Is it Saturday Already?

Gilbert (foreground) Daisy (back)

The past two weeks have been a real roller-coaster on the cat-front.  Our little Daisy, who is 16 going on 17 (just like the song) has thyroid problems and requires a tapezole-cream to be administered in her ear twice a day to keep her going.  She has kidney problems and is on a special diet, and the meds usually cause her to be bound up every few days.  She gets wheat bran in her wet food, followed by cream to keep things moist and to put some weight on her because she is pretty thin.

Two weeks ago yesterday (Friday), she very suddenly became listless and started vomiting.  There was blood in her urine.  I rushed her to the vet and she underwent a battery of tests.  (We usually try to steer clear of the vet as much as possible by treating issues in our cats with natural remedies.  Often, it is a matter of waiting 24 hours in some situations and things work themselves out.  Of course, there are also indicators when things are severe and need professional attention and we never hesitate to do so when that occurs.)

After blood-work, an x-ray, a rectal temperature reading and three tries at inserting a tube for subcutaneous fluids, our poor little Daisy was spent (and so was I).  After diagnosing an infection, they finally got her ready to go home, complete with a liquid antibiotic to be dropped into her food.  That weekend was a sheer nightmare for us.  She refused to eat anything, we couldn't get the meds in her to kill the infection and she was just wasting away.  On Saturday night, I was convinced she was going to die on us.

Throughout this scenario, she was still sociable to the point of wanting to be where we were, so I did put a bit of hope in that.  We finally resorted to wrapping her in a towel and shooting the medication into the back of her throat.  After listening to her wheeze and groan all night long (I hardly slept a wink), things looked marginally better in the morning and she started to take a bit of yogurt off my finger (ordinarily, she will stalk me for it) and some tinned salmon juice (after the meds).  By Sunday night, things were looking much better and we knew she was going to make it.

A few days later, our old guy, Gilbert (who will be 19 in August) was hunched over and showing signs of constipation, so we had to nurse him through that.  He was sick a few times and couldn't eat, but he was drinking lots of water, so eventually it all passed.

This week, we had another Daisy crisis when it was her turn to be bound up - the slightest alteration of food or meds can cause this - and had me inserting an infant glycerin suppository up her backside on Wedsnesday night.  (I should have been a vet!)  By Thursday morning, she was right as rain, and eating like a champ.

You will forgive me for having been less than present on this blog for a spell, I'm sure.  On the other hand, you probably won't be surprised to find that I've created a new blog devoted to the photographs of my and other people's cats and dogs here:  SHOOTING CATS AND DOGS

There have been quite a lot of ups and downs (for that read: personality conflicts and health issues) with my 83 year old mother of late, and when I find myself in these situations, I tend to invent diversions. Thus, the new blog.

Becky's Huevos Rancheros at Box Social. Mmmmm!

Thursday morning, I went out with my camera and my iPod and took photos of my church and a few things around town.  I treated myself to a fab brunch at my local restaurant, "Box Social". I had an amazing plate of huevos rancheros and some great coffee, then I went to the thrift store in town and found a few goodies.  Along the way, I encountered a couple of nice dogs that I photographed as well.  While doing the dishes later that day, the name, "Shooting Cats and Dogs" popped into my head.

I'd be thrilled if you'd like to send me your best photos of your own cats and dogs to be featured in the new space.  E-mail me at poetikat46@yahoo.ca

Perhaps The Mag #115 will spawn a poem.  Watch this space!

Have a great day!

~Kat

P.S. And let's not forget the rabbit-rescue! (see previous post)