So upset - nearly 18 year old hyperthyroid cat is suddenly on the decline

Make sure you check with all medical food because some recovery foods are not 100% nutritionally complete and don't have much more water than regular food. My guy had IBD and renal failure I spent 3 years giving an anemic cat sub-q's and that was a challenge mostly because he did not have any extra skin to make a tent out of. If your cat is dehydrating then it means she is not absorbing water through her stomach properly so no matter how much you put in her mouth it will still not absorb. A sub-q allows the body to soak it in in a different way and it works much better than the stomach especially when their gestational system is not working properly.

I found with my guy one person worked the best as he would be the calmest and not wondering what the other person was doing. I would always start by massaging just under his shoulder blades and gently pull the skin up which is how you form a pocket. Give it a try with yours and just massage the skin around the shoulder blades and see how easy it is going to be to form a pocket. When it was sub-q time my cat would find a good spot and then lie down and I would spend a few minutes talking gently to him while I massaged his shoulders to see what I had to work with and keep him calm. I could stick him left or right handed from the front, side, or back so access was not all that bad for me. When I had a good pocket I just put the needle in and then pet him for a minute. I always heated the sub-q bag up to about 96 degrees so it was only a little under his body temp and would not be a shock when it went in. I used 22 gauge ultra thin wall needles which are pretty small but are easier to get them. Once the fluid starts flowing my guy would just hang out and purr and we repeated this every day so it became habit. The hardest part will be the first few and once she is used to it then it will get easier and easier. I think they also realize it helps them feel better and they can want it after a bit.

I would try it drug free if possible or use a lighter pain med such as Buprenophine which is what my guy got and it is just a synthetic form of morphine. When I was giving this to my guy he did not seem drugged out but  I could see it really helped with arthritis. For your first few you may want to get the vet to give her more drugs but a lighter dose and then you can give it a try and get used to the motions. This is my guy getting a sub-q....


I used to do it by weight instead of the markings on the bag which were not very accurate so I hung the bag off of an IV pole I got on e-Bay and then used a hanging scale..


That worked really well for me and was easy to setup where ever Scratchy was hanging out.

That Guy - thank you so much for taking the time to respond and provide me with all that info! I am collecting everything and keeping it for when Katie needs it. This is all such great advice - thank you!

Right now, she's eating and drinking on her own, but I do have to coax her a bit. The vet said she was only mildly dehydrated, likely from the fact that she was really not interested in food and water on the weekend. I gave her what I could, but I am balancing that with her emotional well being and don't want her upset or stressed too much. It's much improved from the weekend, when she showed zero interest in food and I had to syringe feed her. I think I will give her the quarter pill of the appetite stimulant tomorrow morning, as the vet suggested I do if she still needs a bit of help.

She is still a bit lethargic in the sense that she is staying in a small area of my living room and isn't walking around a whole lot. Today the vet should be getting back to me with the pancreas test results.

Well we have our answer: it's pancreatitis. I am so happy this vet seems to be on top of things and asked to do that additional test!

My poor girl is in pain, and likely nauseous. I'm getting her pain meds today and the vet will also get me an anti-nauseant. She wants me to try a can of the d/d venision. I'll get that at the vet clinic today and see if she likes it.

When she comes to do repeat bloodwork in two weeks, she'll also do a fasted test for IBD. The good thing is that her kidneys are doing okay and her hyperthyroidism is being treated well. Once she's on pain meds, the vet anticipates she won't be lethargic and more active (well, as active as a old girl can be!).

I'm relieved that it's treatable, but very upset that my poor kitty has been in pain all this time. It also explains the rapid breathing I saw this morning - the vet said it's a pain response. I told her to hang on and that mama is getting her some relief!

She's also been drinking water and eating her Weruva chicken and pumpkin today. And she has never rejected her Purebites treats throughout all of this!

Well I don't know that much about pancreatitis, but at least you have an answer and something to treat that should help her feel better. Sounds like she's doing fairly well considering.

Here's hoping you won't be on the roller coaster too much. I sure know what that feels like....

Thanks 2bcat. I just got back from picking up her meds and gave her a dose of buprenorphine right away, which she wasn't too happy about. I kept telling her she'll feel better but she still swore at me.

