October 16, 2008 (Cat update)
Seating him on my lap while giving him fluids continues to work very well for us. Occasionally he decides mid-application that he'd like to move, but he good-naturedly gives up on the idea if I hold him in place. He balances on and between my knees. Once he slid off and I had to grab him as he fell and hoist him back into place. He didn't seem much bothered. That's pretty darn serene for a cat.
He's begun grooming himself excessively again, licking his paws and his chest (and my hands, and my papers, and my desk), over and over again. Grooming is self-comforting behavior, so I'm a little worried he's beginning to feel bad again. He'll get another blood test at the end of the month. I'll find out then how well he's sustaining the improvement from the dialysis.
And if he isn't sustaining it, if he needs dialysis again, I don't know what I'll do. IV fluid treatment is expensive. (There's boarding, and food, and blood tests, and 24-hour monitoring.) He was in the animal hospital for five days last time, and the bill was more than my rent for the month. I could afford to give him dialysis every six months, or maybe every three, but if he needs it every month, I can't afford it.
I'm hoping that if he turns out to need it more often, it can be for a shorter period of time, like two days. That I could probably afford on a regular basis, with some scrimping.
Well, I'll find out the situation in another few weeks. In the meantime, here's a photo. I call it, "Portrait of the Artist as a Serious Feline".
He's begun grooming himself excessively again, licking his paws and his chest (and my hands, and my papers, and my desk), over and over again. Grooming is self-comforting behavior, so I'm a little worried he's beginning to feel bad again. He'll get another blood test at the end of the month. I'll find out then how well he's sustaining the improvement from the dialysis.
And if he isn't sustaining it, if he needs dialysis again, I don't know what I'll do. IV fluid treatment is expensive. (There's boarding, and food, and blood tests, and 24-hour monitoring.) He was in the animal hospital for five days last time, and the bill was more than my rent for the month. I could afford to give him dialysis every six months, or maybe every three, but if he needs it every month, I can't afford it.
I'm hoping that if he turns out to need it more often, it can be for a shorter period of time, like two days. That I could probably afford on a regular basis, with some scrimping.
Well, I'll find out the situation in another few weeks. In the meantime, here's a photo. I call it, "Portrait of the Artist as a Serious Feline".