Steven's Feline Friday: An Update On Elvis

"Cats are rather delicate creatures and they are subject to a good many ailments, but I never heard of one who suffered from insomnia."

-Joseph Wood Krutch

It's Feline Friday Time :)

This cat! Remember a few weeks ago, when Alan and I both had colds? Well, it seems that Elvis took notice, and decided to catch a cold right along with us. The cold passed, but the sinus infection didn't. He has a bad sinus infection. Snnneeeezee, wheeeeeeeze, SnoorrrrrSNORRRRRRE! LOL. He is making the strangest noises, but he is on the road to recovery, thanks to a bottle of the anti-biotic called Clavamox. It smells a little like bubblegum, and the drama factor of giving him his twice a day dose is only a little... well... dramatic. LOL. He is a good boy, with plenty of patience for his mommy forcing him to drink the foul, pasty, white goo. He is doing ok with his diabetes, although after his visit with Dr. "B" this week his dose is now up to 4 units. :(

I am having the hardest time convincing him to eat. He does better if the weather doesn't get too hot, anything over 85 and he becomes little melting kitty. So, I think we are going to replace the air-conditioner in a couple weeks, because Elvis can't take another summer like last year. If it was just us, I think I would try to stick it out another season, but Elvis has never done well in the warmer weather, and with our new adventure, I just need to make him as comfy as possible. He likes his sunglasses, he likes his hats, and like his mommy, he will be happy when autumn is here. :)

Like it says above, it's Feline Friday time! Friday is the day of the week, my friend Steven sets aside to honor the cats in our lives. It's easy to play along, and you can get all the information by visiting his blog, (sometimes) photoblog.

:)

-OndineMonet
"Cool Kitty"
March 14th, 2005
Berkeley, California
Afternoon

Steven's Feline Friday: Elvis... The New Adventure Begins!

"You will always be lucky if you know how to make friends with strange cats."

-Proverb

My little boy is home! The adventure with his new health regimen begins! He had a difficult afternoon, as he had to say goodbye to Dr."B" and his two favorite nurses, "M" and "D." Elvis always enjoys seeing them, once he gets to the doctor's office, it's the traveling in-between that he doesn't care for. He is scared of the sound of sirens, and unfortunately there was a fire truck going by just as Alan stepped out of the doctor's office with him. It scared Elvis pretty bad, but it was soon over with, and the office isn't too far away, so they were home in just a few minutes. After a half hour or so of giving us the cold shoulder, he was his same old self. Grinning, chasing his laser mouse, and when it came time for his first injection of insulin, we were much more nervous then he was! LOL.

Alan gave him his first dose, just after dinner. It couldn't have gone smoother. :) Then it was my time with Elvis, as I gave him a treat of two Tbs. Beef and Gravy Gerber's baby food. We will have to keep that on hand now, as it will be a regular part of his insulin schedule. Later on this morning, at around 5:00 am, it will be my turn to give him an injection. Gulp! Actually, I am not worried. He and I will do a little Yoga, have our Wheaties, and then he will hold my paw as I cowboy up, and give him a shot for the first time. :) I can do this?! I can do this! Right?

:)

Here is Elvis, after he came home last night. :)

Dr "B" had to shave his neck a bit in order to draw his blood. :( That kinda caught me off guard a bit. he has to have his blood checked again next week, so it might be a while before he looks the same, but he is being a good sport. Like I said, I am the Nervous Nelly... not him! LOL.

He was a happy little guy last night, just after we took this photo, he got a new red collar, with a heart shaped tag which reads, "I am Diabetic." It was recommended as a precaution, should he ever somehow get out of the yard.

This is my entry for this week's edition of Feline Friday, the day my pal Steven has set aside to honor the cats we love. You can find out all the information you need to play along by visiting his blog, (sometimes) photoblog.


PS Thanks everyone for the emails and comments regarding my previous post. Your good thoughts and wishes really helped a lot! :)


"No life is so hard that you can't make it easier by the way you take it."

-Ellen Glasgow

-OndineMonet
"Elvis In Shades"
May 29th, 2007
Berkeley, California
Late Afternoon

Insert Cat Here

"An animals eyes have the power to speak a great language."