Oh well, she's eating again now so at least I don't have to shove any food in her mouth! I also picked up some a/d recovery and the Royal Canin Recovery in case I need it. I have Cerenia too, which I'm supposed to give her for 5 days. Fortunately, she hasn't vomited at all, nor has she had any change in her bowel habits, but she still may be nauseous, so it's worth a try. I hope she'll actually get up and walk around like she used to! Right now she is on a bench all day and only gets up to use the litter box, which I've moved right beside the bench. Last night she jumped from the bench to my shoulder (while I was on the couch) and scared the crap out of me, but I was happy to see her, lol.

Yeah, I've about had it this week. I've barely been out of the house and have been working from home all week. I have major cabin fever!

Katie is not doing well today. She had some appetite in the morning, but the stimulant made her hyperactive and she hasn't slept all day - literally. I talked to the vet about serotonin syndrome and she didn't know if it was that, but we agreed it made her wired. It didn't do a lot for her appetite and she ate nothing all day until now when I had to syringe her some a/d. She is SO cranky and is really tired of being handled. I don't blame her one bit! 

I managed to get some sub-q fluids in her earlier, but she started to growl so we ended the session. It was my first time, so at least I'm over the fear of sticking her. She was quite tolerant at the beginning and was even purring, but then she got really pissed off, lol. 

The issue we are dealing with now is her breathing. It's rapid and about 40-42 breaths a minute. She isn't panting or gasping, but it's definitely too rapid. I just heard from her vet and she said in order to find out why she's breathing that way means hospitalization and extensive tests. She knows that's not the route I want to take. She also said it could be due to the pancreatitis itself and pain. She's also going away for the weekend, so if something happens then I will have to try and reach her veterinary partner.

She also said that if we cannot get her symptoms under control then I will have to consider euthanasia. I knew this was a possibility but to see it in writing just breaks my heart. But looking at her over the last week has been heartbreaking in itself because she is existing, not living. I don't want to see her like this anymore. She doesn't get up except to use the litter and I have to bring food and water to her or assist feed, depending on the day. Part of me is hoping that her behaviour today is due to the stimulant. She had it on Tuesday, but she was also very drugged so perhaps this serotonin affect was masked, who knows. Her personality has changed to the point that I'm wondering if she's experiencing neurological issues too. I just cannot believe that just over a week ago she was my normal cat and now she is nearly unrecognizable with her habits and behaviour. 

I'm not giving up hope, but I pray that she does not go downhill, especially over the weekend. My worst fear is her dying in a clinic and not at home as I have planned. I know I can't control these things, but that's what I want for her. I've had such a roller coaster this week from thinking and trying to accept that this was it, to hope that this was just an acute illness and she'll be okay, to fear again. My fear isn't just losing her - it's fear of her suffering. I can't handle that and it's already bad enough that she's so unwell right now.

I'm so sorry to hear that Katie isn't feeling well. Do you suppose the panting could be from pain? If I remember correctly, my "second opinion" vet said that if the pain gets too severe, they may pant or throw up. Is Katie getting any kind of pain meds? That might help, and relieving the pain might improve her appetite a bit.

I understand your reluctance to go the hospitalization and invasive testing route. I wouldn't do that to Mr. G. either.

And I know how much it hurts to see them suffer. I'm with you all the way, but i hope that Katie recovers.

Best regards.

She's not panting thankfully. It's just that her breaths per minute are above normal. The vet said it could be due to the pancreatitis, pain or something else.

Yes, she's had buprenorphine every six hours. The vet has instructed me to increase her dose to the max at her next dosing, at 10pm EST. She still hasn't slept at all and she is manic. She cannot calm down.

She's had 3 doses of pain meds since I picked it up yesterday (I gave her the first dose the moment I walked in the door, shoes on and all!) and not much has changed with that and the anti-emetic. So at this point, the vet is concerned whether she'll respond at all. She said it could be a case of it being too severe or it's just taking a long time for her to bounce back. I know she's trying to prepare me for the worst, and I am prepared as best as I can be. I can't watch her like this anymore. She is hiding now, which is something she hasn't done yet. Now, when I gave her the anti-emetic awhile ago, she started foaming at the mouth because I don't think it went down properly. She was struggling. So now, she keeps growling at me and is hiding behind my couch. I coaxed her out earlier to pet her and just now had to give her her Tapazole. Poor cat. This is exactly what I didn't want: our whole relationship to be me shoving things down her throat! Since she's been ill, she has barely sat on my lap and she won't sleep with me anymore. I feel like she's withdrawn already

If she went back to being lethargic and laying on the bench I'd at least know she was resting. But this crazy manic behaviour that started today has got to be so horrible for her. I really hope the higher dose of pain meds will calm her down so she can rest. 

