I feel horribly guilt & guess I need someone to reassure me I'm not an awful cat mom.
Our oldest cat, Phoebe, is 19 1/2, which is amazing considering we thought we'd lose her about 3 years ago. At that point our vet recommended (since she'd always been a very "needy" cat that wanted no one but me (certainly not my husband or any of our other cats) setting her up in our master bedroom 24/7. Which proved to be a godsend. She's not a large cat, but she'd dropped to 6 1/2 pounds, along with looking beyond ratty despite any efforts to brush her (she's a very long-haired, Maine coon looking cat -except for her tiny frame). She's never put more weight on, or looked any less ratty, but she perked up being alone in the master bedroom, & has always seemed in heaven on her kitty heating pad.
Until last week, about Wednesday. I've been really preoccupied with our new foster Olaf, who just had eyelid agenesis surgery. So since a week ago Friday I've spent tons of time in the foster room, medicating him, wiping his eyes, etc. I've only been in the master bedroom to sleep. So that's about the only time I've spent with Phoebe the past two weeks.
Last Wednesday she started going from the closet to the bathroom, yowling like she was confused. I'd pick her up & bring her back to bed & she'd eventually settle down to sleep. I mentioned it to my husband - even wondered to him if something was really wrong, but I was so preoccupied with Olaf. Plus I was setting up an overnight surprise trip for my husbands birthday this past Sarurday/Sunday. So again-preoccupied.
I realized Wednesday & Thursday she really didn't eat, but she's had little short "hunger strikes" before-but within 24 hours she's always flips back to eating just fine (& often before for those-I've run her to the vet, had blood work & exams, & it's always a very expensive "nothing's wrong"). And just as it hit me I should call the vet again Friday morning-she wolfed down a can of food. Saturday morning before we left, she didn't eat but when I called our friend who was pet sitting Saturday night (primarily to do Olaf duty) she said Phoebe was eating. But when we got home tonight my friend said she realized maybe Phoebe hadn't eaten-that one of the other cats had come into the bedroom accidentally & in retrospect, that was probably who ate. Her litterbox had nothing in it-& when I thanked my friend for cleaning it she said she hadn't touched it. Which means Phoebe hadn't even peed in 48 hours.
Fast forward to tonight at 2 am. Phoebe's just lying on her heating pad-& she won't eat. She won't even acknowledge me when I say her name, as opposed to her usual answer of mew. She even turned her head at cream cheese, which she'll usually go nuts over. She turned her head away from Gerbers chicken baby food. She feels a little dehydrated, so I forced about 7 ml of water with a little karo in it. I would have given her more, but she got so upset I just couldn't keep going.
She is sleeping now, & doesn't seem to be hurting. Obviously I'm calling the vet first minute they open-but I have to be at a specialty vet at 10 am that's an hour from home with Olaf regarding his surgery . I'd have someone else take him, but I'm the only one with knowledge of what's going on with him. So the earliest I can even try to get Phoebe in to the vet is late tomorrow afternoon.
So -as always for me-it's a long story. That could be summed up by I feel horrible that I didn't recognize something was really wrong with Phoebe as early as last week. That I've let a foster kitten & a vacation be more important than the cat that's been with me even before my husband. I keep beating myself up over it. If this ends up being the end - I know she's had 19 1/2 happy years-but if anything, that's even more of a reason I knew the signs of her not feeling well.
Please say a little prayer (or happy thought or whatever) for Phiebe. And tell me I'm not the worst cat mom ever.
Our oldest cat, Phoebe, is 19 1/2, which is amazing considering we thought we'd lose her about 3 years ago. At that point our vet recommended (since she'd always been a very "needy" cat that wanted no one but me (certainly not my husband or any of our other cats) setting her up in our master bedroom 24/7. Which proved to be a godsend. She's not a large cat, but she'd dropped to 6 1/2 pounds, along with looking beyond ratty despite any efforts to brush her (she's a very long-haired, Maine coon looking cat -except for her tiny frame). She's never put more weight on, or looked any less ratty, but she perked up being alone in the master bedroom, & has always seemed in heaven on her kitty heating pad.
Until last week, about Wednesday. I've been really preoccupied with our new foster Olaf, who just had eyelid agenesis surgery. So since a week ago Friday I've spent tons of time in the foster room, medicating him, wiping his eyes, etc. I've only been in the master bedroom to sleep. So that's about the only time I've spent with Phoebe the past two weeks.
Last Wednesday she started going from the closet to the bathroom, yowling like she was confused. I'd pick her up & bring her back to bed & she'd eventually settle down to sleep. I mentioned it to my husband - even wondered to him if something was really wrong, but I was so preoccupied with Olaf. Plus I was setting up an overnight surprise trip for my husbands birthday this past Sarurday/Sunday. So again-preoccupied.
I realized Wednesday & Thursday she really didn't eat, but she's had little short "hunger strikes" before-but within 24 hours she's always flips back to eating just fine (& often before for those-I've run her to the vet, had blood work & exams, & it's always a very expensive "nothing's wrong"). And just as it hit me I should call the vet again Friday morning-she wolfed down a can of food. Saturday morning before we left, she didn't eat but when I called our friend who was pet sitting Saturday night (primarily to do Olaf duty) she said Phoebe was eating. But when we got home tonight my friend said she realized maybe Phoebe hadn't eaten-that one of the other cats had come into the bedroom accidentally & in retrospect, that was probably who ate. Her litterbox had nothing in it-& when I thanked my friend for cleaning it she said she hadn't touched it. Which means Phoebe hadn't even peed in 48 hours.
Fast forward to tonight at 2 am. Phoebe's just lying on her heating pad-& she won't eat. She won't even acknowledge me when I say her name, as opposed to her usual answer of mew. She even turned her head at cream cheese, which she'll usually go nuts over. She turned her head away from Gerbers chicken baby food. She feels a little dehydrated, so I forced about 7 ml of water with a little karo in it. I would have given her more, but she got so upset I just couldn't keep going.
She is sleeping now, & doesn't seem to be hurting. Obviously I'm calling the vet first minute they open-but I have to be at a specialty vet at 10 am that's an hour from home with Olaf regarding his surgery . I'd have someone else take him, but I'm the only one with knowledge of what's going on with him. So the earliest I can even try to get Phoebe in to the vet is late tomorrow afternoon.
So -as always for me-it's a long story. That could be summed up by I feel horrible that I didn't recognize something was really wrong with Phoebe as early as last week. That I've let a foster kitten & a vacation be more important than the cat that's been with me even before my husband. I keep beating myself up over it. If this ends up being the end - I know she's had 19 1/2 happy years-but if anything, that's even more of a reason I knew the signs of her not feeling well.
Please say a little prayer (or happy thought or whatever) for Phiebe. And tell me I'm not the worst cat mom ever.
