lavendertook: Cessy and Kimba (Default)
( Dec. 2nd, 2019 05:25 pm)
Moo/Mooshka/Mooshkin
Moo Brandybuck Breakstone
PriMoola Brandybuck
Princess Holstein the Winsome

April 1, 2005 (approx) - Dec 2, 2019

Moo was fading. She wouldn't eat any of the dozens of foods I set before her, and though the rugs I put down everywhere and padded steps helped her getting around better to get to her closer water and litter box stations, her front legs were beginning to go. I was giving her subcutaneous fluids at home over the weekend, and though they make them feel better over all, she was always weaker for hours after injection of them until the imbalance of the fluid bulge dispersed.

In the middle of the night last night, her breathing started to be more labored and she peed her little bed because she didn't have the strength to get up. So in the morning I determined it was time--I was afraid she was suffering with the labored breathing. And I was getting less able to get up and help her in the middle of the night after slipping on one the rugs and falling T-Day night. I took care of Tuxie's food and insulin and loved her up some more and took her to go. Tuxie didn't want to say goodbye--her breathing scared him and he turned his back on us and looked scared when I brought her to him to say goodbye.

I sat with her a couple of hours at the vet, as it turned out, because she was busy in surgery. Moo seemed stronger, her breathing back to normal, and more alert than she had been--she meowed, and made clear she wanted something. I asked for a litterbox and a cup of water brought--it was the water she wanted and she drank a lot. The strength was all probably due to the adrenaline surge of going to the vet. Otherwise I sat with her in my arms and lap, petting her, blinking love to each other as she rested. I had second thoughts as she seemed stronger, but Dr. S told me she's probably feeling worse than weak--kidney failure makes you feel lousy and nauseous.

I had a week to love her up and she blinked it back, and laid her head in my hand and paw on my lap, and seemed comforted by being carried as she always loved, but also cleaned up. She was so willing to accept help, letting me help her position her struggling legs in walking and sitting up by her water bowls and getting her tail out of the way in the litter box and purred at being cleaned up with wipes and fluffed with towels. I don't think my Saki or most other cats I know would have accepted this much help and be comforted by it. But all I needed was for her to have a fall and injure herself further or go into respiratory arrest and go in a painful and scary way. So it was time.

I held Moo in my arms, petting her and loving her as she looked back with tired love, and the Dr gave her the drugs through a catheter as she slipped away gently and was gone before I knew it.

Moo hunted me down outside my old apartment. She'd follow me down to the town center and the gym and I'd carry her back in my arms--she'd be full of delighted purrs at this--it was always her favorite thing, along with sitting in the sun. And Tuxie, her little feral shadow kitten, would cautiously but tenaciously follow behind us. I never aspired to have a black and white cow kitty--I'm imprinted for siamese cats but tabbies and calicoes have always turned my head, too. But now I'll always feel that special affection for cow kitties.

She hunted me down and I took her in my arms and carried her and loved her and then she was gone. That was Mooshka.

I hope to be able to dig a hole deep enough in the yard to plant the apricot tree and bury her beneath it. I don't know if I have the strength to get through that much clay--I may need to find someone to hire to help. But the vet is holding her body for now until I work this out. And now I need to love up Tuxie, because his relationship with his mom was complicated, and I think he knows she was dying and is gone, but we'll get through this together.
lavendertook: Cessy and Kimba (Default)
( Nov. 27th, 2019 12:48 am)
Tests came back and Moo is in last stages of kidney failure. I took her in today for a shot of fluids and an anti-nausea drug (cerenia), but she's very weak. The doc said I could take her to the emergency clinic and they could keep her for a few days and pump her with fluids and meds and maybe there'd be a miracle, but she's more likely to be shortly back in kidney failure than not if we did, and I don't want to put her through the terrible trauma of it with such a bad prognosis. Best advice is put her down or keep her as long as she purrs and eats as her systems slowly shut down, and they said they'd not let me prolong it if I failed at the letting go test when the time came. At first I was going to take her in for the last time this evening since she didn't eat yesterday, but I found something she ate with gusto, so I cancelled with relief and decided we'll take it day by day.

