her.  She looks just like Dash, a little smaller and she still has the dot over her left eye.

Cyd just loves both of her cats.  I’m glad she adopted them.  Cynnamin is part Siamese and has blue eyes.  She came from the shelter and got a second chance.  Her friendliness will probably rub off on Spicey at some point.

Little Cynnamin.  Her right eye had an infection and had to be removed

I talked to Cyd the other day.  She said that Spicey lets her pet her now and she is able to hold her too.  Probably not for long periods, but still it’s progress.

I’m still seeing the chiropractor for my back problem.  It is improving.  I’m also having acupuncture treatments twice a week.  I’m sleeping better and my pain is manageable.  I would like to get to the point where I see the chiropractor less often and have acupuncture treatments as a relaxing therapy.

Sheila: "We're not going for a walk again, are we?"

I am able to walk every day and sometimes I take Sheila with me.  She is not an easy dog to walk with.  Going out is one of her least favorite things to do.  But, she needs the exercise and so do I.  I think of the saying, “If your dog is overweight, you’re not getting enough exercise”.  That’s us.

The cats finally grew tired of the laser game every night.  Now I walk upstairs calling, “Come on babies!”  Dash and Cody know it’s time for bed.  They both run upstairs and into their room.  I give each of them a teaspoon of wet food as their bedtime snack.  I’m sure that’s why they are so anxious to “go to bed”.  But, they do go to sleep because when I turn the light off and close the door, it’s quiet.

Mr. Creme is still doing well.  His legs are stronger and he really moves fast when he’s walking around.  He can jump up on chairs easier now.  I will continue giving him the B12 pills.  We are also still looking into the home testing kit to test his blood glucose a couple of times a day.

Our vet referred us to one of the veterinary hospitals to buy a testing kit.  We (and Mr. Creme) would have to meet with a technician and get a demonstration of how to use it and the numbers to look for.  The kit would be $193.  It seemed kind of expensive after what I’ve learned from talking to others on the feline diabetes site that I monitor.

I went to the drug store and got some pricing and the monitor and test strips are way cheaper than $193.  I can only think that the kit at the vet is very fancy and keeps records or something.  My site friends say to just buy a One Touch and it works fine.  They all test their “sugar babies” and highly recommend doing so.

Mr. Creme has always been a very affectionate cat.  Now that I spend so much more time with him, feeding him and giving him medications, we have bonded more.  He wants to be with me all of the time.  That would be nice, but he can’t have the run of the house.  If I bring him in, I let him sit on my lap, but he soon wants to get down and walk around.  We can’t trust him because within a minute or two, he will find something to spray.  He is either in the garage or in the backyard. 

It’s ironic that Mr. Creme and I are so close now.  He and Taz hated each other.  If Taz was here, I’d have to spend time with MC out of Taz’s sight.  He would not allow MC to get anywhere near me if we were all out in the yard.  They got into a couple of fights before when they saw each other. 

To keep them apart, we used to let MC out in the morning and then put him in the garage in the afternoon.  Then we would let Taz and Jezibel out.  Jezibel also dislikes MC, but she dislikes all other cats. 

It still doesn’t feel right that Taz isn’t here.  I’ve never had a cat who loved me like he did.  I miss the attention he gave me.  That sounds strange, but he was so attached to me.  I could look around any time, and know he was nearby, always watching me. 

I miss sitting with him on the glider on the patio, going out to cover him with “his” blanket on a cool afternoon.  He was such a burrower.  I keep that blanket near my chair like I did then and sometimes I wrap it around me at night while I watch TV or read.  It was his favorite. 

Our other cats are very independent.  I love them all and I know that since I usually feed them, they like having me around for that.  But, really none of them come to sit on my lap and when I pick them up, they get stiff and push against me. 

Me and Mr. Creme.  He just melts in my arms....

I shouldn’t complain.  MC likes to be held; Ellie is comforted when I hold her if she’s having an asthma attack; and Lexi will tolerate my lap for a few minutes.  I don’t think it’s because these three are on medication!  

I’m convinced that cats are attracted more to someone who is indifferent to them.  Charlie loves the cats, but when he feeds them, he just goes about it with no fuss.  I’m always talking to them and petting them. 

If Charlie and I are watching TV, Jonesie or Jason might come in and go to Charlie.  They’ll curl up and go to sleep next to him.  I always wonder why they go to Charlie and never come to me.  I’m sitting in the chair nearby.

Charlie reading on the patio ignoring Lexi.  She's happy to sit there.

Charlie says it is because he sits near the corner of the couch and the cats come to him because they want “the corner”.  That might be, but when I sit there, the cats don’t come for their “corner”.  Probably because I’m sitting there.  Sigh.

I miss you, Tazzy D  :’(

The "Baby"

More later..... 

