Sad cat news - but not what you expected
It's been a bad couple of days. Skitter is only 13, but it doesn't look like she's going to make it much longer. First symptoms were that she was just "off her feed" and lethargic. But that was so totally not our silly little girl that Scott was concerned and I was alarmed when he told me. Dr. Burns reported that she had a minor ear infection, and he strongly suspected she's hyperthyroid - test later confirmed that. Well, fine, we've had hyperthyroid cats before, and they can live years just getting medication: both Mother Cat and Miss Q made it well past 20.
Sigh. That was our standard for what cat lives were - until Jessie-mine died suddenly at a much younger age (11? 12? not much older), and Randa had a stroke at 16.
But then Scott found Skitter walking - staggering, really - in circles, completely disoriented. Our vet said immediately that she'd had a stroke, and possibly not the first one. He did say that cats sometimes do recover fairly well from strokes. So Scott took her home. She was doing ok until last night, when she had another stroke. This morning she was just sort of lying there, not in obvious distress, but not purring or responding much. Scott put her in a basket and took her back to the vet, fairly sure that was It. But on the drive, she started responding to his petting, and started purring, and although Dr. Burns said he was fairly sure it was about time for her to go, he gave her a cortisone shot and said that it was possible she might recover enough to have a little more quality time. So Scott brought her home and spent lots of time with her. Saying goodbye before he killed her, as he put it. He's not very happy with the prospect. But then later tonight, he said she'd stirred herself, had some water (& maybe some catfood?), and had a poop too. Good Skitter Baby.
She is too damn young for this to be happening. Dammit, she's only 13. Still, if this was going to happen, can't help thinking better it happened while she was in "her" house, where she's been since she was 6 months old. Maybe it's right that she dies there, even if it's otherwise too soon.
Sigh. That was our standard for what cat lives were - until Jessie-mine died suddenly at a much younger age (11? 12? not much older), and Randa had a stroke at 16.
But then Scott found Skitter walking - staggering, really - in circles, completely disoriented. Our vet said immediately that she'd had a stroke, and possibly not the first one. He did say that cats sometimes do recover fairly well from strokes. So Scott took her home. She was doing ok until last night, when she had another stroke. This morning she was just sort of lying there, not in obvious distress, but not purring or responding much. Scott put her in a basket and took her back to the vet, fairly sure that was It. But on the drive, she started responding to his petting, and started purring, and although Dr. Burns said he was fairly sure it was about time for her to go, he gave her a cortisone shot and said that it was possible she might recover enough to have a little more quality time. So Scott brought her home and spent lots of time with her. Saying goodbye before he killed her, as he put it. He's not very happy with the prospect. But then later tonight, he said she'd stirred herself, had some water (& maybe some catfood?), and had a poop too. Good Skitter Baby.
She is too damn young for this to be happening. Dammit, she's only 13. Still, if this was going to happen, can't help thinking better it happened while she was in "her" house, where she's been since she was 6 months old. Maybe it's right that she dies there, even if it's otherwise too soon.