Non Species Specific Furkid Topics > Memorial & Support

MC's Sweet Boy

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Middle Child:
Thank you for the links and suggestions Mo.  I am trying hard to get fat into his diet, but he's so picky.  The few cat foods he will eat are very low in fat.  I've even tried wellness, as it is the highest in fat, but he won't eat more than a few bites. He gets a little sardine every day, and some dark meat chicken along with any cat food I can convince him to eat.  I feed grain free foods, though I know that doesn't always guarantee low carb, these that I feed are. He likes cheese so I give him a little bite of sharp cheddar every day too, though I know meat fat is better for him than dairy fat.

He's eating pretty well, considering.  He'll eat a little canned, maybe about a half an ounce. Then he waits for me to get on the floor and hand feed him the other half. After he eats at least an ounce of cat food I give him some of his dark meat chicken. He prefers to be hand fed the chicken too. He has lost some weight, he is boney, but weighing him doesn't tell me much because of all the weight from the fluid. I am feeding him as much as he will eat at any given time. I am so fortunate that my work is such that I can make time to run in and check on him and feed him every few hours.

I've put a litter box up here in my bathroom since he seems to be having trouble with the stairs now. He gets down them okay I think, but after he uses the litter box, he sits at the bottom of the stairwell and stares up for a long time before he comes up. He doesn't like being carried up them, and I don't blame him.

He still likes getting up on the middle shelf of the Tower and I have set up two ways for him to get up and down with out too much effort. He is wobbly with jumping up, and squeaks when he jumps down.

His breathing is still regular, 28 breaths a minute.

There aren't going to be any heroics or miracles this time but I do keep my hope alive that he will be comfortable for a while longer. He is my own special boy. I refuse to dwell on who he was only 2 weeks ago, my slim active cheerful boy, and focus on who he is now, keeping him happy and comfortable so he'll want to stick around a long time. I tell myself it's not time to grieve yet, this is just another phase of his life. Though it threatens to overwhelm me sometimes, I won't allow the fear of the pain I will feel when he leaves me to come out just now. I just will not allow it.

Lola:
I know there is never a "good" time, but how shocking that so much has changed for your boy (and YOU) so quickly.  :( 
Hang in there, MC!  :-*

Middle Child:
Incredibly quickly.  The week before the swelling started he was as active and as playful as he has ever been. Cheerful, loving, playing jokes on me and the other cats. He was eating 6 ounces of canned food a day without any coaxing or fussing. Daily I came home to discover he'd been playing with his Fur Mouse, and every night, about 3 a.m. without fail I would waken to the sounds of him playing with it.

And then, wham, this.  The oncologist feels sure that the fluctuations in his liver numbers over the past two years are related. But until the fluid started, there was just no way to realize that something else was happening in there. It was common sense to believe the liver fluctuations were because of the years of phenobarbital. Every time he had a flare up of the liver disease, with treatment it went back to normal.  There was never any indication that something evil was growing inside of him, until it grew so fast there was just nothing to be done.

But he is not sick. No vomiting, no inappetence.  Sure he doesn't eat a lot, but he eats.  He has gotten over the lethargy the prednisone was causing now his body is used to it.  He gets on top of me at couch-time every night, kneading and purring, then curling up.  His purrs when he is given a little turkey are deafening crescendos!  He is not in any pain.  The fluid bulk makes moving awkward for him, but it doesn't hurt him.

When I go to bed I put some seed out on the windowsill and he spends the rest of the night watching his Nocturnal Mouse come eat the seed. One of his favorite things.

He's not using the litter box I put in my bathroom for him, at least not yet.  He may change his mind as time goes on so I will leave it there.

Lola:
Sounds like he is a happy sweeeet boy.  Love the seed and mouse story!

Lola:
How is your boy (and YOU) doing today?

CandleOfHope

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