Sore back legs, vacant at times, sits a lot... then goes and does the complete opposite, too...

donutte · Jan 19, 2016

Indeed, Graham still has quite a bit left in him. Enjoy the "little victories" as I like to call them. It's really amazing how having someone you love be sick will make you appreciate the smallest things. I mean, being appreciative of a poop! When else would you be so appreciative over a poop?? I almost jumped up and down reading how well he was doing. And when you said he took a leap, it brought back such a pleasant memory of Lucky taking a leap up onto my bed (which was REALLY high) when he hadn't in ages, all because I was getting a "mommy treat" and he thought he was getting another one too :lol3:

Life is so much more full of little moments than big ones. We really learn to appreciate the smaller ones more when we go through this stuff. Not to get philosophical or anything, just something I've noted.

Anyway, it does sound like he's still got some "piss and vinegar" left in him, as my mom would say. She has a lot of good sayings, lol.

cat nap · Jan 19, 2016

blur said:
All good ideas, thank you! Re: a 'case of the crazies' Graham has been doing that until just recently! He would usually start proceedings by laying flat on the arm of the lounge, arms outstretched, then turn his head slowly upside down as he looked at my wife and I... like some sort of weird horror movie... then LAUNCH into the air and run up and down the hall at 100 km/h. Bizarre. And funny.

Anyway... a quick Graham update.

18 Jan 2016: I arrived home from work and he was laying on the lounge. He didn't bound over to me, like he used to when I came home from work a month ago. He did acknowledge me, however, and rose. Arched his back very sharply, then jumped off the lounge and walked over to me, with a bit of a wobble to one side. I was happy to see him move at all, but also sad to see how he has declined. Within 30 mins of me being home he went to his litter and I followed. He passed a surprising amount of gas, then did a little diarrhea. And I do mean a little. It wasn't bad. But it certainly wasn't good to see him with that on top of everything else. Over the course of the evening, as the sun went down and the temperature dropped to "normal", he perked up a bit. But still seemed quite off in some ways.

19 Jan 2016: I spent the day at work trying hard not to think about the diarrhea on top of everything else, and pondering if we'll put Graham through an x-ray this week. When I got home, he was already on his feet and trotted to the lounge near the front door, climbed onto it, then climbed onto its arm, so he could get a pat from me as I entered the house... just like "old times", albeit with him seeming a little rough around the edges. This made me very happy, as you can imagine. I had some glucosamine treats for him and he gobbled them and became very excited and vocal for more, which also made me smile. I checked his litter and he had made a decent, solid BM, so by this point I was over the moon. Again, as the sun set and the temperature cooled, he became even better. Still with his slight stagger, etc, but honestly I couldn't have been happier with what I was seeing from him. Better than expected.

20 Jan 2016: This only covers the morning; the last few hours, basically. But I just want to say Graham got up with me, trotted down the hall, breakfasted, drank and, when I was sitting on the lounge watching breakfast TV, decided he wouldn't climb onto the arm of the chair, but would take a huge Superman leap from ground level. He made it... just... and almost fell off in the process. Oh, Graham!

Takeaway to date: I really don't know what to make of the little guy. He can seem so lame at times, and is definitely not the cat he was a month ago, but he's taking these occasional leaps (both onto and off of, furniture), and occasionally trotting or even running fast and I think, "If he was in pain, would he be doing all of this...?!?" Yet if he wasn't in pain, why would he choose to carry himself so differently and oddly to just a month ago? Something still seems up to me. I'm taking onboard the disc comments but also wondering at the same time if it might be just a muscle pull or similar. This has me wondering whether I should give it a little longer before we take that $500 route? The money's not a problem, but the thought of wasting it certainly is. Because even if it is a slipped disc, which I have had IRL myself, I'm watching him move relatively freely and still even do a lot of kitten-like things and thinking it can't be bothering him "hugely" yet, so surely waiting is an option still on the table?

If it was me, I would probably wait awhile longer, to take the x-ray. I'd still ask the vet about the possible 'spinal stenosis' but I'd be hesitant to give any added pain meds unless Graham were really uncomfortable and not moving. (I'm sure that there are other pain meds that you could try, but then again, Graham sounds like he would take full advantage, and start doing 'cart-wheels' or back flips.)

Idk, it's very hard to assess how much pain they actually feel, because they hide it so well, and then turn around and do those 100km/hr whirlwind runs.

@blur...You are so right, these little cats sure do have an incredible way of making us feel good. I think I love the wild side in them, and then the tame, and loving, gentle aspects. They are just amazing creatures, who we are lucky to have with us, to share our homes with.