“When my cats aren't happy, I'm not happy. Not because I care about their mood but because I know they're just sitting there thinking up ways to get even.” -- Percy Bysshe Shelley

Mr. Creme’s legs have improved.  He has more energy and is walking better.  This morning I went out the side door of the  garage to put some newspapers in the recycle bin.  I heard the jingle of bells on a cat collar.  I knew it was Mr. Creme running to get back into the garage before I closed the door.  I stood and waited, but not for long.  Mr. Creme appeared and wanted in.  He is getting around very well and has only been on the Zobaline B12 pills for a few days.  He has more energy it seems.

He still doesn't like to take the pills though.  He gets mad at me.  Since he doesn't like the pill pockets, I tried wrapping the pill in a small piece of cheese.  He loves cheese, but he was suspicious and wouldn’t eat it.  I tried pushing it down his throat.  He wouldn't swallow it and he kept it in his mouth.  It got all icky and he spit it out.  I tried again and he swallowed it.   

I have a “pill popper" which I used to use all the time when I had to give one of the cats a pill.  It looks like a long syringe, all plastic with a soft rubber tip that the pill fits into.  It reaches to the back of the throat so the pill is past the tongue and it usually goes down easily.  That would be my last resort.  So far, he's getting a pill each day.


I’m just happy to see that the B12 seems to be helping him.

Later-- 

"Love the animals: God has given them the rudiments of thought and joy untroubled" ~ Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Today Mr. Creme was started on the Zobaline B12 which is hopefully going to help his weak legs.  He will get one each day.  It’s a very small pill so I didn’t crush it.  I put it in a pill pocket.  He wasn’t interested in eating the pill pocket, so I had to push it down his throat.  Then I gave him a treat and he forgot to be mad at me.

We’re still concerned about his vomiting.  It has been occurring regularly, although I didn’t see any signs of it today...so far.

We called the doctor last week and she got back to us yesterday afternoon.  Of course we missed the call and she left a message.  She didn’t seem to think the vomiting was caused by the changed dosage of insulin we made last week.  In fact, he had been vomiting sometimes, before the decrease.

She said we could pick up some anti-nausea meds if we wanted to try that.  We will consider it.   

Mr. Creme is very nonchalant about his food most of the time, but he does eat.  I’ve been staying with him after I put his food down, to see just how much he eats. 

Most mornings when I go out to feed him, Jason and Jonesie are also in the garage.  They like to sleep out there and that’s fine.  Of course I feed them too.  They have no problem eating. 

After Mr. Creme starts to eat, I go over to the door to watch him and see how much he eats.  He licks and picks at his food.  I would just love to see him take bites and really eat instead of licking the juice, but he doesn’t. 

If Debby thinks I’ve gone back in, she will rub up against Mr. Creme.  She likes him and I’m sure she gets her share of his leftovers, which is fine.  But, when she rubs against him, he leaves his plate and may have eaten more if she would wait until he was finished.  He’s easily distracted.  If I try to chase Debby away, that distracts him too.  I will start staying closer to him while he eats.  Debby won’t approach him if she sees me there.

The main thing is that he eats enough and can take his insulin.  That way his weight will stay up and he will feel fine.

I was reading an article last week in our paper about the medical advances in pet health care and medicines.  It said the consumer spending on veterinary care is up from $9.2 billion in 2006 to $13.4 billion in 2011.  I believe it.

It mostly talked about dogs and their treatments, but of course it includes cats and other animals.  One man had a 10 year old dog who was diagnosed with lymphoma.  She had chemo treatments at her vet in Florida, then the man drove her to North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C., where she became one of the first dogs to receive a bone-marrow transplant at its college of veterinary medicine. 

Healthy stem cells from the dog’s blood were harvested and radiated to eliminate cancerous cells.  Then they were introduced into her marrow.  After two weeks of painless treatment and a $15,000 bill, she was cancer-free and they returned to Florida.

Pet owners are given new hopes that their older pet’s life can be extended or saved.  How much to spend in the process though?

Looking back at what we went through with Taz, his chemo treatments, surgery and eventually losing him to the disease, we don’t regret the fact that we did all we could for him.  It could have turned out differently.  Sometimes it does.  He could have gone into remission and stayed with us awhile longer.  That is what our hope was. 

But, as it was, his life was extended maybe by two months.  Would we do it again now?  It would be something we’d have to decide if and when we ever face this trauma again.  We do love our pets and our feeling has always been that if something can be done to cure or make their lives better when they become ill, we will do it if we can.  We’ve also become aware of maybe trying to keep them alive longer than they would like because they are really not having a good quality of life anymore.

I can understand why people want to keep their pets with them for as long as they can.  It’s hard to say goodbye to a companion you’ve had constantly for years.  They are family and sometimes you spend more time with them than you do with anyone else in the family.  If there’s a chance they can be saved, you can make a decision to try or not. 

