Yesterday, I wrote an ode to my cat, Shadow, that bordered on elegiac. I was prepared for the worst because the vet had mentioned three awful things it could be. Renal failure, diabetes, or hyperthyroidism. They did blood work and took X-rays, which they had to send off to get interpreted. They were going to call me back today with the results.
I gave Shadow his antibiotic this morning, which he did not appreciate. Nor did he eat anything. I was worried, obviously. I went to Cubs to buy things for K’s visit, but also to get a few things to temp Shadow to eat–including Temptations. It was Greenies that I had in the house and while he’s fond of them (but would not eat them yesterday), he is crazy for Temptations. They really are like crack for cats. The other things I bought for him was rotisserie chicken (well, that’s for me, but he likes it, too, especially the skin) and turkey slices.
When I got home, I put pieces of turkey, chicken, and chicken skin in a bowl and brought it into the living room where Shadow was snoozing on the back of the couch. He perked up when I approached and I placed a bit of chicken before him. Nothing. Then chicken skin. He liked that. He also liked the bits of sliced turkey. A lot. I gave him several of those, and he made them disappear. When I opened the Temptations bag, he was definitely interested. I gave him two and he gobbled them down.
I went into the kitchen to spoon out some wet food and put warm water on it. I put several Temptations on top of that. Shadow had followed me into the kitchen (a good sign), and he immediately ate three or four Temptations from the top of the pile before licking vigorously at the slurry. (I mushed up the wet food). I kept adding water, so he ended up eating most of the Temptations and a lot of the slurry. He didn’t directly eat the wet food, but he took in quite a bit from lapping away at the slurry. All in all, he probably ate about a fifth of what he normally would (but adding in the chicken skin and turkey….math is hard). That’s not great, but it’s better than yesterday when he would not eat at all.
Waiting for the phone call brought me back to the last time I had to do the dreaded wait, but the vet called me back at noon (probably on his lunch break). He told me that all the numbers were good and that Shadow had a clean bill of health. He was in good shape, especially for a cat of his age. There were a few notable things, but only to keep an eye on. Nothing that was immediately problematic.
What a major relief! He really did just have some kind of bug, which makes sense that he would not want to eat. I sometimes don’t want to eat when I’m sick. Right now, he is curled between my feet and snoozing. He’s more lethargic than he normally is, but he did trot to the kitchen with me, and he has meowed some, so he’s not completely silent. His meows are normal–not the meows of distress he was doing yesterday. He has peed since coming home, but not sure he’s pooped. No vomiting, though, thankfully.
If he were eating, I wouldn’t be worried. But because he’s not eating much, I find myself assessing everything he does to gauge if it’s normal or not. He’s curled in a ball. Is it as tight a ball as yesterday?? He is sitting up. Is he sitting as tall as he would normally be? It’s hard not to second-guess every movement, especially as he’s sleeping between my feet.
I’m so relieved that it’s not one of the big three. I also am relieved that my negligence has not led to anything horrid. I hate that he’s sick, but it could have been so much worse. I was expecting it to be so much worse. In part because of his age. It’s hard not to look at everything through the lens of ‘he’s almost seventeen’, but he’s in great shape for his age according to the vet.
Another reason is because the last time I rushed him to the vet, it was nearly fatal. He has not been sick otherwise. But it makes sense that if humans can catch a cold, so can cats. Ian’s cat, Gil, had a bug a week or two ago and it was the same thing. Lethargy and not eating. Took a day or two for him to get back on his feet, even after the antibiotic shot. Shadow is already 20% better or so (judging by what he’s eaten), so I’m hoping for the best.
The vet said I could call at any time, and he was so warmly reassuring. I really like him and feel like I’ve lucked out in finding him. Yesterday, I asked him what he would do in my shoes if money was no object (after he gave me the three options). He said he would do the full battery of tests just to rule things out. Plus, we now have a baseline from which we can work. I feel much better now that we’ve done all the tests and have ruled out the really bad issues.
I hate that he’s sick, obviously, but I’m so relieved it’s not renal failure or a urinary obstruction. I thought about whether it was time (before the vet called) and what would make it the time (anybody who has lived with an animal for some time knows what I mean), but I did not feel it was yet the time. He was pretty much himself except a bit low energy–he just wouldn’t eat. I know that’s a big if’.
Now that he’s actually eating (albeit not nearly enough), I can relax a bit. Of course I’m not going to be ok until he’s back to normal, but for now, I can deal with him being on the mend with no big issues. That’s so much better than what I had feared it would be.
I know our time together is limited for one reason or the other. I mean, that’s true for anybody, but it’s especially true given his age. And that we’re both living on borrowed time. I’m still enjoying every bonus day I have, and I want to say the same for him. I want him to enjoy every day he has left, but I’ll admit I’m hoping it’s hundreds more. He is my best man, my constant companion, and the best cat in the world.