He'll always be "Graham the Cat....a force of nature" to you. No matter what age, or any 'slowing down' or ailments, or ways in which he acts.
I think at first, that it's hard to watch any of our animals getting older with age, but then you realize that it's the way things go, and after a bit of worry, sadness, contemplation, whatever...you end up reaching a new understanding of how amazing and how in stride they take any ailments in life. I think our cats/animals teach us a lot.

Yes, you may have to stop 'overly worrying', and eventually get to a point where you accept that your worries won't change how Graham is, or worry won't change any treatment options, and just do the best you can, with the options before you.

You're doing a great job with Graham, so just going to work, doing your daily stuff, and getting to smooch on him, when you get home, each day,...sounds like a pretty good day.

Donutte said:
Indeed, Graham still has quite a bit left in him. Enjoy the "little victories" as I like to call them. It's really amazing how having someone you love be sick will make you appreciate the smallest things. I mean, being appreciative of a poop! When else would you be so appreciative over a poop?? I almost jumped up and down reading how well he was doing. And when you said he took a leap, it brought back such a pleasant memory of Lucky taking a leap up onto my bed (which was REALLY high) when he hadn't in ages, all because I was getting a "mommy treat" and he thought he was getting another one too

Life is so much more full of little moments than big ones. We really learn to appreciate the smaller ones more when we go through this stuff. Not to get philosophical or anything, just something I've noted.

Anyway, it does sound like he's still got some "piss and vinegar" left in him, as my mom would say. She has a lot of good sayings, lol.

So, so, true. "Having someone you love be sick" does "make you appreciate the smallest things". Poops, and Bowel Movements, are big time happiness.

(Having a lot of "piss and vinegar" left...lol...I like your mom's sayings. I think they built the older generation, tougher, back then.) Much like our older, senior cats are tough, too.

cat nap · Jan 19, 2016

blur said:
....
....

Takeaway to date: I really don't know what to make of the little guy. He can seem so lame at times, and is definitely not the cat he was a month ago, but he's taking these occasional leaps (both onto and off of, furniture), and occasionally trotting or even running fast and I think, "If he was in pain, would he be doing all of this...?!?" Yet if he wasn't in pain, why would he choose to carry himself so differently and oddly to just a month ago? Something still seems up to me. I'm taking onboard the disc comments but also wondering at the same time if it might be just a muscle pull or similar. This has me wondering whether I should give it a little longer before we take that $500 route? The money's not a problem, but the thought of wasting it certainly is. Because even if it is a slipped disc, which I have had IRL myself, I'm watching him move relatively freely and still even do a lot of kitten-like things and thinking it can't be bothering him "hugely" yet, so surely waiting is an option still on the table?

@blur Because you did say money was not a problem, maybe then the x-ray route, is not such a bad idea...for 'peace of mind'. I wouldn't really look at it, as wasting the money, even if nothing showed up on the x-ray, because you'd know that a professional vet looked at the spine. You should be able to get copies of all x-rays, bloodwork, etc...if you ever wanted a second vet's opinion, too. They're usually good about it, when you just tell them that it's for your own records.

(I also spent $730 CAD on a heart-ultrasound, for my senior cat, which turned out to show that he only had early stage HCM, and his kidneys (CKD) is what eventually ended his life. I totally worried about the wrong disease and thought the heart would fail first. But I'm so glad I did get the ultrasound. I worried a whole lot less after it, and driving home, decided that my 'worries' would not change any health-outcomes in my cat.)

There was one thing you mentioned in your first post, about the appetite stimulant, and how Graham ate, and ate. I'm not sure which one you were given, but some members, had mentioned that their cats could take less of a dose, down to 1/8th of a tab...depending upon the med. Your vet would have to give the okay, ...but it's good to keep this in mind, for a senior cat...because many of us, have found that our senior cats don't like to eat as much, or become more fussy. So we basically try everything to get them to eat enough, each day.

Thanks for your updates. Graham is great. Why he decides to leap like Superman...I don't know.

DreamerRose · Jan 19, 2016

blur said:
All good ideas, thank you! Re: a 'case of the crazies' Graham has been doing that until just recently! He would usually start proceedings by laying flat on the arm of the lounge, arms outstretched, then turn his head slowly upside down as he looked at my wife and I... like some sort of weird horror movie... then LAUNCH into the air and run up and down the hall at 100 km/h. Bizarre. And funny.