It's tricky with so many different things going on.  I understand that whole thing about the interaction all being restraint or pilling or whatever.  I look back on my final couple months with Amber and often think it was too much like that.  But we did get in some times where she just got pets and not so much medical attention.  She mostly didn't hide to a degree where I couldn't reach her and say hello with a touch.

One thing I did was combine all the pills.  I got really small gelcaps and most of the things would fit so we were talking just 2 a day typically (3 a day for a short time with the initial round of lasix).  This also prevented the foaming and similar reactions.  But then there were the days when we were doing assist feeding as well.  And we never had actual pain meds for anything.

Some cats DO turn a corner from things like assist feeding so it's hard to know when that is too much.

Hiding is not unusual for a cat who doesn't feel well  of course.

A cat who can't breathe well won't eat on her own.  This I learned firsthand and is something my vet told me as well.

Did the breathing issue start after the sub-q?  If so I can't help but think of the CHF that we dealt with as well.  This suspicion should turn up in an exam though as I remember it (we later got an x-ray that helped better show what was going on, but the vet told me earlier than that about CHF and had her go on lasix), so it's quite possible that it's something else.  It could be worth seeing if she really shouldn't be having too large of a dose of sub-q.  This is something I wished I'd done, because my vet pushed for large-ish doses when smaller more frequent ones still would have helped and been better for her CHF.  (Although I don't actually think what happened was a direct result of that.)

What is the appetite stimulant?  Cyproheptadine?  Mirtazapine?  The latter is especially known to make cats weird (known as meowzapine because it tends to make them vocal, which it did Amber) but they can have odd reactions to either I believe.  

Just some thoughts.   It's a rough time, this I know.  I had the worst mood swings and couldn't get stuff done at work and just thinking about it now makes me sad again.  I wish all the best to someone else going through it.  It is just so difficult.  I hope you see a positive turn over the weekend.

Hi 2bcat. No, the breathing was not related to the sub-q at all. It started before that and I barely got anything into her before she started to growl and freak out. Her heart has been fine and she's never had a murmur or other signs of cardiomyopathy. I don't doubt there is some cardiac damage due to the hyperthyroidism and her age, but she's been on Tapazole since last summer and has been great up until a week ago when this all started. The stimulant was mirtazapine - it didn't make her vocal as much as manic (or it could be unrelated), which is why she was so difficult to pill (she's usually easy to pill). She won't eat pill pockets anymore, but I usually take a piece of the pill pocket and wrap it around the pill so it masks the taste. I'll do that with all her pills now. It was the Cerenia that made her foam, so I'll make sure to wrap that one when I give it to her tonight.

The last two doses of pain meds I've given her have been the maximum so hopefully that will help. I'm not sure how or if she slept last night because she wouldn't sleep with me. She's staying on her bench and I didn't want to disturb her. She didn't touch her food overnight, so I gave her fresh wet food this morning and she ate some of it, which is good. She always loves her Weruva Pumpkin Lickin' Chicken soup. It's It's still not enough, so later I'll give her some recovery stuff again. I think I'll try the fluids in a bit once the pain meds kick in. I'm going to have to wrap her in a towel this time I think - she's sick of me touching her now. I do spend time just petting her and she'll purr a bit, but she's definitely not herself.

It's really hard to say whether she'll pull out of this at this point. Again, I'm trying to balance her stress levels with the treatment. Pain meds are a no brainer - I will not stop that as long as we think she's in pain. The vet has reiterated many times just how painful pancreatitis is so we err on the side of assuming she's in pain. She certainly hasn't shown any signs of going back to normal. She won't even drink her cat milk, which was a favourite treat before. Even earlier in the week she was drinking that - it was a good way for me to get some extra fluid in her. She ate some pure bites this morning, but that's hit or miss. Anyway, the vet expected her to improve after pain meds and the Cerenia, but she hasn't at all. So either it's just time or it's a more severe case. I'm doing what I can, but I don't think it's enough.

Well, there is no getting any fluids in her right now. She's aggressive and growling whenever I come near her. I gave her pain meds and her Tapazole and one syringe of recovery food and that's it. I tried putting her in a burrito but she escaped hissing and growling. She is very strong and strong willed and wants nothing to do with me anymore. I had her purring for one minute or so when I sat on the floor with her, but aside from that she is vacant, if that makes sense.