I didn't have more of that food (Delectables Pate Tuna--it's new) and couldn't find more of it today in Petsmart or the groceries around here and didn't remember where I found it, and she didn't eat anything I offered her this evening, but she still purrs when I carry her and she's purring against me right now and otherwise resting peacefully--thank gods she's no longer spasming when she purrs. Her coat is still beautifully full and soft like bunny fur.

Mooshka can walk, but very badly, and I'm trying to anticipate her wants for the litter box and carrying her, as well as carrying water and food to her. She did go down the stairs last night while I was sleeping and can still jump on the sofa and futon because she's a determined little woozle, but she walks like she's got very bad neuropathy and is practically crawling, and it's not going to get better. She has loved being carried from when I first met her and that's what we'll do. Yesterday, the Dr gave her a buprenorphine, and I was leary because it has always strung her out after surgery and dentals and talked him into a light dose, but it still left her sleeping fitfully and I think more uncomfortable with the restlessness, so no more of that. Today at least she is sleeping deeper and more peacefully.

So I'll see how she does tomorrow. Research says I can find that food only at Walmart, so I'll take a fast trip there and hope she eats again and the rest of the day I'm with her, then take her in for fluids and cerenia in the evening if she hasn't worsened and we need to euthanize then. Otherwise, we take it day by day, but they're numbered now.

One of the heated beds I ordered for her came today, so I've set it up on her side of the bed (by her step stool) and see what she thinks of it when she tires of sleeping in my arms. I'm glad it came in time. Thank you all for the good wishes--they help a lot. Please wish her appetite and comfortable rest, and me the calmness to be all she needs to keep her purring and make her last days comfortable ones.
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I had 2 wisdom teeth pulled this morning due to an abscess that developed a couple of weeks ago in the lower tooth. The top one had to go, too, just for balance, or some semblance thereof. I had lovely nitrous oxide while their broadcast played the Moonlight Sonata, which was perfect, but all that did not manage to dull the pain of the roof of the mouth novocaine shot when it came--I involuntarily eeped high, followed by a growl, but fell back into the nitrous oxide calm in a few minutes. The dental surgeon was nice and quick and I was surprised when he told me both teeth were out. Now I'm on antibiotics. It's been 4 hours and the novocaine isn't completely worn off, but I suspect I won't need the percoset they gave me. I am slightly head achy.

I am in particular solidarity with Tuxie because the poor baby had 2 teeth pulled on Monday and a dental cleaning, and he was given a shot of bupronephrine (narcotic) for pain and covenia (antibiotic), and I gave him onsinor anti-inflammatory pills for 3 days and he was in bad shape for those 3 days. I don't want him in pain, but I suspect he was over medicated and that may have been as bad as dealing with pain for him. He was restless, and probably didn't get a wink of sleep for at least a day, constipated and not eating well, and alternately head-butty affectionate and terrified hiding from me--I suspect fearing I would take him to the vet again. It was very sad-making. Since I don't seem to need the narcotic, I'm wondering if he would have been better off without it. I don't know if he would have had that reaction anyway to the drugs he was put out with for the procedure. He is thankfully all back to normal now. We're in it together, little boy!

I am now sitting comfortably on the sofa with Tuxie curled against my left side, and Moo with her head on my lap on the right side. For my reward I get this wonderful company, I will do nothing this afternoon but read my book--I'm in the middle of the second book in Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow duology: it's excellent--and, alternately nap when ready. It's sunny through the trees out my pretty window, but the world outside will have to carry on without me. As soon as I finish typing this, I get to have cake. I deserve cake for surviving those needles. If I feel up to it this evening, I will finish the eclipse post.

Awwww, Tuxie's little hot pink paw beans! And Moo's little fuzzy head! (-:
lavendertook: Cessy and Kimba (Default)
( Oct. 21st, 2016 10:12 pm)
I'm going to attempt to do a blood glucose curve on Tuxie this weekend.