I also understand when the choice to not pursue medical treatment of cancer or other terminal illnesses for a pet is made. 

Shortly after Taz was diagnosed with lymphoma and starting chemo treatments, I was at my dentist’s office one day.  I started talking to the dentist’s wife who works as a receptionist there.  We were talking about our pets and I told her about Taz.  She said that their dog had lymphoma, but they decided to not do any special treatments for her.

The little dog was happy and really didn’t have any problems for a few months, but then one night when the lady came home, the dog was not at the door.  They found her on the bedroom floor and took her to the vet where she passed away. 

The dog from Florida, who had the bone-marrow transplant, developed liver cancer 9 months later and soon passed away.  But, that was still 9 months that the man wouldn’t have had if not for the bone-marrow transplant.  It’s a personal decision and I’m sure he has no regrets for that extra time.

If not for the new innovations in veterinary medicine, our cat, Rowdy, wouldn’t have lived as long as he did.  He was only about 7 years old when he had his urinary tract blockage.  We made several visits to the vet to unblock him, but he continued to block.  Our only option was to have perineal urethrostomy surgery. 

I found the description at PetPlace.com:  {Perineal urethrostomy is the procedure that is done to make a new opening in the urethra in the perineal area (the area between the scrotum and the anus). The procedure is most commonly done in male cats that suffer from Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) and to bypass an obstruction of the urethra in the penis. It is also indicated if there is trauma to the penis or lower urethra.} 

The procedure was developed in 1962 and published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association in 1963.  It was modified in 1967, and further modified in 1971.  Rowdy’s procedure was done in 1995.  It saved his life.  He had no further urinary tract problems and he went on to live a normal life until he developed diabetes. 

He was 14 years old when he passed away of complications from diabetes.  That was 9 years ago and today the vets know more about feline diabetes than they did then.

When our dog, Chelsi, was diagnosed with a malignant tumor in her lungs in March 2007, we consulted with her doctor, a specialist.  He was optimistic about removing it.  She was 14 years old.  We had surgery scheduled.  The doctor wanted to do an MRI just to make sure there were no more tumors.  It showed that there were several smaller tumors throughout her chest area.  Although he could have still done the surgery, the other tumors were there and growing.  We opted not to do the surgery.  We brought Chelsi home to be with us as long as she could be here.

She had a happy and normal life for another year and about 4 months.  Then in July 2008, she started losing her appetite and losing weight.  We nursed her along, but on September 15, 2008, she let us know that she was ready to go.  We reluctantly said goodbye to this dog that we’d had since she was six weeks old.  She was just a month short of her 16th birthday. 

We say today that we regret trying to keep her with us longer than we should have.  We just couldn’t make that decision to let her go. 

When she stopped eating, we gave her pills to make her have an appetite.  We force fed her.  We were not doing her any favors.  It was hard on everyone.  We suffered because we were trying to help her feel better, and we were just seeing her deteriorate.  She suffered because she was having a hard time breathing, the tumor was taking up most of her lungs by now, and she just plain didn’t feel well.

It’s a blessing and a curse that veterinary science has come so far.  A blessing because now vets can diagnose and treat  cancers, urinary-tract disorders, kidney ailments, and joint failures with the prospect of a cure or greatly improving health.  They have the latest imaging technology, better drugs, new surgical techniques and holistic approaches like acupuncture and herbal medicines.  A curse because these treatments come at a price, both monetary and emotional. 

Years ago, I’m sure cats and dogs had cancer, hyperthyroidism, diabetes, etc., but we were unaware.  We didn’t take our pets to the vet like we do today.  I remember when growing up, the cats and dogs, always in the yard, sometimes lost weight and then one day you never saw them again.  They would go off and die somewhere.  It was just the way it was.  I would never want to go back to those days again.

I sure hope the sun comes out soon.  It’s only a week before May begins.  We are already getting into “May gray” and “June gloom” here in “wonderful sunny California”....not. 

Later.......

I have felt cats rubbing their faces against mine and touching my cheek with claws carefully sheathed. These things, to me, are expressions of love.-- James Herriot

Kiki, the "foster" cat

 Jonesie has not been outside since I found him down the path on the hillside a couple of weeks ago.  He still gets antsy and begs to go out in the afternoon, but so far I’ve been able to distract him by playing with him and soon he goes off and takes a nap.  I’m guess I’m pretty boring.

A few weeks ago, I noticed that Ellie’s chin was really swollen.  When I checked it, she wouldn’t let me touch it because it was sore.  We suspected a case of ache like some of the other cats have had, but Charlie took her to the vet to make sure.

It was a very big zit.  Dr. squeezed it and Ellie didn’t seem to mind and she wouldn’t let me even touch it that morning.  But, like most of our other cats, she’s very docile when she goes to the vet’s office. 

