Paid a visit to Mozart’s fan club at the vet’s today. He’d stopped drinking (to my observation), didn’t want anything to do with any of the yummy homemade cat food-and-tuna-juice soup Mom made, has been resisting even basic combing, swacked Trooper a good one in the head for doing something Trooper does at least fourteen times a day and has always been OK. . .just a general Creeping Grumpiness and Hangcatness.
The vet tells us he’s lost a considerable amount of weight — a couple pounds since February — despite the custom feedings — she dispensed saline, and pain meds, and an anti-nausea shot (in with the drip, because apparently the shot burns and she didn’t want to distress him any more than he was already distressed). There is some irritation in his mouth, not necessarily the ulcers that form in a cat in severe kidney failure. . .but, granting room for local custom and individual, not necessarily not ulceration.
So, the plan is to see if the saline and the various meds produce a happier cat who will eat some dern food. If it seems as if we haven’t managed to get him relief and a little more stability, then we’re going to have to Take Stock. At the moment, he’s in the basement. Sprite’s also in the basement, so I’m hoping he’s let her clean his ears and settled down for a nap.
In other news, the guy next door, with whom we share a property line, saw — as we did — a lot of downed branches and broken trees over the winter. He and one of his crew spent the earlier part of the week chainsawing all the trees. Since the trees he has taken down are on the summer afternoon sun path, I have a feeling it may be a Hot Old Summer here at the Cat Farm.
Steve and I had been planning on going down to Portland tomorrow and taking the free tour of the new ferry, then walking around Old Port to window shop, but. . .the “light sprinkles” specified for Saturday at the beginning of the week have been upgraded to “rain”, and window shopping’s just no fun in the rain. *sigh*. Well. Maybe the weatherbeans will change their minds again on the overnight.
The rest of the day, after supper, will be spent by Your Humble Narrator on the couch, with manuscript, pens and yellow pad to hand, plotting. This process may or may not include a Coon Cat.
Oh! Someone very kindly sent me a $35 Amazon gift card, which is of course burning a hole in my metaphorical pocket. So — what have you read lately that really blew you away?
Fingers crossed and healing thoughts are headed Mozart’s way from California.
I am still in love with The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. It might find its way to my “comfort food” bookshelf after our move! Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis. Think Jane Austen meets Harry Potter. It’s a “Middle Grade” or young reader but the adults I’ve recommended it to have loved it. Humor and laughter all around there 🙂
Good thoughts for Mozart..
I second the vote for the “Night Circus” which was a wonderful book, and I’d add “The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender” by Leslye Walton, which is like reading a combination of “Like Water for Chocolate” and “Chocolat” both great books in their own right.
Also, “The Storied Life of AJ Fikry” is a fun and wonderful novel about a grumpy bookstore owner up this way who finds a toddler on his doorstep, and his life does a 360.
Also, if you haven’t read MJ Rose’s fantastic fragrance trilogy, you should, starting with The Book of Lost Fragrances, then on to Seduction and ending with The Collector of Dying Breaths. Seriously good stuff.
Best wishes for Mozart, and kin.
As for recommendations, I have truly enjoyed “Please Don’t Tell My Parents I’m a Supervillain”, by Richard Roberts. It also is a “Middle Grade” book, but quite fun.
Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi. I had no idea what was going on for the first 100 pages, but I couldn’t put it down.
Oh, best wishes to Mozart! Our Levi, 18, who has been in renal failure for about three years, took a turn for the worse last August, and spent what seemed like an eternity at the vet’s, having nonstop fluid administration. We thought for sure we were going to lose him, and were starting to decide to just bring him home and let it end, but he made an amazing recovery — though now he has to be on appetite stimulants, to get the little booger to eat. They work, at least; he eats like a (picky) little horse, and has regained the weight he lost. I shove catfood-wrapped pills down his throat twice a day –the canned food coating makes this much easier — (denosyl, azodyl and the appetite stimulants, yeah, such fun), sprinkle cosequin on his food twice a day and give him fluids daily, all of which is A Lot Of Work. But so worth it, to keep him feeling good. He chose to come to bed with me last night and spent the entire night cuddled up with me, purring.
I’m sure he sends his sympathies and best wishes to Mozart, too. All mine to you and Steve, too; am all too familiar with this heartache territory …
Just finished Dreamwalker by C.S. Friedman; enjoyed it. Now greatly enjoying Thirteen Orphans, by Jane Lindskold.
Best wishes for Mozart! Hope he gets better soon
Many good wishes sent to Mozart! If you are a fantasy fan, I recommend Magic’s Return Elven Courage by Chip and Pat Gagne. It kind of reminds me of Harry Potter a little.
I recently read “Ready Player One” by Ernest Cline and it was amazing! Especially for those of us who remember the ’80s. In fact, I need to get it back from my son so I can read it again!