I managed to do a first reading tonight--starting this has been a big fear and procrastination conquered, with more poking of the poor baby. But fear of failing him overcame fear of lancing him and learning a new tech tool. But he hasn't been well and I'm worried about him. We see the vet on Tuesday. I'd like to have a good curve reading (testing his blood glucose levels every couple of hours throughout the day) to bring in with us.

Please send good thoughts our way.
lavendertook: Cessy and Kimba (Default)
( Sep. 2nd, 2016 10:56 pm)
I brought Tuxie home an hour ago. He is half on my lap licking his paws. He had a big dinner and ate just fine.

The doc told me this afternoon that he was not eating today--he had been eating fine previously, so this was a worrisome development. What she failed to mention is that last night they put the Cone of Shame on him because he had started worrying at his catheter site (worrying at it because he was feeling better and not doped up anymore). Doh! Yes, a big cone around your head can be a great inhibitor to eating wet food--who knew? The tech was hand feeding him some Temptations treats throughout the day just to make sure he had something--high carb dry treats--just what a diabetic cat needs to mess with his blood sugars . . . they meant well. I am so glad to have him home you have no idea.

So far so good, and we'll see how it goes with his meds and his body chemistry. I have great plans for the three of us to do lots of sleeping this weekend. I hope we can pull it off. (-:
lavendertook: (Moo elf)
( Feb. 20th, 2015 03:29 pm)
I took Ms. Moo in for a dental cleaning before work. It involves anesthesia, and she had a bad time with the meds she was given afterward last time she had dental work due to extractions, so it's been a major worry today. But I just called and she's waking up, no extractions were needed so no evil meds, and I'll go get her in an hour, so a good note to start the weekend on. I am so relieved.

I will try to make up to her this weekend for having such a horrible morning--"Hello! Hello! Food? Water? For me? WTF? Why?" then shoved in a box, swathed in fleecy stuff(Mmmrrrf!), and taken out in the bitter cold, and left at THAT PLACE. Poor girl.

Lots else to report, of course, but I'll start with that. Happy Froday, ya'll!
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Last Monday, a drizzly day much like this Monday, I was walking around the lake when I looked down and saw, in the middle of the path right before my feet, a little baby turtle about the size of a quarter:

DSCN1840
One turtle to rule them all. Not a good place for a little thing to be with lots of walkers, bikes, and dogs, so I took the liberty of picking the little thing up to relocate.

Why did the baby turtle cross the road . . . )
lavendertook: close up of saki alert (Saki)
( Apr. 30th, 2013 12:59 pm)
Saki.4-29-13
Starting last week, Saki's back to being a happy little kitty again. Halving her flagyl dose, getting some Comfort Zone pheromone diffusers, and adjusting to me being gone after 3 weeks of misery over it, seemed to have come together for her. I think the Endless Winter was hard on her, too, even though it stays warm in here, so the return of spring is probably doing her good as well. And her fur, which had been looking rumpledy, fluffed out smooth and silky again last week. I've heard that their coat is supposed to reflect their health from 3 months ago, but this seems to be an immediate change in synch with her spirits and behavior.

Read more... )

Also posted at http://lavendertook.dreamwidth.org/142551.html with comment count unavailablecomments
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lavendertook: saki scritched under the chin looking sideways at camera (saki's got ur numbah)
( Apr. 30th, 2013 12:59 pm)
Saki.4-29-13
Starting last week, Saki's back to being a happy little kitty again. Halving her flagyl dose, getting some Comfort Zone pheromone diffusers, and adjusting to me being gone after 3 weeks of misery over it, seemed to have come together for her. I think the Endless Winter was hard on her, too, even though it stays warm in here, so the return of spring is probably doing her good as well. And her fur, which had been looking rumpledy, fluffed out smooth and silky again last week. I've heard that their coat is supposed to reflect their health from 3 months ago, but this seems to be an immediate change in synch with her spirits and behavior.

Read more... )
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