Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Meowing Diva

Mom says Mia is driving her crazy. She thinks Mia misses me since I have gone OTRB. She wanders around the house meowing in the middle of the night. This is new for Mia. She has never done this before. She certainly didn't do it when I was around. Mom says she is sniffing my beds. (I had some favorite things such as beds that Mia never really took a liking too and mom hasn't gotten rid of.) She's not really playing much either although mom did get her to play a little with the wand toy recently.

Mia the Diva

I have to admit that I never really was buddies with Mia even though she tried to be my buddy. (I was buddies with Cosmo and never really adjusted to Mia whom mom adopted 2 years after losing Cosmo in the fire). It sounds like Mia misses me. What's mom to do? I don't know if mom is ready to adopt a new kitty yet but maybe it would be good for Mia if she did? Is Mia just being a Diva now that she has the house to herself? Or is she ready for a new brofur or sisfur?  Looking out for mom and Mia from the Rainbow Bridge is hard!

Saturday, May 14, 2016

Letter to CJ

Dearest CJ,

I hope you are running free and enjoying health and happiness in paradise! Helping you to the Rainbow Bridge was the hardest thing I have ever done. I have loved you since the day you reached out your paw to me at Petsmart.

December 26, 2001 I went with the Pottingers and Prices to Petsmart to pick out a new kitty. It was their Christmas present to me. You are and always will be the best Christmas present I have ever received! I walked through the kennels looking at all the kitties. You were near the end of the row. As I approached your kennel you reached out your paw to me. Although Jennifer was hoping I would choose the black kitty because he reminded us of a kitty we shared in college, I knew you were the kitty that would become part of my family. You had chosen me. 

I thought you were the sweetest thing. When we got home, the sweet little kitty went shooting out of the carrier and ran crazy throughout the apartment. I was so surprised I called you crackerjack. You know, as in the surprise you find in the box. CJ would become your name. 

Little did I know how much joy you would provide me. You became pals with brofur Cosmo and you two would spend many years watching bird tv, chasing each other through the home, grooming each other and fighting for nap time on my lap. You both were great lap kitties!

And then disaster struck... February 23, 2012 a devastating fire ripped through our home. I wasn't there to get you and Cosmo safely out. Brofur Cosmo never made it out but miraculously you did. I have no idea how you made it out but I do know that a neighbor found you and she lovingly cared for you until I arrived home. She and her husband provided life saving CPR and oxygen to you until you were stable enough to go to the emergency vet. They gave me a carrier to put you in since ours was lost in the fire. I drove as fast as I could to the emergency vet where they asked me the hardest question I would ever face... Did I want to save you? My answer was yes! It was the best decision of my life and I hope you agree. You were so courageous during your recovery. You were burned badly but yet were so sweet to the vet staff who nursed you back to health. You purred for me every time I came to visit, reassuring me you would be okay. When I took you to our new home I couldn't be happier that someone cared enough to save your life and you would be there for me during such a difficult time.

I struggled after the fire. I struggled with losing Cosmo, with losing everything I owned, with losing the feeling of safety. But I had you. Your loving purrs and head butts helped me heal. 

When you became sick earlier this year I cried. I couldn't stand the thought of you hurting. You had already been through so much. You weren't a young kitty anymore and I feared I would lose you. When I learned it was your thyroid I was a bit relieved because that was something we could treat. I got help from a lot of your pals so I could get you I-131 treatment for your thyroid. It was the gold standard of treatment for the thyroid. It was rare for the treatment to not work but for some reason it didn't work for you. And then you developed a sneeze. A sneeze isn't that big of a deal but yours wouldn't go away and that worried me. We tried several different medications. Each one helped for a few days and gave me hope you would recover.  But the sneeze would return until eventually it became a serious infection. You became feverish and no longer wanted to eat. I was so scared I would lose you and I didn't want you to feel so bad. You looked miserable but yet you still purred, still spent time socializing with me. I wasn't ready to give up on you if there was a chance you could get better. I began syringe feeding and providing fluids for you at home so I didn't have to take you to the vet for that.  To my shock and surprise you started eating again on your own. I was so happy. I thought that meant you were turning the corner and were on your way to recovery!

But then your eye started bothering you. The third eyelid became protruded. I knew that wasn't a good sign. We started you on meds for the eye but it didn't get better. Your sneeze that had mercifully disappeared for a few days was back with a vengeance. Although you were eating, I knew you weren't feeling good. I looked in your eyes and saw the pain. You laid your head down in my lap and sighed. I knew it was time to let you go. I pulled you up to sit on my chest so I could look in your eyes. I made a promise to you that if there was nothing else I could do to help you recover and it was time to go to the Rainbow Bridge I would help you. You stayed in bed with me for most of the night rather than go sleep in your favorite bed. I appreciated that because I knew it would be the last night we'd spend together.

