cat updates

9-29-2008

Travis is losing some weight, though not as fast as
I feared. Several months ago he was 17 pounds.
Now he is 15, and has held that a few weeks now.
He manages to still eat enough on his own, and the
tumor on his jaw is larger, but not as large as I was
afraid it would be by now.

Travis does seem to be losing some hearing, and
have some other odd actions. He does not seem to
always hear me, or when he does, he has trouble
locating which direction the noise came from. When
I rub under his chin, one of his all time favorite things,
his back leg will start scratching that area, which it
never used to do. Other odd reactions also.

Tootsie seems better on the new medication, at
least in socializing and attitude. However, turning
around on the couch last night, she was wobbly and
fell over onto the cushion (not the floor). However,
later it appeared her walking was good, so I'm not
sure what was going on there.

Both cats go back in for check-ups mid October,
though I may well push that up to October 8th or so,
as I'm concerned. It is just a matter of time on both
before I will have to decide their fate. Just how long
though, I do not know. The further out, the better,
as long as they are not suffering.

Wally

Tootsie's arthritis is worse

9-10-2008

Tootsie, my cat, now 16, has had arthritis for a few
years now. However, it's now quite worse than before.

I'd noticed she was not getting up on the chair she
had always claimed as hers. She also rarely moves
from the dining room, even less than previously. So
I took her to the new Vet I've started using since my
move last year. He took X-rays, which show her
hips are about 20% of what they should be. In other
words, as this progresses further, she will lose the
ability to walk.

The Vet took blood and urine samples, and will
know those results tomorrow hopefully. He is
trying to determine whether or not to leave her
on the medication she is now on (similar to
morphine), or switch her to a non-steroidal pain
medication, the same one Travis is now on for his
cancer growth. It seems to be controlling his
pain very well. It's also easier on both of us, as
it's given for 6 days, tapering off, then not again
until every 5 - 6 days. Less traumatic than an
everyday medicine on the cat and me.

Tootsie now only moves from her dining room
spot into the kitchen to eat (about 6 feet away),
and to come to the couch when I am there
watching TV (just about another 8 feet), in order
to get her meds. She's long been my cross-eyed,
6 toed, psycho kitty. Now she can add junkie to
that title. She's hooked, but the problem with
that is, that she's been on it so long, her
system is used to it, and it's probably not
providing her with enough pain relief anymore.
Something new will be helpful.

All these cats being the same ages, 16 - 17, is
rough at this point. I lost Allie 22 months ago,
Tamara 2 months ago, and now face having to
make the decision on the lives of Travis and
Tootsie at some point in the future, when they
no longer have a quality of life. It will be
better for them at that point, and I know that.
However, that will not make it any easier.

Cats are wonderful companions. They can be
so much fun, inquisitive, playful, loving, shy,
odd, spooked, demanding, relaxing, and the
purrfect companion.

My home was once full of 6 cats, some 10
years ago. Then it was 5 for years, and now it's
down to 3. Odds are it could well be down to
one by year's end. Aggie is doing quite well
at this point, with no signs of health problems.
That's a positive. Not sure if I'll get any more
cats at this point, but if I do, their ages will be
spread out more, so that I am less likely to
have this domino effect, or at least that what
it is seeming to be like. I know it's all not
really related, just coincidental, and their
ages.

Wally