She's walking around fine and can jump up onto the furniture easily, but neurologically something doesn't seem right. She's disoriented and got stuck in a corner not understanding where to turn. When I tried to redirect her, she lashed out at me. Clearly she doesn't want to be touched at all. 

I've been out of the house twice in the last week. I really should go out for my own sanity. I can't do anything else for her right now and she clearly wants to be left alone. 

She's been hiding most of the day.

I talked to my Dad and a friend. I don't know where the line is when you know it's time. She's going to go downhill in a matter of days if she won't let me near her to give her fluids or feed her and she is clearly suffering since she's not sleeping and is so, so agitated. I wish I had a big neon sign telling me when.

I wish I had had that too, the big neon sign.  Everyone says you'll know when, but I sure didn't.  Of course I say that and I didn't end up having to decide when at all, but also I think back and wonder if I waited too long, if her last few weeks were really not so great anyway.  Sadly one of those last few weeks I was away, I really couldn't get out of going away.  So terrible.  We had a great vet tech look after her while away but really just not a great memory all around. When I got back she was okay and I was ready to get through and have her turn that corner, and she didn't.  I can only hope she wasn't suffering too bad.  Perhaps I was correct though, that I didn't reach the right time, and whatever took her away was sudden and didn't result in much suffering.

Like Katie she fought strongly through things she didn't like, such as pilling or the feeding.  That to me made it seem like she still had some strength left to get through it.  She reacted to our interaction with purrs and could still use the litter box on her own.  She didn't eat on her own much.  I did not experience the lashing out to the degree that you are.  I also didn't get a sense of vacant, although I'm not sure what I witnessed is different from what you mean by that.  I mean, older cats are already pretty sedentary in my experience, and Amber just didn't get up for a lot except to drink, maybe eat, and go to the litter box.  She would tire easily walking, perhaps because she was having some trouble breathing now and then.  Go up to where she was sleeping, and I maybe didn't get the same look from her face, but I knew she was still aware of what was going on.

This was after some weeks though.  At just a week in with Amber we were just getting her eating on her own again after a few days of nothing.  Started with some baby food.  Then softer food.  Etc.  Eventually she didn't eat well again and we did the syringe but we really had some time where she ate for a while, albeit not enough to keep her weight up.

Anyway, comparing our two scenarios will only get us so far because the medical conditions are clearly different.  I only mention it because it seems they are similar in trying to make a determination whether this is something she will pull out of or not.  Let me put it this way.  At a week in I'd feel it wasn't giving her enough time, if it were me, unless something was truly as obvious as everyone says.  To me, how you describe it here, it is not to that point, despite the roller coaster you are already on.  Only you can really judge it though.  It sounds like she's unhappy, but is she suffering?  That is the line I try to figure out.  She still gets to the litter box, this is a good thing. Not getting food on her own can be very temporary.

Those are the thoughts that go through my mind anyway....

2bcat said:

 
I wish I had had that too, the big neon sign.  Everyone says you'll know when, but I sure didn't.  Of course I say that and I didn't end up having to decide when at all, but also I think back and wonder if I waited too long, if her last few weeks were really not so great anyway.  Sadly one of those last few weeks I was away, I really couldn't get out of going away.  So terrible.  We had a great vet tech look after her while away but really just not a great memory all around. When I got back she was okay and I was ready to get through and have her turn that corner, and she didn't.  I can only hope she wasn't suffering too bad.  Perhaps I was correct though, that I didn't reach the right time, and whatever took her away was sudden and didn't result in much suffering.

Like Katie she fought strongly through things she didn't like, such as pilling or the feeding.  That to me made it seem like she still had some strength left to get through it.  She reacted to our interaction with purrs and could still use the litter box on her own.  She didn't eat on her own much.  I did not experience the lashing out to the degree that you are.  I also didn't get a sense of vacant, although I'm not sure what I witnessed is different from what you mean by that.  I mean, older cats are already pretty sedentary in my experience, and Amber just didn't get up for a lot except to drink, maybe eat, and go to the litter box.  She would tire easily walking, perhaps because she was having some trouble breathing now and then.  Go up to where she was sleeping, and I maybe didn't get the same look from her face, but I knew she was still aware of what was going on.

This was after some weeks though.  At just a week in with Amber we were just getting her eating on her own again after a few days of nothing.  Started with some baby food.  Then softer food.  Etc.  Eventually she didn't eat well again and we did the syringe but we really had some time where she ate for a while, albeit not enough to keep her weight up.