Since Ellie just turned 12 last month, we had them do a “senior” blood panel on her to make sure she was doing all right.  Her last panel was less than a year ago, but this way we wouldn’t have to make another trip later.  Dr. called the next day and said that everything looked fine, but Ellie’s white blood cells were a little high.  Could be because of the infection on her chin.
       
We had antibiotics to give Ellie for a week and then bring her back for a follow up at the week’s end.  They ran another blood panel just to check if her infection was cleared.  The white blood cells were normal, which was good news.  Ellie has lost a little weight though.  She has always been 9 or 10 pounds.  She is now about 9 pounds, but seems to be eating fine.

The doctor also gave us some medicine to help with Ellie’s muscle spasms.  She sometimes just trembles and it’s related to the neuropathy she has with her hind legs.  Toby also had the same problem.  This medicine, Robaxin (Methocarbamol), is supposed to relax the muscles and hopefully stop the spasms.  We wanted to finish the antibiotics before starting the Robaxin so we don’t know if it helps or not.

Ellie had another asthma episode this morning.  Each one seems to get worse.  The pills, Terbutaline, do help her and they work fairly fast.  In addition to being so congested in her breathing, the trembling doesn’t help.

Ellie in her "day" bed.  She also has a chair to sleep on.

After giving her a pill, I warmed a blanket and held her until the trembling stopped.  It’s amazing to hear the congestion start to break up.  She starts taking deep breaths, finally being able to breath better.  Her airwaves have opened up.  I’ve said I love to hold her, but it’s really the only time she will allow herself to be held for very long.  When she starts feeling better, she lets me know that she’s ready to get down.

Charlie took Mr. Creme to the vet last week to have a fructosamine and blood glucose test.  He is doing okay, but in the past few days, he has vomited several times.  I wanted to make sure he was still stable with his insulin dose.  The glucose test was good, but his fructosamine test came back with a lower number of 282, so the vet said to lower the insulin by 1 unit, from 7 to 6/day.  I was giving 3 units in the morning and 4 units in the evening.  We’ll try it and check him again in a few weeks. 

Mr. Creme does still walk like a raccoon.  He walks on his heels instead of on his toes.  Since he was “stabilized”, his legs seemed to be stronger, though not normal. 

I was talking to my friend, Jan, about it.  Her daughter has a diabetic cat too.  His name is “Neo” and, like Mr. Creme, Neo could once jump six foot fences.  He was indoor/outdoor.

Now, Neo’s legs are very weak and my friend says it just breaks her heart to see him like that.  It is hard when you remember how strong these cats once were.

The only thing positive is that Mr. Creme, like Neo, stays close to home.  In MC’s case, he stays in the backyard and seems perfectly fine with it.  I have taken him to the front yard a couple of times, but I stay out with him to make sure he doesn’t wander off.  Mr. Creme and I have become very close.

Jan told me that her daughter was giving “Neo” a B12 pill, Methyl B12 (Methyl cobalamin).  She said that Neo’s legs were better.  She had crushed the pill and put it on his food.  He was fine with the unflavored pill, but then she couldn’t find unflavored and bought a cherry flavor.  He didn’t like that at all, and hasn’t been taking the pills.  His legs have gotten weaker again. 
 
I have done some research on this B12 for cats and finally found a site that tells me more about it.  I also read blogs from people who have used it for their diabetic cats.  The B12 pill for cats is Xobaline (Zobaline).  I ordered a bottle today.  I will try it on Mr. Creme to see if it helps.

Kiki

Kiki still has the run of the house during the day.  She hasn’t been causing any problems.  We forget she’s in the house actually.  Rhody like to watch her, but she doesn’t give him any signs that she wants to be friends.  She makes herself at home, curled up on our bed or on the cushion by the fireplace.

Her “kittens”, Dash and Cody, also have been integrated into our family.  Kiki ignores or hisses at them and they avoid her too.  They don’t know her as their mom anymore.  She’s just another cat to them.

Yesterday we went to see Cyd, the lady who adopted Dot, Dash and Cody’s sister.  Her name is Spicey now.

When we got there, Spicey was hiding.  Cyd’s other cat, Cynnamon is very friendly.  We visited and talked for awhile.  Then Cyd said we should look for Spicey if we wanted to see her.

We found her upstairs under Cyd’s bed.  She ran out and down the stairs.  I saw her in the kitchen, but she darted across the counter and back upstairs, like a white streak.

Cyd says she doesn’t get much of a chance to pet her, but she knows she’s eating and is fine.  Spicey doesn’t really care for Cynnamon though.  Spicey has gotten wilder.  When she was still here, we could pet her, especially when she was in the cat tree.  She was more friendly than Dash then too.  Now she’s untouchable it seems.

I may get a chance to pet sit for Cyd at the end of the month.  She is going out of town and asked if we could stop by to check on Cynnamon and Spicey for her. 

To be continued later.......