Anyway... a quick Graham update.

18 Jan 2016: I arrived home from work and he was laying on the lounge. He didn't bound over to me, like he used to when I came home from work a month ago. He did acknowledge me, however, and rose. Arched his back very sharply, then jumped off the lounge and walked over to me, with a bit of a wobble to one side. I was happy to see him move at all, but also sad to see how he has declined. Within 30 mins of me being home he went to his litter and I followed. He passed a surprising amount of gas, then did a little diarrhea. And I do mean a little. It wasn't bad. But it certainly wasn't good to see him with that on top of everything else. Over the course of the evening, as the sun went down and the temperature dropped to "normal", he perked up a bit. But still seemed quite off in some ways.

19 Jan 2016: I spent the day at work trying hard not to think about the diarrhea on top of everything else, and pondering if we'll put Graham through an x-ray this week. When I got home, he was already on his feet and trotted to the lounge near the front door, climbed onto it, then climbed onto its arm, so he could get a pat from me as I entered the house... just like "old times", albeit with him seeming a little rough around the edges. This made me very happy, as you can imagine. I had some glucosamine treats for him and he gobbled them and became very excited and vocal for more, which also made me smile. I checked his litter and he had made a decent, solid BM, so by this point I was over the moon. Again, as the sun set and the temperature cooled, he became even better. Still with his slight stagger, etc, but honestly I couldn't have been happier with what I was seeing from him. Better than expected.

20 Jan 2016: This only covers the morning; the last few hours, basically. But I just want to say Graham got up with me, trotted down the hall, breakfasted, drank and, when I was sitting on the lounge watching breakfast TV, decided he wouldn't climb onto the arm of the chair, but would take a huge Superman leap from ground level. He made it... just... and almost fell off in the process. Oh, Graham!

Takeaway to date: I really don't know what to make of the little guy. He can seem so lame at times, and is definitely not the cat he was a month ago, but he's taking these occasional leaps (both onto and off of, furniture), and occasionally trotting or even running fast and I think, "If he was in pain, would he be doing all of this...?!?" Yet if he wasn't in pain, why would he choose to carry himself so differently and oddly to just a month ago? Something still seems up to me. I'm taking onboard the disc comments but also wondering at the same time if it might be just a muscle pull or similar. This has me wondering whether I should give it a little longer before we take that $500 route? The money's not a problem, but the thought of wasting it certainly is. Because even if it is a slipped disc, which I have had IRL myself, I'm watching him move relatively freely and still even do a lot of kitten-like things and thinking it can't be bothering him "hugely" yet, so surely waiting is an option still on the table?

Blur, I am so glad to hear from you. It's hard to communicate when you are on the other side of the world. I am really worried about your cat. I did some Internet research on spinal stenosis in cats, and it turns out it's often overlooked by vets. It's called feline lumboscral disease. You can google this too to find out what I did. It is diagnosed by an x-ray, and I urge you to do that. At the least , it will rule this out. If it turns out lumboscral disease is what this is, it is treatable. There are several sites that provide information on this condition, but here is one that includes a case description.

http://veterinaryteam.dvm360.com/disk-disease-its-not-just-dogs

blur · Jan 19, 2016

The thoughts in my head at the present time, in response to cat nap & Dreamer Rose and just "in general" are if I go the x-ray route, and he's OK... great. Peace of mind, for sure. But if the x-ray reveals "something", further investigation (like the $2500-plus MRI) is off the table, and even surgery like the ones mentioned in the article from DR are likely out, too. Partly cost, but also partly the stress on Graham in general.

It's weird, but as I am more relaxed with his current situation, I am being more pragmatic than I would have been, say, last week.

I look at Graham, heading towards 16 later this year, and think about how he seems at present, and how long it might take for any spinal condition to be causing serious issues (in the article, the owner had a cat who couldn't move, couldn't be touched, etc, before taking things further), and I ponder whether sitting back and observing a little might not pay dividends, not in terms of strictly $$$, but in terms of his general comfort? As a house cat, with no children or other cats in the house, I know he's comfortable, unstressed, etc.

Meanwhile, even a glance at his travelling cage, let alone going to the vets, drives him into uncontrolled panic and he becomes a wild little tiger with a completely different personality.

(This goes back to visits to the vet early in his life when he suffered from cystitis and had to be manually expelled many times before, eventually, having his whole waterworks "re-shaped" (I will always remember the polite way the vet put it), and since then has never blocked again and has seen the inside of a vets rarely... but when he senses he's going there, he throws a fit of nuclear Armageddon proportions.)

