Geriatric Kitty headed to the vet

Ah hah! I knew it! The whole "off to the pound with ya" was just "tough guy" idle threats all along, huh?!

 

I knew it all along. All you guys are just big softies!

 

Yeah, he didn't cover his tracks very well. On the first post, you could see he was having fun with us all!

 

Yeah, my very favorite people are dogs, but this kitten is getting pretty close So I very well understand RCBS's predicament and just how that particular path goes and it ain't fun. A classic double- edged sword: those of us who truly love and enjoy pets, and have them affect and enhance our lives and all the more devastated when we lose them. Those who do not bond so much in the first place are not so badly affected when they are gone but they lose out on years of real camaraderie and what amounts to pretty intimate interaction with some really marvelous four legged friends.

I once had a conversation with a co- worker along these lines and he was more along the moderately attached side with his pet, and did not seem to comprehend how much I loved MY pet. So I told him 'It is like this: if you and my dog both need a new liver, and both are a match, you just ain't gettin' that liver, sorry.'. Of course that was not a realistic example but I think I got the point across because he got rather angry about the whole issue. That was kinda' funny too because it was highly unlikely he and my dog would be an organ recipient match in the first place because they were not related. And they were different species.....

But I have always threatened all my pets with things like "Do that ONE MORE TIME and off to the POUND with you!". Hey, it makes my wife and kids laugh.....

My wife used to have a piece of pottery with some dried leaves on this lamp..... Phoebe chewed the leaves off and knocked the pot over (I just happened to be sitting right next to it and actually caught it on the way to the floor!). So now it is apparently Phoebe's 'throne' from which to view and pass judgement on everything, as well as play with us through the spokes. What is hysterical is when she sees her tail and tries to 'get it' through the spokes.... over and over again.

This photo taken before we took Phoebe to the pound:



Brian

 

What a beautiful kitty.

 

Yep, and a nice kitten too.

But I digress, and apologize for cluttering up this thread with anything in my life: this thread is about RCBS, Timber and the unfortunate turn in their journey.

And I would love to pass on some compassionate words that would help but the fact is, I do not know of any. Your situation, that many of us have shared, just sucks.

The only consolation is the fact that hopefully, sometime down the road, your memories of Timber will be pleasant, happy ones and not about this unpleasant phase with her. My own memories of my past pets are all very positive now, and I am glad we had them in our lives, and glad that my kids got to grow up with dogs as part of the family- I think it made them better people.

Still, your situation sucks and I really do sympathize with you Bud.



Brian

 

Without you, that sweet kitty would have been condemned to a very short, miserable life--dodging predators, scrabbling for roadkill, cold and heat and miserable weather.
You gave her a life that she would not otherwise have--and love, as well. There is a special heaven for both of you, and you will meet there!

 

Appreciate the warm sentiments. At this point, I am just trying to give her the best end of life I can. She enjoyed some deli ham from a local grocery store last night and this morning. A new "symptom" has started to show up. I think the problem may be entering her nasal cavity. She has started sneezing during and just after eating. She is also shying away from the gravy food. She used to lick all the gravy off and leave the meat, now she is just getting the top layer, like it is bothering her. I don't know if there is a hole to her sinuses that the gravy licking may affect? Her spirit still seems to be pretty good considering. She still purrs and I got her to play a little with the shoestring Sunday evening.

Timber is and will always be "Best Cat/pet Evar!" in my memory banks. My sister was trying to give me a kitten this past weekend. Not ready for that. I have decided that I will wait until my new residence for any new pets.

I have no regrets for stopping to get her that night. She has never been a "lovey" kitty. I am the only one who has ever been able to hold her without a fuss. She takes attention on her own terms, but has faithfully greeted me home at the door or on the porch for many years. That alone has made it all worth it.

 

I agree. You need that time. I did the same thing.

My last cat, and one of the two I have now, are the same. I think those "One human cats" pick us for a reason. I have had to take pictures of Buddy and Lilith just to prove I had a cat.

I don't know what to tell you about the changes, I think you are right. Something might be irritating her sinuses.