-Martin Buber

It's been a tough week, but it's getting better. Sigh. It all started kind of slow, it was subtle little things. Elvis was just not his usual self. Even as I sit here right now, it's difficult to describe his symptoms. He was his same happy little self, alert and eager to play. He had a good appetite, and he would greet us when we came home, but his afternoon naps where suddenly much longer than usual, and he had begun to lose weight. That was the first big signal we had, that something wasn't right. He had also begun to sneeze... a lot. And with the sneezing came the wheezing and some coughing, then just as suddenly as it began, it all stopped and seemed to be gone. Everything seemed normal again, but at his birthday party Alan and I noticed he was a good bit thinner than he was at his last weigh-in last February. We decided to call his vet, Dr. "B" and tell him what was happening. Dr. "B" said to bring him in last Thursday, early in the morning, for blood work and a urine test. We found out Friday, that Elvis has advanced Diabetes.

It was a terrible thing to find out. All kinds of terrible thoughts ran through my mind about how I was about to lose my best little buddy. Sigh. I was reeling a good bit, when Alan reminded me to do what I always do when something changes in my life, do some research, find out the facts, and educate myself. That is the way forward. So, feeling really lost and scared about what kind of decisions might be in front of us, I went and did my homework. As it turns out, while Elvis's diabetes is advanced, we can get it under control, and help him stay on the right track with an adjustment to his diet, and two injections daily of insulin. We can do that! He will be fine, it just means paying a little closer attention to him when he eats, to make sure he does indeed eat his meals, and when he is done, we give him a shot of insulin, followed by a treat.

Dr. "B" says that a spoonful or two of his favorite baby food or some plain cooked chicken will do fine. Whew! We are lucky, in that there was no damage done to his liver or kidneys, and other than the diabetes, he is in excellent health. He has to do some special exercises to gain back some of the muscle tone he has lost, but we will be able to help him with that, especially now that he will begin to feel like his old self, as the insulin does it's job. The most difficult part will be the first time I have to give him and injection. Sigh. It will be a lot worse for me, than for him. LOL. But I will be learning how to do that later today, and I will be able to deal with it. I have done more than one thing in this life I would have sworn I wouldn't have survived, and in the end, I did indeed get through it.

He has been in the hospital for the last couple days, while Dr. "B" regulates his insulin intake. It was hard sending him off last Monday, with his favorite hat on and his stuffed monkey, "Cap-N-Federick" by his side. He didn't even fuss about being put into his carrier, an event which usually brings about a good bit of protest! LOL. Not this time, he simply gave his daddy a dirty look and sat down on his companion, and said nothing. I think I wished in that moment he would have given me that defiant "NO" mew, which really does sound like he is saying, "NO!"

Alan and I have been alone since Monday morning. It's the first time in a long time, and it was strange to realize how much time we had spent with him individually and the three of us as a family. Elvis is our child. He is a part of every single day, and is a factor in the decisions we make. We take our jobs as parents to this cat seriously. Not everyone does. A point which has caused a good bit of stress lately with a neighbor of ours. There is a responsibility in owning a pet, and sometimes I wish it could be regulated who is allowed to keep a pet and who isn't, but I will save that rant for another entry.

Anyway, Alan and I both have head colds. It is the second one I have had since the first of the year. Apparently when I get stressed out to a certain level, I catch a head cold. LOL. The fact that Alan and I are both sick, at the same time, is another thing which hasn't happened in quite some time. LOL. We have been having record heat in the Bay Area... just making things about as uncomfortable as it can be, but he and I have been enjoying our time together anyway. The other night we ate Stouffer's Macaroni and Cheese in bed, while we watched a spooky movie on TV. Last night it was soup and the very scary Irwin Allen movie, "The Swarm." LOL. There is nothing better than macaroni and cheese, a head cold which produces a fever of at least 101, a comfy bed, and the company of someone you love. I just wish Elvis could have been there also, stealing a bite of the cheesy noodle yumminess. Noodles of any kind make him giggle. :)

Today will be a good day.The temperature is supposed to be 70 degrees. Whew! My fever is down to 99, and we pick Elvis up from Dr."B" this afternoon. We will be fine, the three of us, we will work it out together. It's just another one of our adventures. Right? Oh, and in case you are wondering about the pamphlet in the above photo, well see, Dr. "B" had run out of the pamphlets with cats on the cover, so he gave us the one with the dog, and said, "wherever it says dog insert cat." Hmmm... cats and dogs are treated the same way. That makes sense... I guess. LOL. Elvis would hate knowing he shares something with dogs. LOL. I don't think I will tell him. Nope. Not a good idea. LOL. See, I still have my sense of humor, thank goodness, because I think I am going to need it. :)

-OndineMonet