So, I ask myself, even if we do knock him out, take an x-ray, etc, if there is a spinal stenosis issue, are we actually going to operate and be that invasive? i think the answer to that is, no. Would it be more along the lines of, lose some weight, etc? I think that's more likely -- and something I should probably be doing for him at this stage of life regardless. Also keep in mind he's been on a NSAID these past couple of weeks - part of the treatment mentioned in that article - and it didn't do a thing for him and the vet pulled him off it.

So many questions...

DreamerRose · Jan 19, 2016

He probably wouldn't need surgery. That's for humans, who walk on their hind legs. It's treatable without invasive surgery. Read some more of what's on the Internet. Treatment is worth doing if it means that last years of his life are pain-free. And don't hesitate to ask your vet if it's a possibility.

blur · Jan 19, 2016

The article you referenced speaks specifically about surgical options for the treatment of degenerative lumbosacral stenosis: "... a combination of dorsal laminectomy, diskectomy (removal of an intervertebral disk), foraminotomy (widening of the opening that the nerve runs through), or surgical separation or fusion depending on the degree of disease present."

Agreed, surgery might not always be needed, but it's definitely a path that's there to be explored for a vet, depending on how bad they think things are.

DreamerRose · Jan 19, 2016

Some of the other articles mentioned interventions that did not include surgery. But first, you need to have the x-rays done.

cat nap · Jan 19, 2016

@DreamerRose That article was extremely interesting. Thank you for posting it.

I never even knew that a disk disease could be infectious. And this article is always one to keep on file, and ask the vet, if our cats develop arthritic-like conditions.

Really the issue comes down to what @blur sees, with what is going on with Graham. Only he can make the judgement call, and the best decision, with weighing the pros and cons.

(My natural instinct is always to jump to the 'worst case scenerio' ...but that is why I rely on my vets to make the diagnosis, give me advice, options, directions. But I also weigh my options, too, and try to gather more information, and ask the vets more questions. In this way, I feel I try to do what is right for my own cats. Often, I make mistakes, but then I have to live with my decisions and learn from them. We all just do our best.)

If Graham has an intense fear of vet places, then I'm not sure if I'd put him through the added stress, either.

It's really a tough call. If Graham were acting worse, then it would be easier to decide, but since he's not anywhere near where the lady's cat in the article was, then I'm not so sure.

Again, we're all just guessing at what the problem may be, so really it comes down to @blur and what you actually see on a daily basis. Also what your wife sees, because she may be another set of eyes, that can add another view, on how she sees Graham acting.

Even in the article, the vet tech did say that she first tried glucosamine and gave it time to work, so perhaps that route would be okay, too.

blur · Jan 19, 2016

That's quite right, Cat Nap. I can't successfully diagnose, even with him infront of me, so relying on my erratic scribblings about what I see means everyone else is yet another step removed. It's not ideal... but it is what it is, I guess.

The last thing I want is for him to be in any sort of trouble. You sometimes read posts where people are like, "Well, his back legs are now totally paralysed... should I go to the vet?" or "Well, he's lying in a pool of his own urine... I think it might be time?" and I can scarcely believe people let things go to that degree.

Right now with Graham, I see a cat who's different to the cat from a month ago, but my wife is actually catching me out when I point to something I think is wrong and she'll comment, "He's been like that for some time..." which kind of adds credence to the vet watching his movement and behaviour in early January and thinking arthritis (which has come on, over some time).

Her questions at the time, including whether he liked to climb, rather than jump ("Er, yes, he's liked to climb for some years now I think about it..."), and her observations might have been more on the money than I was believing at the time. At the time, of course, I was over-observing him and thinking the worst via Dr Google (as covered earlier).

So I'm not going to let things go to the extent you read in other posts, or on other sites. Not at all. I guess I'm trying to observe and not leap to conclusions that will involve taking him into a place that stresses him out. But if his breathing became laboured or he fell over or something definitive... zoom... we're going there in the car right away.

We might still end up in an x-ray scenario. Although people may come to read these words in months or even years to come (and reading post after post and skipping through time), this is all playing out "in real time" as I type this, so it's a slower process when you're playing a bit of a waiting game, and not entirely comfortable.

Hope where my head's at makes sense!

cat nap · Jan 19, 2016

Yes, it entirely makes sense.

I find the internet is great for information, but ultimately I end up using that info and asking more questions, too.

The reason I like this Site, is because I find it contains a lot of information, support, and advice. Ultimately, though, I still have to put into practice what I have learned.

