Elderly pets, annual check-ups, and facing the inevitable
Where does the time go?
This entry isn't about a Corgi, or even a dog.
My cat, Alice, just had her annual vet exam today. She turned 16 sometime in the spring. I am not sure of the exact date, since I found her under a hedge when she was around 6 weeks old. A tiny half-wild thing, it took me a week of feeding her to bribe her out from under the hedge far enough so I could catch her, and she spent another week or so after that living under my bed and only coming out to eat or use her box.
She's doing ok, but at the vet today it could no longer be denied that she's getting old. She lost 11 ounces since last year. She free-feeds, so we don't know exactly what she eats, but her food consumption and litter-box-output seem unchanged. She had a complete blood panel done last year when she started drinking more and her kidney function is good.
Her temperature was a bit low, her gums a little pale. The vet said either could be from the stress of just coming in to the office, but to be safe she had a B-vitamin shot and some vitamins to take home. They did a blood draw too, and already called to say her red count is normal which means the paleness was probably stress. The weight loss is likely from reduced absorption brought on by age.
But still, it's hard not to see that we have set upon the path that leads to the inevitable.
I have had her nearly my entire adult life. I was just out of college, still living at home when she showed up. We were never even cat people; we were dog people. But she was the 2nd of three cats we saved. The first, a male, was my parents'. The 3rd, a calico female, we placed with a friend. But Alice was mine and that was never in doubt. She was that once-in-a-lifetime pet who is indifferent or downright hostile to the rest of the world save her owner. With other people she will often hiss or scratch, but to me she has never been anything but sweet and affectionate.
I try sometimes to brace for that future day by briefly imagining going to sleep without her purring next to me, or walking into the bedroom without being met by that soft mew that ends in a question mark, as if she's asking where I've been, but I can't bring myself to even think of it.
In human years, I figure she's about 82. So for now she will get some extra strokes, and be more frequently treated to her favorite fishy canned food (the kind with no filler, just fish and vitamins). In a month she goes back to the vet for a weigh-in to make sure she's not still losing (concerned enough is he about accuracy that he even noted on her chart that her bladder was 3/4 full, which he said adds about 2 ounces to her weight). And in the meantime, I go back to pretending that she'll be here forever.
This entry isn't about a Corgi, or even a dog.
My cat, Alice, just had her annual vet exam today. She turned 16 sometime in the spring. I am not sure of the exact date, since I found her under a hedge when she was around 6 weeks old. A tiny half-wild thing, it took me a week of feeding her to bribe her out from under the hedge far enough so I could catch her, and she spent another week or so after that living under my bed and only coming out to eat or use her box.
She's doing ok, but at the vet today it could no longer be denied that she's getting old. She lost 11 ounces since last year. She free-feeds, so we don't know exactly what she eats, but her food consumption and litter-box-output seem unchanged. She had a complete blood panel done last year when she started drinking more and her kidney function is good.
Her temperature was a bit low, her gums a little pale. The vet said either could be from the stress of just coming in to the office, but to be safe she had a B-vitamin shot and some vitamins to take home. They did a blood draw too, and already called to say her red count is normal which means the paleness was probably stress. The weight loss is likely from reduced absorption brought on by age.
But still, it's hard not to see that we have set upon the path that leads to the inevitable.
I have had her nearly my entire adult life. I was just out of college, still living at home when she showed up. We were never even cat people; we were dog people. But she was the 2nd of three cats we saved. The first, a male, was my parents'. The 3rd, a calico female, we placed with a friend. But Alice was mine and that was never in doubt. She was that once-in-a-lifetime pet who is indifferent or downright hostile to the rest of the world save her owner. With other people she will often hiss or scratch, but to me she has never been anything but sweet and affectionate.
I try sometimes to brace for that future day by briefly imagining going to sleep without her purring next to me, or walking into the bedroom without being met by that soft mew that ends in a question mark, as if she's asking where I've been, but I can't bring myself to even think of it.
In human years, I figure she's about 82. So for now she will get some extra strokes, and be more frequently treated to her favorite fishy canned food (the kind with no filler, just fish and vitamins). In a month she goes back to the vet for a weigh-in to make sure she's not still losing (concerned enough is he about accuracy that he even noted on her chart that her bladder was 3/4 full, which he said adds about 2 ounces to her weight). And in the meantime, I go back to pretending that she'll be here forever.
Comment
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Comment by Beth on October 18, 2009 at 11:49am
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Lawren, your boy is so handsome! Alice also sleeps with me every night too and is there every morning when I wake up, just like yours. As soon as I get into bed she curls up next to me and purrs. And she greets me like a dog would when I come in too. If we go away, she follows me around for days after I get home.