 

Hey, I am not the warmest human on the planet and often it seems not quite 100% understanding with everyone's issues, complaints, etc. But on this specific topic, I know exactly what you are going through and have been doing it with various pets for a lot of years now, and it just does not get any easier.

Just my opinion but I think you are making a good call on waiting a bit on a new kitten; as a kid I lost a cat and got a new kitten pretty rapidly and it was not great because 1) the new kitten was simply not a replacement for the cat, nothing could be because each one is an individual. Sort of like there is no 'other old lady' that can replace a mother or an aunt, etc. 2) it gets in the way of bonding with the new kitten; they are all unique and wanting the new kitten "be" the same as the previous cat gets in the way of appreciating the new kitten for its own personality.

I was a little concerned with my kitten about the affectionate thing too; she will interact / engage / sing with us fine but did not care for being touched too much and would and will not sit in our laps. By touching, I mean just petting her, about 3 strokes and she would get agitated and move (not leave, just turn over, move around or something). I think she is familiar and very comfortable around humans but just not used to any physical contact and frankly, it was kinda' disappointing. But now we can touch her endlessly (as long as she is not in 'Krazy Kitten mode') and she enjoys it, and yesterday, I actually had her singing while I was holding her so I think in time she will grow to better like human physical contact. This is all w/in one month, so there is plenty of time for us to find that common level where we interact with each other and everyone likes it.

My first dog had cancer and was terminal. I asked our vet. 'when' and she said 'you will know when it is time'. And that was exactly right- we did know and we quite sure when 'the time' came. Reading your posts, I am 100% confident that you too will know when to strike that proper line between keeping her and keeping her too long (meaning more suffering than enjoyment out of life).

But anyway, feel free to commiserate with us here, it seems a lot of us have been through this and know EXACTLY how you are feeling. And I think we, and I know I, understand perfectly that Timber is the BEST cat, and always will be. I had two dogs like that- both were the very best dogs ever on the planet, and I now expect the next one to be also. But I did not know that when we lost the first one- I thought he would have a unique spot in our hearts forever. And he did and does. What I learned though is that the next one got another spot, just as big, that we did not think possible until we had him (second one) for a while.

Brian

 

You will learn Phoebe's "spots" to be petted in time. Timber is not a fan of a standard "pet". She likes her cheeks scratched and her ears rubbed between fingers. Feet & belly are strictly off limits. Also likes a good scratch right on top of her head. One reason most people cannot hold her is they don't hold her how she likes. She wants her feet on something. Her back paws on my open palm and front paws on my forearm. She's standing really more than being held, but thats what she likes. They truly all do have their own personalities and traits. She has been unique of the many cats I've been around in my life in regards to personality. A bit of Cattitude if you will. Never had another cat that knew when I was making fun of/teasing it verbally. Timber knows. haha! She will growl and protest when she doesn't get her way also.

My other Best Evar pet was a Golden Retriever named Sandy that we had from when I was about 10 until I was 19. My dad found her wandering up and down a busy turnpike by his work. Put ad in paper for two weeks because she obviously had belonged to someone. No one answered. We ended up getting an extremely smart and trained second hand dog. She had been abused by her former owners. She never did get over being skittish if you were swinging a fly swatter or the like around. What a great dog she was though. No leash required. No drama with visitors. Always listened. Could leave her by herself down on the river lot while Dad and I headed up into the woods. Come back hours later and she'd be there wagging at us.

My last Golden named Jack was a good dog also, but he never did measure up to Sandy. He was much goofier than she was. Slobbery and clumsy his whole life. Oddly enough, I have had a much harder time coming to terms with him being gone than I did with Sandy. They are buried beside each other in a place fit for water dogs, by the river.

 

Just a few thoughts for you.

Our cat that went to kitty heaven last year had the same type sneezing problem. I can't say it was every single time, but it was so often, that him not sneezing often made us wonder why he wasn't. He did that for 3-4 years I'm sure. I'm not saying it doesn't mean anything, just that our fella did that for years.

 

Yeah, there are two personalities involved, mine and hers and I know I am trying to force her into doing and being what I expect. And that just ain't gonna' work.

But she is getting much better much faster, and I am trying to adapt too but it is not happening quite as fast- she must be smarter than I am. And I do not want it to sound like I am not happy with the kitten because I am (we are).