We're basically all just learning from each other, here.

And you are so right, about the "in real time" being "a much slower process." I guess we forget that injuries need time to heal, meds need time to work, and even seeing differences in our cats with food takes some time. I think it has to do with the fact that their lives are shorter than ours, so we tend to do things a bit quicker, and expect things to work a bit faster. We're all pretty much the same, wanting the best for our cats. And probably fearing that we will miss something.

blur · Jan 19, 2016

That's exactly right. When I made my first post laying it all out, I was actually struck how this epic saga in my head, that has been happening "forever" was only a couple of weeks old, give or take. I think I've got so immersed in it all, especially in the earlier times, that time passed v-e-r-y slowly for me!

The support here is great, BTW, it helps a lot.

blur · Jan 20, 2016

Graham update...

20 Jan, 2016 (afternoon): So I got home from work and, like yesterday, Graham had jumped up on the sofa arm to greet me. He was quicker than the day before; this time he was literally there by the time my wife opened the door. We had a smooch. He jumped down and seemed to be moving "pretty well". My wife said he hadn't eaten much during the day (another stinking hot one), and he hadn't had a lot of water, either. I checked his litter. No BM or urination. Hmmmmmm... tried not to panic too much and went to take a shower. As the shower is near our laundry (where his litter is), he followed me and seemed to realise, "Oh, hey! Litter!" and he had a big pee. That made me happy. Later I saw him drink a bit and eat, too. Maybe it is just a weather thing? He certainly seems to eat and drink more when the heat isn't kicking everyone in the butt, so I'm thinking that could be a major factor. Anyway, as the night wore on, I noticed he was super active and even trying jumps and climbs he hasn't done since new year's. This is lending more credence, to my non-veterinarian mind - that maybe he has had an injury we haven't seen happen, and he's slowly bouncing back from it? Still unsure...

Bottom line: He's still not the cat of one month ago, but the margin between how he's acted these past 48hrs and what he was like a month ago is narrowing a bit. Keep in mind stuff like the paw flicking and ear scratching (despite not having fleas, mites, etc), goes back ages and has never been one of the major, primary areas of concern this past month. Graham remains a mystery... and we remain watching his progress.

blur · Jan 20, 2016

PS: Here's a pic from last night. My wife said he looked up at the dining table and seriously considered a big Superman leap onto it, then deferred to leaping onto a chair, followed by the table. He sat up there for quite some time while she worked at the table. Clever boy, that spot also gets a nice sweep of a/c.

IMG_1180.JPG

blur
Jan 20, 2016

DreamerRose · Jan 20, 2016

He's a handsome boy. I hope he continues to improve. Hot days can take away anyone's appetite.

cat nap · Jan 20, 2016

(That is interesting, because I found that my senior cat liked warm spots, sunny spots, more so than cooler places, but then again, it was never sweltering hot heat here, for long. But he did lay on the cooler floor, too, so I guess it just depended upon how he felt.)

I do think cats are very intelligent, and use their instincts, too, so perhaps...like you noticed, Graham may like cooler A/C spots if his back is feeling hot/slightly sore/inflamed.

As you mentioned before, I find my cats are also most active at dawn, dusk, and certain times at night...so Graham, may just feel his best, then, too.

(Sweet Graham, he was 'considering' another Superman leap.

I find those times the funniest, when you notice your cat is about to do something, and you can actually, almost 'see them thinking' about it, but then they change their minds.)

He really is a handsome cat, as 'DreamerRose' mentioned. He also looks quite soft.

As far as not eating as much, is there any way that you can weigh him weekly, or every second week, and find out if he is losing too much weight?

I know folks have bought special scales, but I just used an ordinary one.

blur · Jan 20, 2016

Yeah, it's interesting... Graham does love the warm spots. he will regularly seek them out and the initial, "Is he dehydrated?" thoughts from new year's came because he'd holed up in a room which had become quite hot during the day. So he does love heat, for sure. But I think with the weather we've been having -- up to 40 degrees celcius -- even Graham is like, "Dude, I need a blast of cold air..." once in awhile at least!

And I'm still surprised at some of the stuff he was trying last night. At one point, he jumped onto the arm of my wing chair. Before I could even say hello, he'd launched vertically onto the top of the wing chair, which sits about in-line with the top of my head. He wobbled a bit on landing, but the fact he did it... that he wanted to do it... and that he did it pretty well... well, that was very surprising to me in general. Again, I don't know what to make of it, versus the sore legs.