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Comment by Jane Christensen on October 18, 2009 at 7:27am
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Oh so cute...black and white cats are my favorite and I hope to someday get another (I've had 3 and 2 died too young!)
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Comment by Lawren and Teddy on October 17, 2009 at 10:59pm
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Oh Beth, I so know how you feel. My Sweet Boy is on his 14th year and I can see signs that he's getting old. His black fur is getting streaked with white. He is losing a little bit of weight, I can feel it when I pet him. But he still eats like crazy, still plays, still enertains me with his "I"m so cute, pay attention to me and only me" antics and still get his wild steaks where he runs up and down the stairs for no reason sounding like a herd of elephants, and still climbs on my shoulder like a hairy parrot. I also have had him since he was a young kitten and his also been my contanst companion. I've never had a cat as loyal as him. He sleeps on my bed every night, is always there when I wake up (while that's because I'll feed him but still), knows when I'm getting home from work and will wait in the window so he can see me walk up to the door, will follow me and wait by the door when I go into the garage because he wants to make sure I'll come back.
Here he is "helping" me make the bed, one of his favorite things to do. All the better to get it furry.
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Thank you all for sharing your wonderful stories. I was feeling a bit sad about my girl, but it helps to hear from people who know how I feel. :-)
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Comment by Julia on October 17, 2009 at 9:57pm
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My Old Dog is a joy. He's 14, and it shows. He's failing in many ways, strength, mobility, sight, hearing, memory, muscle mass. But he's a great old dog. He has so many qualities that my little corgi lacks because she's so darn young. It hurts me every time he falls down, but in some way that makes me love him even more. He's a real trouper at the dog park, loping along after Lilliput even though there's no chance of catching up, until she comes back for him. He loves being out with us, just as he loves sleeping on the sofa next to me (after I lift him up.) So many things make him happy.
Enjoy your senior cat. I'll bet she has many quirks and pleasures that are different now than when she was a silly kitten. So hang out with her. Indulge her with her favorite treats. Focus on the sweet things about her, rather than the numbers and measurements. Those things only tell you a tiny bit about her. You know much more about her than that. Seniors rule!
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She is beautiful! She looks just like one of mine! You never know she may hopefully be with you for several more years! At least we can hope for that!
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Comment by Stephanie on October 17, 2009 at 7:11pm
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She's beautiful, and I can't imagine when those days come...my thoughts are with all of you.
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Alice still looks good. She has the face of a kitten, which is what makes it so easy for me to ignore her age. But she now has steps to get onto the bed. Her coat still gleams, she has perfect teeth, and while she doesn't look think, I can feel each vertebrae in her spine when I stroke her back.
This is the first exam where there has been any measurable sign that she has reached the status of "elderly". When she was about 12, we saw a different vet in the practice and she asked if I was sure of her age because she did not look like a 12-year-old cat. It gives me hope when I hear people tell me of cats that live to be 20. Of course, it used to give me hope when people told me of cats that live to be 18, but 18 is now only a year and a half away.
I fiercely love my dogs, but I think Alice will be the hardest to let go because she was with me through my early adulthood and there were times when it was just me and her. She is my sweet angel, and she has tolerated me bringing in a husband and two dogs, neither of which she asked for, with good grace and unchanging devotion.
She's nothing fancy, but we adore each other.
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Comment by Geri & Sidney on October 17, 2009 at 6:23pm
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I can relate, Beth.
My kitty, Hamilton, is 15. He still eats like crazy, but the poor thing has gotten to be fur and bones. He is deaf and can't jump like he used to. But he's a good little kitty and I'm going to miss him sooo much when his time comes. More and more what he wants is just to curl up in a warm lap...usually mine. I think Sidney will miss him too; while he chases the younger cat, he's gentle with this old one.
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Comment by Bev Levy on October 17, 2009 at 4:59pm
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Oh I understand! I had three Siamese cats, they lived to 20, 18,and 16. I lost two of them the same year. One, Luke was my boy. He was mean as hell to everyone but my husband and I. We were famous in our neighborhood for having the attack cat. Our friends took a photo of him with his teeth bared attackig the side glass of our front door when we were not home. LOL For me, he was my constant companion, the best most loving cat I ever had. He finally passed away while we were on vacation and my daughter was taking care of him. He just went in my bedroom and laid down. We cut our vacation short to come home but he was gone before we got there. Since that time Sparty has been my boy. He is almost 11 and now the vet has him on "the senior" plan. That means checks every 6 months. I try not to think about it but know the time will eventually come. Aren;t we lucky to have these relationships? How can people exist without that special loving relationship we have with our pets?
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