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September 21, 2007
She Walks Very Well
When we were in college, my roommate and I decided we were way too negative. So we decided that for a few days we would say nothing but positive things about other people.
We challenged ourselves to say something nice about a list of people.
When we got to the annoying girlfriend of one of our friends, my roommate said, "She walks very well. I've never seen her trip."
So it's rather ironic that early Friday morning, I was almost in tears with relief when I could say this about Philomena, my somewhere between 19 and 22 year old calico cat.
After a very long day of negotiations, a drive back from Scranton, a quick dinner, and an early night-night, I'd woken up at 2 am to find that Philomena was limping and unable to walk. Her back left leg seemed unable to bear weight.
Needless to say, I was terrified. I went to bed and the cat could walk. I wake up and the cat can't walk. She was dragging herself around on her other feet, then would collapse in exhaustion.
I picked up a comforter and blanket and set up camp in the hallway next to her. I brought her a bowl of water and a bowl of fresh cat food, which she drank and ate from a lying down position. She couldn't even get up to eat.
I petted her for hours. She purred, and then she'd fall asleep for awhile. She'd twich as she dreamed her little kitty dreams, and I lay staring at her with tears in my eyes hoping this wasn't to be one of our last nights together.
The cat takes a fall from time to time: being dizzy and disoriented is a symptom of her thyroid condition, and like any old organism, her bones are brittler than they used to be. I was so afraid that if she had a break, it couldn't be set without surgery, and I doubt this cat would survive surgery. She's just so old. She's on fluids for kidney disease and meds for thyroid. She's a bit demented and never knows exactly where her food is until we point it out. But she's the sweetest girl in the world, would rather pet than eat, and loves to cuddle all the time.
By morning she was doing better, and I finally slept for about half an hour while she slept. At eight o'clock sharp I phoned the vet and they said they could see us at 9:40.
I phoned Edward and told him I was taking a vacation day to care for my kitty. Not a problem.
By 8:30, she was walking again.
By 9, she was doing well enough to run from me when I tried to get her into the carrier.
Yes, whatever was wrong with the cat mysteriously disappeared by morning. She was walking and jumping just fine. However, it's very good that we took her to the vet, because apparently older and hyperthyroid cats have claws that grow very fast and very hard, and hers were overgrown, causing some problems with her balance that could contribute to falls. One was grown into her paw pad, causing much discomfort, no doubt. So they trimmed her claws, fixed up her paw pad, took her labs, and gave her a bit dose of sub-q fluids. She was exhausted but feeling fine by the time she got home, and she's been eating ravenously ever since.
Looks like Philo will make it a little while longer. Yea!
I know she's just a cat, but I love her so much. She's my little baby, and while I recognize she can't be with us much longer, I cherish every moment we get to pet and purr.
Since she was fine, I went out with my two good friends last night. We hit Tria, so the trio re-united at Tria. It's a great wine bar with five ounce pours and little tiny appetizers. We shared a bunch and drank some excellent French reds. It was great to catch up with my friends.
Today was a light day, since I ate out last night. Hitting 1200 by the end of the day with way over the RDA of calcium thanks to cottage cheese, yogurt, and three slices of nonfat cheese. For dinner we ate collard green salads with raw collard greens topped with a variety of ingredients. I accidentally bought collards instead of turnip greens, so I had to use them up somehow. I actually really like them raw, and enjoy them on a salad. MR liked them too. I made him a huge salad with collards, Quorn, steamed zucchini and asparagus, shiitake mushrooms, eggwhites, Walden Farms Caesar dressing, red wine vinegar, tarragon vinegar, garlic, and Worsterschire sauce. Plus two teaspoons of oil: flax and olive, and a ricotta/hazelnut parfait on the side for dessert with Walden Farms chocolate sauce. I just had collards with cottage cheese, salsa and flax oil. Light dinner for a light day. Two glasses of an excellent French red.
I'm still so tired from the week, but somehow managed to address some of the housework. Cleaned the bathroom, figured out how to change the filter on the vacuum, and tidied up the living room a bit. The kitchen scrub and laundry await tomorrow. There's never enough time in the weekend, is there?
Next week will be very, very busy. Meetings, negotiations, MR has an interview with the Washington Post in DC. I'm tired just thinking about it. But for now I'm going to cuddle up with my kitty and be glad to be alive.
Posted by april at September 21, 2007 8:13 PM
Comments
I hope Philomena continues to walk well for a while yet. I know all too well the joys and sorrows of an elderly cat.
Posted by: Sara at September 23, 2007 2:36 AM
Arthritis occurs in all animals, not just humans. And aspirin relieves the pain of arthritis in all animals, not just humans. If you give Philomena a proportionate amount of aspirin, then her arthritis symptoms will be alleviated and she will feel remarkably better and happier ... and so will you.
Posted by: CRWilliam at September 23, 2007 11:36 AM