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Jul. 28th, 2006 06:55 pmSomething is wrong with my elderly marmelade cat, Baby.
See, Baby is eighteen years old and over the past couple of months, his stride has turned into a sailor-on-the-high-seas kind of hobble. I knew it was from age, all cats get old and Baby is exceptionally aged, so I just gave him love and rubbed his legs and kept the other cats from picking on him too much. Some days were better than others and he would barely limp at all, other days it was horrible.
Last night, I was on the phone with Miss Janette and Baby climbed down from the back of the chair I was sitting in, intent on making his way to my lap. As he stepped down onto my leg, he suddenly started yowling at the top of his lungs in pain. I grabbed him and put him on the ottoman, thinking that maybe he'd gotten one of his claws caught on something, but that wasn't the case and I only got growled at for my troubles. He jumped down from the ottoman and hid under my bed.
I got him out from under the bed, with more growling at me, inspected his feet and claws to see if everything was ok (and took the chance to trim all of his nails). But, everything seemed fine. I started prodding him and feeling around his legs, to see if he would pull away from me or to try and see where the pain was. But, nothing.
This morning, he seemed ok. Didn't want to get out of bed, which is normal behaviour for him. But, I know he's going to have to go to the vet and this distresses me on so many levels. One, I just recently paid off the last cat vet visit (when Nympho, the cat in my icon, decided to go into insulin shock), after many months of post-dated checks. Two, Baby is very old and I know that there probably isn't all that much that can be done for him. It's most likely arthritis and I know they can give him painkillers for that and possibly steroids, but all I know about feline arthritis eventually spirals into horrible and unmanagable pain, with eventual euthanasia.
I've known this cat for his entire life, he's been around for more than half mine. Making the decision to have him put down is going to break my heart.
I'm more than aware of his advanced age and I'm more than aware of the whole circle of life nonsense, but it's hard to parse all of that when looking at a creature that's been a part of my life for almost twenty years. I've made jokes in the past about how, due to his extreme laid back demeanor and loving attitude, Baby will to out-live us all. But, in reality, no matter what I do for him, that is just not true.
Well. Vet appointment will be made, to have him checked out. And I'll try not to be so emotional and maudlin about the entire situation.
See, Baby is eighteen years old and over the past couple of months, his stride has turned into a sailor-on-the-high-seas kind of hobble. I knew it was from age, all cats get old and Baby is exceptionally aged, so I just gave him love and rubbed his legs and kept the other cats from picking on him too much. Some days were better than others and he would barely limp at all, other days it was horrible.
Last night, I was on the phone with Miss Janette and Baby climbed down from the back of the chair I was sitting in, intent on making his way to my lap. As he stepped down onto my leg, he suddenly started yowling at the top of his lungs in pain. I grabbed him and put him on the ottoman, thinking that maybe he'd gotten one of his claws caught on something, but that wasn't the case and I only got growled at for my troubles. He jumped down from the ottoman and hid under my bed.
I got him out from under the bed, with more growling at me, inspected his feet and claws to see if everything was ok (and took the chance to trim all of his nails). But, everything seemed fine. I started prodding him and feeling around his legs, to see if he would pull away from me or to try and see where the pain was. But, nothing.
This morning, he seemed ok. Didn't want to get out of bed, which is normal behaviour for him. But, I know he's going to have to go to the vet and this distresses me on so many levels. One, I just recently paid off the last cat vet visit (when Nympho, the cat in my icon, decided to go into insulin shock), after many months of post-dated checks. Two, Baby is very old and I know that there probably isn't all that much that can be done for him. It's most likely arthritis and I know they can give him painkillers for that and possibly steroids, but all I know about feline arthritis eventually spirals into horrible and unmanagable pain, with eventual euthanasia.
I've known this cat for his entire life, he's been around for more than half mine. Making the decision to have him put down is going to break my heart.
I'm more than aware of his advanced age and I'm more than aware of the whole circle of life nonsense, but it's hard to parse all of that when looking at a creature that's been a part of my life for almost twenty years. I've made jokes in the past about how, due to his extreme laid back demeanor and loving attitude, Baby will to out-live us all. But, in reality, no matter what I do for him, that is just not true.
Well. Vet appointment will be made, to have him checked out. And I'll try not to be so emotional and maudlin about the entire situation.
