Diva just turned twenty this past August—that’s the best estimate I have of her age. I know she’s been with me since December of 2001, anyways, a half-starved kitten of maybe 12 weeks old when she was found wandering the streets by some kids who brought her to me. She’s always been a talkative, clingy girl, playful, a character who charms anyone who meets her. She’s rarely been ill in her life that I ever saw: two small growths on her face that we had removed a couple years apart and that was it. So when she started losing weight fairly quickly over the last few months, I began to worry.
She’s not a big cat, never weighed more than 12 or so pounds, so losing two and half to three pounds in less than a year is scary, and seeing her fine fur go from rabbit soft to slightly ragged-looking was sad, too. She’s had a bare patch on her flanks over her hips for the last six or so years because she obsessively grooms that spot and I’ve never been able to get her to stop, so I eventually gave up and concentrated on finding ways to give her a happy home, instead.
Like I said, she’s talkative: she chatters, mews, murmels, chrrs and carries on conversations with anyone willing… until her hearing started to go about two years ago. I noticed her ears weren’t moving as much as they used to—sounds weren’t catching her attention. She wasn’t coming when you called her anymore, either. Yeah, she knew her name and would come running if she thought you were going to hang out with her for a bit. :-)
She still has a massive “vocabulary”, though, and can swear up a storm when things aren’t going her way. A cat, swearing? Oh, yeah. Just listen to the pitch and volume, you’ll know. Cats can swear a blue streak when they wanna. And she’s been bitching about something for a while, I just didn’t get it until now, I guess. I’m heckin’ slow. My kitteh isn’t feeling well.
She shouts at her water. We joked she was “echolocating” it to see if there was enough in there for her to drink—‘cuz she drank seemingly obsessively. Later, I said she was casting her longevity spell that sucked the life from things around her to keep her alive (I’m an old D&D geek from waaay back: alignment, Chaotic Weird). That’s where the name The Undying One came from. Her Water Spell, where she’d shout at her water, then drink and she’d then wander off, or come sit with me, no matter that I might be working on something—I’m usually making something that requires finicky movements. She doesn’t care. Her Minion must be always available.
But, lately, she was more like mumbling her “spell”, like she knew it wasn’t working, and she wasn’t drinking, just dipping her nose in, then she’d stumble off in a seeming daze. She wasn’t eating, either. She’d cycle between three or four spots under two tables to sulk, or sit on my sewing chair. She couldn’t jump to sit on me. I’d pick her up to warm herself on me—she felt like fur-covered bones—but she was too restless and wouldn’t stay for long.
Two days of that was enough. I called our vet—no appointments available. One of their regular vets was gone—don’t know why, and their schedule was crammed. I started to call around—not very many vet clinics near me and all are a fair drive away. I’m in a small town up in the mountains. I’m starting to panic. My cat is sick, maybe deathly so, and no one can take her. All are referring me to the 24 hour clinics that are literally an hour’s wind-y drive down the mountain away and Diva gets sick in the short 20 minute car ride to her normal vet, let alone one over an hour off…
So, my poor little old lady is in the hospital overnight, being evaluated (we think it’s her kidneys), I’m worried sick, and I’m half in tears. She’s practically my best friend—she’s older than my marriage, for crying out loud! And I feel like I’ve failed her, listening to her cry for the last few days, not being able to comfort her, knowing she was miserable and trying to find a vet…
So, pootie people, send out all the kittie hugs you can for Diva The Undying One, if you would? ‘Cuz I’m a grouchy old fart who’s terrible at this sort of thing and doesn’t know what he’ll do when or if he has to say goodbye...
Saturday, Oct 2, 2021 · 1:04:27 AM +00:00
·
TheProgressiveAlien
Thank so much all of you for you responses and advice. I am a worrywort when it comes to her. She’s been with me for so long. The vets assure me she’s resting well. They gave her a mild sedative so they could give her X-rays (and to mellow her out in case she’s scared from not being at home and to get her through all the other tests, I’m sure). I think they may have given her some pain meds, too. She’s on a warming pad because her temperature was a little lower than normal, too.
She has been on a prescription diet for the last month, but when you appetite’s suppressed, it’s hard to tell how well it helps, poor kitty. I tried to encourage her to eat when I could. She was the only kitteh I knew who actually liked being pet while she ate, so I’d do that while she investigated her new food. I knew she liked it when we first got it for her, ‘cuz she’d devour it. LOL But this last few days….
Anyway, we’ll see what new updates the vet has when we get ‘em. Sorry I wasn’t around to answer most of your comments. I’d had to crash ‘cuz I’d been up most of the night worried about her, and then up early to call around looking for vets. I’ll answer some comments, now. Thanks so much for caring, pootie people! You guys rock!
Saturday, Oct 2, 2021 · 3:43:29 AM +00:00
·
TheProgressiveAlien
So, we got the results back, and it’s what I thought: her kidneys are failing—late-stage kidney failure, poor old lady. Sadly, it’s worse than I feared, though: not only are her kidneys failing on her, she’s got kidney stones, her lymph-nodes are inflamed and she’s got pancreatitis. There is a possibility of cancer.
The vet says she may only have a few months to a year left to live comfortably. I may have to learn how to give her subcutaneous fluids like some of you have suggested (apparently, she took the needles the vet gave her like the champ she is). I absolutely hate needles, even giving myself my bi-weeklies is a struggle, so I’m going to have buck it up to give them to her. Egad, my poor girl…
Wow, the things that little girl has gone through in her life with me…
Anyway, Dr. Diaz says she wants to keep her in the hospital until she can get her eating and stabilized and until she has a better idea of what Diva’s prognosis is—probably until at least Sunday. Mrs. Alien and I are going to visit Diva tomorrow morning to see how she’s doing.
Fuck, another night of no sleep. Pfft. like I care. I just want Diva to be OK...