COVID19: Yellow Cats and Thankfulness

Today was hard. We had to say goodbye to our PuddyBuddy, and we feel his absence tonight.

He spent two nights at the vet's office after having a bad Sunday with no pee and both a re-obstruction and a diagnosis of primary kidney failure once his labs were checked on Monday. The last bout seemed to squeeze him dry, and he didn't rebound the way we all - us and the vet staff - had hoped afterward. His appetite was almost nonexistent, and his urine trickled off to nothing by the weekend.

Jack and I were prepared for the worst, so when Scott, our trusted vet, told me Puddy's lab results over the phone Monday afternoon, my heart was already sunk. He recommended aggressive hydration and diuresis to hopefully stimulate Puddy's kidneys and suggested a two-night stay at the clinic, so that's what we did. Yesterday the news was maybe a little good: Puddy was making urine but he still wasn't out of the woods.

When we hadn't heard from someone by this afternoon, I called just as Nikki, Scott's long-time right arm and leg of an assistant, was pulling our file to phone us with the news. Puddy's kidney function was kaput, he was re-obstructed and not doing well. Nikki said he wasn't feeling good at all and just didn't seem to have much fight left.

Jack and I had already discussed the options and what we might need to do, and now Puddy's ashes will be returned to us in a few days to join the others on the shelf over the door.

We didn't go to the clinic to tell him goodbye and know that Nikki and the rest of the staff at the office gave him kindness and respect in those last minutes.

Losing two pets during these months of "safer at home" has not been easy, and our hearts are broken, but our grief pales in comparison to that of so many other people, and I can't help but feel incredibly fortunate for so many things, starting and ending with each other, our family - Mom and Dad, the P-Vs, Jack's brother's bunch - and our ability to endure this pandemic.

COVID19: Friday Night Wrap-Up

PuddyCat is feeling much better now than this time last week. He's still not 100%, but the vet said recovery would take a few weeks, and progress is progress. I talked to Dr. Little today, and he said that as long as Puddy is drinking and peeing, he'll be fine. Both of those things are happening regularly and consistently, and he will have more appetite when he's feeling better. He doesn't love his new prescription food at all, but we have a new plan, and on Monday, we'll stop by the office to pick up a couple of cans of special formula wet food to hopefully encourage Puddy to eat more. 

He's venturing out of the bedroom and spending more time with the rest of us in the great room than has been his normal, and increased socialization a good sign. He uses the regular litter boxes but likes having one handy in the bedroom. Jack and I don't like it so much because we have to constantly sweep the floor, but we'll deal. Maybe this is temporary and Puddy won't need a litterbox in the back part of the house in the long-term. If he does, it's OK. We'll deal.

DeKalb County's COVID19 numbers have increased substantially over the last week, and we're currently sitting at 183 cases. Warren County is now up to 208 or 209, and shit's getting real in these parts. Some folks still contend that this whole thing is a politically-motivated hoax to crash the economy and hurt the president. Others believe it's real but insist that it isn't as serious at is and refuse to wear masks as the CDC and everyone with a lick of public health knowledge recommends. 

WalMart, Kroger, and several other retailers have announced mask mandates beginning next week, and I hope for the best. There have been at least two shootings of store employees in other states involving mask-related disputes. Our governor still refuses to mandate them, and the Georgia governor is suing the mayor of Atlanta to force her to stop the mask mandate there. Critics of mask mandates say it's a loss of freedom, but not wearing a mask shows a lack of compassion and consideration for others. 

My tenth cake of quarantine came out of the oven earlier today. It's a lemon Bundt cake using the same recipe I've used before, but this time I dusted a couple of cups of blueberries (yes, blueberries again) with flour and folded them into the batter. Jack and I haven't tried a slice yet, but when it cools, we're on. It smells delicious and will be fantastic with a scoop of Jack's homemade buttermilk custard ice cream.

Despite all the "good eatin'" we've done since mid-March, Jack and I have both managed to lose some weight. The loss is slow - a pound or less a week - but we both feel a lot better. 

Wakefest is on at the marina this weekend, but the crowd has been way down this year. Normally the Friday of Wakefest is pretty busy all day, but today was quiet.

I hope folks stay home and safe instead of crowding together and possibly carrying COVID home to wherever they live. 

COVID19: Puddy's Hard Week

Puddy had a hard week.

Tuesday night, he kept trying (and failing) to pee. He went to the litter box then Josie's bed then the smallish cushy rug where the pets all take turns napping, and he didn't pee anywhere. He was fretful and cried out a few times, and his breathing was fast and shallow. After squatting to pee directly in front of us and crying out, he hid under one of our den chairs, and we got the message.

He needed help.

By noon the next day, we'd dropped him off at the vet and had a preliminary diagnosis of Feline Interstitial Cystitis, a chronic condition which was, until recently, called Feline Urinary Tract Disorder or FUTD. The problem happens mainly with male cats in multiple-cat homes and is often found in an oddball cat who isn't as social as the other cats in the house, which is the perfect description of our Puddy.

He had a few little globs of sediment blocking his urethra. This is the photo the vet sent Tuesday afternoon:

Those have been sent off for analysis, and we'll know in about a week whether or not Puddy's condition can be alleviated through diet or whether other changes are necessary. Right now, we have him eating a blend of his old food and the Science Diet prescription food he'll need to eat going forward if his condition is related to a type of mineral in most pet foods which can cause blockage.

FIC has some social and psychological factors, and modifying Puddy's routine and interactions with us can make a difference in the kind of impacts it has in his, and our, lives. Encouraging him to drink more water by leaving water available in the bathroom, spending more time playing with and loving on him, and adding a litter box to his preferred spot in the house, our bedroom, are some steps we've already taken. We plan to purchase a pet fountain - Puddy likes drinking moving water, like a small stream from the bathroom faucet - as those have been shown to be helpful to cats with urinary problems.

Puddy needed fluids and rest, so he spent Tuesday night and most of Wednesday at the clinic. He was still woozy from the sedation when we picked him up and retreated to his cubby under the bed as soon as he got home.

He still isn't 100%, but he's doing better. We've caught him snuggled up under the covers of our bed a couple of times, which is a new thing, but if he feels safe and comfortable there, he's more than welcome. Jack is his familiar person, and most nights, Puddy sleeps on or near Jack's hip and lower back. Puddy knows I love him, and he loves me back, but he and Jack are tight like Carlton and Jack were tight. There's a special bond, and last night, Puddy returned to his regular places on Jack's side of the bed.

He will return to normal soon, but how much longer for us humans?