ElderCat Update

[lagilman]

The meds seem to have dealt with her hypertension (and the suspected, correlated headaches); there's less "mommy I HURT!" crying, which is a blessing for us both.

She's also stopped eating everything that she could get into her bowl, and gone back to her normal grazing habits.  This is both good (any change in habit, at this point, is bad) and bad (she's underweight, and I'd prefer to see her eating more).  Hard to tell right now if she's eating less than she did before the munchies hit...  She's drinking more, but also peeing more, and remaining hydrated, so that's one thing that's going well.

She hides occasionally, which is new and worrying, but so far doesn't seem to mind when I 'find' her.

The real change has been in how much she snuggles.  Pandora was always a sweet lap-cat when it was just the two of us (she didn't like having company over, and would go sulk in the bedroom) but now it's impossible to sit down without her becoming VelcroKitty.  Yesterday when I lay down to read for a bit, she snuggled up, not just at my hip, but all along my side, hip-to-shoulders.  It was sweet but.. a little disturbing, I admit.  And it's not just for warmth, as she's ignoring the heating pad nest we have set up for her.

Meanwhile, I'm making sure to spend time with Boomer, reassuring him he's still momma-two-leg's BEST ginger boy.  He's a little sulky (and is being obnoxious to Pandora whenever he thinks he can get away with it, since she no longer smacks him down), but still sweet.  And yesterday when P was curled up along my side, he came over and cuddled, too.  He doesn't like that she smells sick, but he's not a TOTAL evilchild....

Comments

[mtlawson.livejournal.com]

He's a little sulky (and is being obnoxious to Pandora whenever he thinks he can get away with it, since she no longer smacks him down), but still sweet.

Why do I have the image in my head of my three kids when they try their best to annoy each other?

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

I'm glad that the meds are helping. They do get thin as they ae, though, and I understand your worry. It sounds like she may be feeling a bit needy and insecure, too: in his later life, Caspian did that sort of thing, too. I don't know if it was that he may have been having eyesight issues, but he would get worried sometimes if he didn't know where I was, and shout. When I came to reassure him, he would then want extra cuddles.
Best wishes to Pandora and to Mr Boomer.

[lagilman]

yeah - if it weren't for the heart murmur and the kidney disease, she'd be a picture of aging health (even her teeth are good!). But kidney disease + cat = scary, even at the early stages....

[scarlettina.livejournal.com]

Please give them both cuddles and scritches from me.

[firynze.livejournal.com]

And from me as well! ALL THE SNUGGLES.

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

Sympathies. Been there, done that.

Hugs and much cuddling to Pandora (and Boomer too!)

[fakefrenchie.livejournal.com]

Cuddles to Pandora and Boomer!

[neko-san.livejournal.com]

Aw, snuggle kitty!
My older cat with chronic renal failure has also become much more snugly recently. I tend to do an initial panic of "oh no something's horribly wrong his habits have changed", but even though his numbers are bad, he's acting well enough (hungry, alert, happy, asking for attention).

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

Sympathy.

[jmward14.livejournal.com]

Glad the meds are helping. Sending kitty scritches to both felines and good thoughts to all of you.