My two sweet kitties turned 10 years old earlier this year! While both of them have enjoyed good health for the most part, it turns out that Rose has a delicate stomach so we've had to order special Veterinarian-prescribed food for her. I've also switched to using "World's Best Cat Litter" because of my own sensitivities (allergies?) to most of the other name brand litter.
I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I've had a life-long allergies to pet dander! I've been able to manage this around my kitties by taking over the counter antihistamine (like Claritin) and I wash my hands after petting and cuddling them. There have been a few times where I've forgotten to wash my hands, and then rubbed my eyes, and then had to deal with swollen, teary eyes until I could take a shower or splash water into my eyes.
So the biggest news is about Rose -- she's developed hyperthyroidism :(.
It took quite a while for us to notice that something was wrong with her -- she's super sweet and shy and snuggly (everyone loves her) but she started to lose weight and I noticed that she'd start having daily diarrhea and losing her appetite. When she stopped eating, I took her to the vet for a check-up and blood test, and that's when we found out about her hyperthyroidism.
The first meds we gave her were a liquid that we were supposed to feed her, but she spat it out and fought pretty hard not to open her mouth. We then switched to a cream that we rubbed into her ear (with gloves on so I didn't accidentally get it on my skin!) Rose accepted that treatment and things were okay for a while.
Things went bad when my family went on vacation to Europe. We had a pet-sitting service come into our home each day to feed the cats, give Rose her meds, and change the litter while we were gone. One evening, while we were having a lovely dinner in Paris, the pet sitter called us and said that Rose was having a medical emergency where she was panting, lethargic, and her heart was racing. The pet sitter took Rose to the emergency vet (it was a Sunday) and we found out that Rose had experienced heart failure--her heart was enlarged and fluid was getting into her lungs (probably due to her hyperthyroidism.) The vet put Rose on oxygen and heart meds right away, and Rose stayed overnight. While we waited to see if Rose would make it through the night, we discussed our options. The emergency vet costs were adding up very quickly, and her prognosis was not optimistic, so we discussed the possibility of "putting her down" -- ugh! I did not sleep at all that night, of course, and waited by my cell phone to hear back from the vet.
Fortunately, Rose did recover, and the pet sitter took her home with a bunch of meds that Rose would need to take twice a day. (We increased the dosage of her thyroid meds, too.) Rose wasn't crazy about the meds, but we give her lots of praise and extra snuggles, and I've bought several catnip plants and toys as rewards for her.
Note: The Pet Sitter's caring and quick action saved my sweet Rose's life! I thanked them profusely and gave them a huge tip to thank them! I was very sad to hear that their Pet Sitting business would be closing this month, so we won't be able to use them again when we're traveling. :(
It's been a month since Rose's heart failure episode. I brought her into her regular vet for a checkup today, and her weight is back to normal, her appetite is back to normal, and she seems much happier and energetic! I'm so happy to see that the meds are finally making a difference. And I'm treasuring every day I have with my sweet Rose. According to the vet, with her condition, we might only have a few months left with her...
By the way, through the entire ordeal, Pearl has felt a bit left out and has acted out a bit (attention-seeking behavior, acting annoyed and stand-offish when Rose is getting extra attention.) Kind of like a jealous sister! So I've been trying to give Pearl extra cuddles and snuggles so that she knows we haven't forgotten her and love her too. I have a special "Pearl time" in the morning when I just focus on playing with and snuggling Pearl, and I think it helps. 💕
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