OFFTOPIC: I think there is another thing we have in common, going by your forum name, but I am more of a Hornady / Redding fan.

Brian

 

I get that often. Those are my initials. Started using as a handle online a long time ago.

To me, the cattitude is what makes a kitty more interesting than a dog. Most dogs want to please 100% of the time. Not that they don't have personality, but they don't get pizzy like a cat will. I like the independent nature of cats. I still can't get over how much Phoebe looks like my old cat Whiskers. It's uncanny.

 

I have one that HATES being picked up and carried. But LOVES jumping on my shoulder and being walked around like a parrot. Go figure.
On the other hand, I have noticed that cats change their minds, albeit very slowly. Lilith hated to cuddle, but now loves it, two years later. Ozzy used to be a cuddle bug, now is more independent these days. My last cat, Buddy, was so skittish when I got her, she hated to be touched at first, but over the years, she could not get enough petting.
And all three are/were scared of visitors, because I don't get many.

 

Ah, then as Emily Latella would say: 'Nevermind'. RCBS is the name of a significant company in the ammunition reloading business.

Well Phoebe is more dog than cat so far- not cool or remote in the least, right 'in your face' and not the least bit retiring. Personally, I prefer dogs but that is not to say I do not have the same soft spot for cats, just that I find dogs more..... interactive. And because I have always had large dogs, they play pretty rough without any risk to the dog. Tug- 'o- War is just not a real game unless the dog is 100 lbs. and determined.

But Phoebe is only 6 mos. and so goes into Krazy Kitten mode at least once a day, usually between 4:00 and 5:00 AM, and is a riot to watch and play with when she is in that mode. I am just hoping that as the kitten fades, the cat that replaces her will become more of a lap cat.

Brian

 

My mother had three cats and two of them were ghosts, known only by reference and stories, never seen by human eyes. They would disappear for hours while we were at Mom's house, and Mom claimed they were back upstairs and stalking around before we were out of the driveway. I used to tease her (Mom) that there really were NOT three cats but only one 'cause that was all we ever saw.

I am working on Phoebe a little bit by preying on her weakness: tuna fish. I feed her about a teaspoon a day, maybe every other day, and only while she is sitting on my lap. No lap, no tuna and she goes nuts for the stuff. I am never rough or forceful with her, and do not touch her very much, just hand- feed her in my lap. And it seems to be working because she hops right up now for the tuna. I am hoping it de-sensitizes her to walking / sitting / laying on us; she has a funny quirk and would rather not walk on us at all, going to the point of jumping down from the couch, walking on the floor, then back up on the other side of the couch rather than walk across a human. Again, she is not afraid or even retiring; we can touch and pet her all we want and she sings for all of it when on the couch, just some quirk about not being 'on' a human. Oh, and picking her up is no problem either- she likes that just fine too and will usually sing while being held.

Brian

 

Well folks, it has been longer coming than I expected but Timber will be put to sleep today. I have been fawning over her for the past 4 months, paying extra attention, giving extra petting and love, and throwing all kinds of stuff at her to keep her eating. She no longer can eat solids of any kind. The tumor is inhibiting her jaw movement at this point. She started to steeply decline last week. Her right eye is also being forced shut and there is no air getting through her right passage best I can tell.

She still purrs for me and has not seemed to be in much pain. She looks a bit of a mess as she gave up on grooming a couple months ago and will only let me clean her on a limited basis. I got some kitty wipes and have been using them to clean her as best she'll allow. She can still manage the leap up to my bed which sits almost 3' off the floor. Her balance has been somewhat affected due to nasal/ear canal issues related to the tumor. It is time.

I dug her grave this past Monday. She will be buried next to two wonderful golden retrievers. I have the site and dirt covered with a tarp, hoping I won't be working with mud after all the rain this week.

I have had lots of time to come to terms with this, but it really hasn't gotten much easier.

Thanks again to all for the support and concern. It helps me to cope. The appointment is at 4pm, I am going to take today off work so I can spoil and love on her.

 

Good old Timber, she's been a fine friend, and had a great life, all that a kitty could ask for.