Here's a sidestory...

I also spoke to a lady here at work the other day and told her everything you guys know. She is a cat person and "gets it". She even knew the right moment to not make a fuss that I was tearing up at one stage.

Anyway... she made the observation -- that I have also had, but because she said it without prompting I can really believe in it -- that due to being on holidays for a month, I was around Graham "so much" I was seeing heaps more of him than I normally do, and reading far too much into everything he did. Absolutely, he's "different" and has been "off", but other things that are maybe normal for him I've blown out of proportion.

When I'm working, I see this little guy trotting around and eating in the mornings before I leave home... and I see this little guy greeting me at the door and talking every night. And then as the night goes on, plays "crazy man" and runs around. What I haven't seen, on the whole, are the hours in between, day after day, where he's more sleepy, etc. And on holidays, I kept seeing that day after day after day, mixed with the, "he's ill" thoughts in my head. I think it made me think he was more "off" than he actually was... maybe?

None of this is to downplay what's happened. My wife and I both sense something and we know he's old. But I am getting more and more used to the idea that even if something has begun (and I guess "something" has begun in all senior cats), that unless there's a real Joker in the hand yet to be dealt, we have more time with him than some of my fevered moments of earlier this month suggested to me.

And that's a good thing...! Every day I wake up and have Graham trot by my side -- like a dog, really -- down to the kitchen, is a great day.

PS: He is soft... and very cuddly. And he seems to have short legs compared to many cats. It gives him a bit of a kitten-like appearance at times.

donutte · Jan 20, 2016

cat nap said:
I find the internet is great for information, but ultimately I end up using that info and asking more questions, too.

The reason I like this Site, is because I find it contains a lot of information, support, and advice. Ultimately, though, I still have to put into practice what I have learned.
We're basically all just learning from each other, here.

So right about that. I think a lot of people here (including me) end up here in search of a magic cure for something, or to have someone reassure us that some symptom isn't so bad as to warrant a visit to the vet (because goodness knows that would be expensive). In the process of doing that, and ultimately taking my cats to the vet, I've learned so much. And have learned that it's not about finding a magic cure, but rather, in some cases, learning the questions to ask when we go to the vet.

I also know one of the last things anyone wants to hear in the aforementioned search is "You have to go to the vet". But that's the answer you'll get here, and I'm so glad for it. I'm glad it put me into that mind set because I don't question taking my cats in anymore when something doesn't seem right. Like my vet said to me the other day, I know my cats best. And if something seems off, that means there's a good chance something's been brewing for awhile.

cat nap said:
(Sweet Graham, he was 'considering' another Superman leap. :emba: I find those times the funniest, when you notice your cat is about to do something, and you can actually, almost 'see them thinking' about it, but then they change their minds.)

Oh, I now those looks so well. They are usually followed with me saying, "No, no, NO!" and then *crash* lol.

donutte · Jan 20, 2016

blur said:
When I'm working, I see this little guy trotting around and eating in the mornings before I leave home... and I see this little guy greeting me at the door and talking every night. And then as the night goes on, plays "crazy man" and runs around. What I haven't seen, on the whole, are the hours in between, day after day, where he's more sleepy, etc. And on holidays, I kept seeing that day after day after day, mixed with the, "he's ill" thoughts in my head.

That is SOO true. When I'm working in the office, I don't see the kitties all day, but my mom does. And then I work from home, something will seem off, and my mom will tell me, "Oh, don't worry about that, they do that all the time." That happened with Lucky and Sara, and especially the kittens when we first got them. Those little guys used to sleep the entire day away, and then come alive as we went to bed.

blur · Jan 20, 2016

Donutte said:
I also know one of the last things anyone wants to hear in the aforementioned search is "You have to go to the vet". But that's the answer you'll get here, and I'm so glad for it. I'm glad it put me into that mind set because I don't question taking my cats in anymore when something doesn't seem right. Like my vet said to me the other day, I know my cats best. And if something seems off, that means there's a good chance something's been brewing for awhile.

I think that's a good thing. I'm generally proactive in taking Graham to the vet, even though he hates it. Heck, we're only three weeks on from new year's and he's been twice

But I do notice in a lot of forums and Q&A sites and stuff that people do seem very stand-offish with taking their cats at all, even for minor stuff. A bit of a prod can be a good thing.

Sore back legs, vacant at times, sits a lot... then goes and does the complete opposite, too...

Professional cat sitter extraordinaire!

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Professional cat sitter extraordinaire!

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