When morning came you didn't care for any food although you did eat a few bites. I think you did that for me. You didn't need to sweet boy, but you did. Then you went to the deck door so I let you out. You spent time out on the deck enjoying the nice weather and watching the birds. When it was time to go to the vet you didn't want to go in to the carrier. I think you knew it was the last time you would go in to it and it broke my heart to put you in it.

Off we went to the vet. You meowed as you usually did in the car. You never liked car rides. But then you laid down and rested your head the remainder of the trip. I began to cry because I knew we were about to say goodbye. When we arrived at the vet we learned what I had feared. Your eye was dead, the infection had damaged it and was ravaging your body. You had lost so much weight and were very weak. The vet asked me what I wanted to do. I cried and said it was time to end your pain. He agreed and said it was the compassionate thing to do. It was obvious the infection wasn't going away despite our efforts. 

You meowed a few times but then climbed on to my arm. As the sedative began to take effect you wrapped your paws around my arm and laid your head down against my side. I couldn't stop crying but I fulfilled my promise to end your pain and told you it was okay to let go. I'm glad I got to say goodbye and that you hugged me as you took your last breath. When I last looked at you I no longer saw a sick kitty. I saw a beautiful boy. You gave me so much joy for so many years! Your courageous story of surviving that horrible fire touched so many lives. You were such a symbol of strength and courage! RIP sweet boy! Run free CJ! 

Love,
Mom


Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Gone to the Rainbow Bridge

Hi pals,

Thank you for all the love and support during my illness. I let mom know last night that it was time to go. I didn't have enough left in me to fight. She understood when I laid my head on her lap that I was tired and ready to go. 

I deteriorated overnight and although weak, wanted some deck time this morning. I spent about 30 minutes sitting outside watching the birds. Mom then put me in the carrier and off we went on my last car ride to the vet. I meowed at first but then laid down and rode quietly the rest of the way. The vet took one look at me and one look at mom and knew it was time to help me over the Rainbow Bridge. Mom cried. I wrapped my paws around her arm and hugged her as I took my last breath...

I hope mom knows she made the right decision. I am no longer in pain and can fly free now. Brofur Cosmo met me at the bridge. 

Please keep mom and sisfur Mia in your thoughts and prayers as I know they miss me already. :(

Love,
CJ

Monday, May 9, 2016

Visit to the stabby place

Mom had to take me to the stabby place again today. On top of losing a lot of weight, I now have an issue with my eye. Last week the third eyelid started protruding in my right eye. It looked fine (white and normal size) but was believed to be from dehydration. I hadn't been eating for a few days and wasn't drinking much. The vet had mom start me on sub q fluids at home. Unfortunately the eye has been bothering me a lot, is red and swollen so much that mom felt I had to go get checked out again today. Vet did some tests and it appears that I have a scratch on my cornea. Vet thinks my eye got really dry because of my dehydration and I may have accidentally scratched it when I pawed at it. It hurts me quite a bit. I have been started on a steroid drop that mom has to put in my eye every 2 hours. I will return to the stabby place on Wednesday for followup exam.

The good news is that I am eating again. Mom says she is very happy that I am eating again but I am a very sick boy and have a long road ahead of me. Thank you for all the healing purrs, positive thoughts and prayers! Please continue to think positive thoughts for me!

Love,
CJ

Sunday, May 8, 2016

I ate brekkie!

Mom is so excited, I ate brekkie this morning! Is it coincidence I picked today of all days to start eating again? It's Mothers Day and while some might think furkids aren't kids many more feel very much that fur kids are kids. I still have a ways to go to full recovery but I'm glad my mom thinks of me as her kid. I'm resting now. All that eating was hard work!



Happy Mothers Day to all the moms!





Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Not feeling well

So things have headed in the wrong direction since my last post. I am no longer eating and really scaring the begeevies out of mom. She is now syringe feeding me because I refuse to eat. I am being a good kitty and letting her syringe feed me without spitting out too much of it. Mom and the vet are confused as to why I won't eat. My lab work is good. The thyroid level is a little high (5.2) compared to my last test so they are adjusting my medication. All my other lab work is good including my white blood cell count that was a little out of whack at last test. The other test they were keeping an eye on is my liver enzyme as it was slightly elevated last time but was within normal limits this time. My biggest issues right now are not eating and a snotty nose that doesn't want to clear up. The nose issue is actually why my vet and mom think i won't eat but that doesn't lessen the concern any. I am down to 6.2 pounds which is the lightest I have ever been. If anyone has suggestions for mom on food that is good to syringe feed me we would appreciate it! We are currently trying baby food because it is easy to get through the syringe and I am tolerating it.

Thanks pals!

Love CJ