Anyway, comparing our two scenarios will only get us so far because the medical conditions are clearly different.  I only mention it because it seems they are similar in trying to make a determination whether this is something she will pull out of or not.  Let me put it this way.  At a week in I'd feel it wasn't giving her enough time, if it were me, unless something was truly as obvious as everyone says.  To me, how you describe it here, it is not to that point, despite the roller coaster you are already on.  Only you can really judge it though.  It sounds like she's unhappy, but is she suffering?  That is the line I try to figure out.  She still gets to the litter box, this is a good thing. Not getting food on her own can be very temporary.

Those are the thoughts that go through my mind anyway....

Click to expand...

Thanks so much. My thinking is similar at this point. I got some sub-q fluids in her just now surprisingly. She purred the whole time, yet right before that she scratched my hand pretty nicely. At least she was fairly calm during it. She's now back in the bathtub where she's been hiding the whole day. I put water and treats in there and just now I heard crunching, so she's obviously eating something. I'll give her another syringe of recovery food when she's had a break. 

She's walking just fine and can jump easily. She's been less manic this afternoon and is just chilling in the tub. I'm really wondering if it was the stimulant and now that it's wearing off she's a bit more relaxed. In any case, I just wish I knew which direction this was going. She's not improving, and not getting much worse - yet, so I have no idea how long this is going to last. I'll have to talk to the vet about that.

Well, things aren't improving. She is still not eating on her own. Yesterday she licked the liquid out of her wet food early in the morning and I had to assist feed the rest of the day. Today she wouldn't touch a thing so I've had to assist feed the entire day. I went out and bought a bunch of different kinds of food and she has zero interest in it at this point. Her life right now is laying down/sleeping, using the litter box and being force fed and having pills shoved down her throat and needles in her back. She doesn't walk around or just sit up anywhere. Although she will purr if I pet her or brush her, she doesn't seek me out or meow at me anymore (she has always been quite the talker).

I'm heartbroken. I spoke to the vet just now and she said she expected her to come around by now. She also said the only way to find out what's going on is to hospitalize her or do a biopsy of some sort, but even she said knowing Katie's anxiety and her personality, that she wouldn't recommend it. We talked about feeding tubes and she also said she wouldn't recommend it due to her age and anxiety. I appreciate that she is really trying to help me keep her as stress-free as possible while still treating what we can.

In the end it may come down to this: I nurse her like I've been doing until I decide that I either can't do it anymore or that it's not quality of life for her. How am I supposed to decide that? She said with the continued syringe feeding she could develop a food aversion and not want to eat on her own at all. She also mentioned that some elderly cats that lose their appetite just never get it back. How does someone just decide that? I can't and won't stop helping her just because it's hard on me. But how do I decide when SHE'S had enough? She's already fighting me - so is that good because she has strength and spirit or bad because she's trying to tell me something?

I'm really starting to feel desperate here. She's not close to death right now - but she is definitely existing and not living. I just don't know where to draw the line.

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Oh, I am so sorry to hear that Katie isn't doing better. I posted a thread on the Crossing the Bridge section earlier today asking that very same question about Mr. Grimsby, who also doesn't seem to be improving. We had a battle royale yesterday to get the Prednisone down his throat. Since he wouldn't swallow (spit it out at least five times), I held his mouth closed until it almost melted. Then, of course, he walked two paces away, stopped and threw up his toenails. Unfortunately, I later read that Prednisone tastes so bad that a cat would rather sleep with stray dogs than take it!

I dropped Mr. G. off at the vet's this morning, since he missed his 11:30 appointment on Saturday because he's found a really good hiding place. I filled out the forms to hospitalize him until he gets over the worst of the inflammation and starts eating again - or until the vet and I can discuss his prognosis and I decide to put him to sleep. If he's not having a good life, why would/should I prolong his suffering. He's twice as old as most cats ever get, so he's had a good run. And I'm afraid if we keep fighting over pills, subQ fluids, eating, etc. he'll just end up hating me (or what I'm doing to him to be more specific). I would hate for our relationship to end on such an unhappy note like that.

I'm heartbroken. I spoke to the vet just now and she said she expected her to come around by now. She also said the only way to find out what's going on is to hospitalize her or do a biopsy of some sort, but even she said knowing Katie's anxiety and her personality, that she wouldn't recommend it. We talked about feeding tubes and she also said she wouldn't recommend it due to her age and anxiety. I appreciate that she is really trying to help me keep her as stress-free as possible while still treating what we can.

In the end it may come down to this: I nurse her like I've been doing until I decide that I either can't do it anymore or that it's not quality of life for her. How am I supposed to decide that? She said with the continued syringe feeding she could develop a food aversion and not want to eat on her own at all. She also mentioned that some elderly cats that lose their appetite just never get it back. How does someone just decide that? I can't and won't stop helping her just because it's hard on me. But how do I decide when SHE'S had enough? She's already fighting me - so is that good because she has strength and spirit or bad because she's trying to tell me something?

I'm really starting to feel desperate here. She's not close to death right now - but she is definitely existing and not living. I just don't know where to draw the line.

I am so sorry to hear that Katie isn't improving. My heart really goes out to you two.

Yesterday I posted a thread on the Crossing the Bridge section about this very decision, because Mr. Grimsby doesn't seem to be improving, either. I have decided that, even if his underlying medical condition (arthritis) isn't life-threatening, the pain and suffering he's going through now make his life miserable. I don't want to prolong it unnecessarily or unfairly. If the vet can't get him to a neutral point, then I will have him put to sleep. Their advice might be of some help to you, too.

Best regards,

I am so sorry to read about Katie's problems. It is so hard sometimes to know what is best. Too often we end up keeping a cat alive for our own sakes, and not in its best interests. But as to when to make that decision, if you are not yet sure then it is not time. Most of us who have been through this agree that you WILL know, because the cat will tell you, in all sorts of little ways, but mostly by the look in their eyes. They just seem to say that they have had enough and it shows. If she is still fighting you then she still has spirit and it is not time. If you have the time and the will to work with her and try to get some food into her by whatever means - I find syringe feeding if done properly is least stressful on you and the cat, then just watch her for the signs of giving up. But once you are start to feel guilty about what you may be doing to her, then perhaps it is better to make the decision earlier rather than later. You are less likely to feel terrible later on, knowing you prevented suffering. Good vibes for whatever you do.

PHarber-Murphy said:

 
I am so sorry to hear that Katie isn't improving. My heart really goes out to you two.

Yesterday I posted a thread on the Crossing the Bridge section about this very decision, because Mr. Grimsby doesn't seem to be improving, either. I have decided that, even if his underlying medical condition (arthritis) isn't life-threatening, the pain and suffering he's going through now make his life miserable. I don't want to prolong it unnecessarily or unfairly. If the vet can't get him to a neutral point, then I will have him put to sleep. Their advice might be of some help to you, too.

Best regards,

Click to expand...

I'm so sorry to hear about Mr. G. I posted in your thread.

I completely agree with the quality of life piece - it's not just about terminal illness, but chronic illness too. My vet made a point to differentiate the two when we had a good heart to heart on the phone yesterday. She talked about so many of her clients that have a really hard time making a decision when their pet has a chronic illness vs. a terminal one. Since she specializes in senior pets and end-of-life care, this is her area of expertise. She sees a lot of death in her practice and chose to do the mobile service so elderly and sick pets are cared for.

Suffering is suffering. And it can very easily include mental, psychological and emotional suffering along with the physical. Katie is in pain physically and she is becoming more miserable mentally because of all the treatments. I am still at the point where I don't know if she'll pull through this or not. The vet said this could be a longer recovery period of the pancreatitis, or we could be looking at something else going on, like IBD, cancer, etc. Since that testing will be invasive to find out (and may be inconclusive anyway), my only option is palliative care, which I'm doing.

Don't let anyone make you feel guilty for putting him down if you decide to do that. We all know our pets best and we are the best people to determine when they have had enough. I'd rather say goodbye a day early than a day too late. I made a promise to Katie when I rescued her that I will never allow her to suffer - and 18 years later I intend to keep that promise.

Please let me know how Mr. G is doing!

Thanks very much for your kind words. I hope Katie is feeling better today.

I visited Mr. G. at the vet, and he looked much better today. They said he has been alert and moving around, eating and drinking some. We had a good hour of cuddles before I let him go back to his temporary shelter with his own pillow and heat pad (I didn't take them in yesterday because I wasn't sure I would be leaving him). He had obviously been in some stress because the blanket in his carrier was pretty pungent and he smelled odd. I intend for my visits to ease his stress, so no medical procedures were performed while I was there. By the time he left, though, he smelled more like his old self.

He looked really good, but that could just be the sub-q fluids and Prednisone. Still, if he continues in this way for a few more days, I'll bring him home for the weekend. All in all, it's very encouraging. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Best regards.