Gidget followed me into the cat apartment closet where I
placed her dish containing a smidgen of Fancy Feast pate and a handful of Iams
senior kibble on the rug, then closed the doors to prevent others from stealing
her food. Over the past year Gidget has decided she’s not a fan of canned food –
any canned food – so I mix her kibbles in with the pate to get something into
her.
Next, I invite Peaches to join KC, Candy, and Frank in the
kitchen where they dine atop a pink child’s table with the legs removed. However,
she dives under the bed, leaving me no choice but to serve the Queen her
cuisine where she hides, suspicious of my motives.
Meanwhile ChauncieMarie and Opie dine on top of the bed,
happily lapping the Purina Pro Plan Hydra Care liquid supplement that I poured
over their yucky prescription noms for kidney disease, mainly to get them to
eat it. I hover, waiting for Peaches to finish. Naturally she slows her bites
to the point of raising my blood pressure. Chevy and Nikolas are waiting for
their dinner delivery, but I can’t leave, because the moment I do my French
girl will immediately join Peaches and eat food she shouldn’t have. At nearly
nineteen ChauncieMarie’s nose can still ferret out the food she can’t have and
has a pattern of checking out Gidget’s closet to see if the door is adjacent,
as well as any other bowl that smells better than hers. She moves amazingly
fast for an old broad.
ChauncieMarie has had CKD for the past two years. This year
Opie was also diagnosed with CKD. Telling my old ginger boy that he can no
longer eat from everyone else’s plates has been an uphill battle, so I finally
had to ban him from the kitchen. This is the main cause for Peaches being
suspicious, because Opie has been her dining partner and best friend for nearly
sixteen years. If he can’t leave the cat apartment, well… she won’t either.
I get down on my knees several times to check the Queen’s
progress, receiving a glare each time I do. No one shoots a glare like my
torbi. I finally risk it to run into the kitchen to grab the remaining dinners
and deliver them to Chevy and Nikolas with apologies for being late. Bless them
both, they hunker down over their dishes without complaint. At least at first.
I will return in a bit to find if the flavor of pate agreed with them. Nik has
become picky over the past year and sometimes will leave his meal
untouched. Chevy is a bit more happy-go-lucky
and will eat just about anything. I deliberately give them something different
in case they want to switch plates.
Recently ChauncieMarie turned diabetic, throwing an even bigger
monkey wrench into my life with the Wonderpurr Gang. In all honesty I've watched this train coming at me for years. The train being that I knew when I adopted a group of stray cats all within a short time of each other, all pretty close to the same age, one day they would become seniors with varying medical issues. Well, now the train is about to run me over. I'm okay caring for them financially, but the heartbreak is going to be enormous. I'm certain every one of you reading this can relate.
Twice a week since October
18th I’ve run ChauncieMarie across town to have her glucose checked to
determine the right amount of insulin for her. I went through this with my
tabby Buddy who passed at age 24 after being diabetic for ten years. Unheard
of, but I don’t mess around when it comes to my fur babies. He traveled
everywhere with me so I could give him his insulin twice a day. I would even
leave parties to drive back home to give him his insulin at the same time. So,
while I’m deeply sad about ChauncieMarie going through this, I’m devoted to
give her the same dedication. God forbid anyone else becomes a diabetic –
looking at you, Miss Candy Applebottom who needs to drop a few pounds. She
tells me she’s not fat, she’s fluffy, but I digress.
Then on top of ChauncieMarie’s latest medical revelation, I
now face even darker news. When we returned from our Alaskan cruise, I noticed
that Jesse’s left eye looked a little weird. At first, I thought it might be
the light. He’s not one to look me full in the face, rather he dips his head
and looks away, especially when I aim a camera at him. So, getting proof that
something was wrong took time. Finally, I got the photo. His left eye looked
orange and the pupil was strange. I ran him to our veterinarian on the same day
I took ChauncieMarie in to be diagnosed with diabetes. Doctor Feelgood tested
his eye for scratches but as there were none, she determined it was internal.
We chose to take Jesse to the University of Florida Small Animal Hospital in Gainesville
where we had taken Buddy way back when we first adopted him as a two-year-old
stray. He had an odd voice, and his breathing was noisy. Turns out he had a
polyp growing in his nasal passage. With that a success story, we were
confident that they could help Jesse.
Gainesville is two hours away via winding back roads. Jesse
went with us to Ashville, North Carolina last October, so I knew he would
travel well. And he did. At the hospital they gave him a once over to determine
that he may have a tumor in his eye. Best news – it’s just in his eye and can
be removed along with the eye. Worse case – it’s lymphoma and has attached to
his eye, which means its elsewhere in his body. And, as if that was not
upsetting enough, they told us Jesse tested positive for FIV.
Jesse is fourteen years old. He is the son of Queen Peaches
and was born (along with his now deceased brother Jack) under my neighbor’s
deck on March 30, 2009. Never once had any vet told me he’s FIV+. That Chevy is
FIV+ didn’t surprise me because when he first turned up, invited by his pal Nik
to join the Garage Band, he was a friendly but feisty kind of guy. However, he
sensed that Jesse and Nik were his only hope of getting a home, so he always
got along well with them. No fighting at all. So, I’m not sure how Jesse, who
has always been an introvert, never a fighter, got the virus.
We return on the 17th for Jesse to go through a
full day diagnosis with both the ophthalmology and oncology departments involved.
If you feel moved to say a prayer for Jesse the Toothless Wonder, we would sincerely
appreciate it.
Ironic how November is not only National Senior Pet Month but also Pet Diabetes Month.
Sadly, Dori, the President of the Ber Month Fan Club, is off sulking in her window hammock because her plans to celebrate Everything Autumn have been derailed due to time restraints that have kept me from performing my job as her muse and secretary. There's always next year, I've told her. I've even suggested she can celebrate Autumn all year long, which she may or may not do. You know how cats can't make up their minds..
I'm blessed to have cat loving friends who appreciate the trials and tribulations that go hand-in-hand with rescue. Upon hearing of Jesse and ChauncieMarie on Instagram and Facebook they've reached out to me with advice and reading material. I sincerely appreciate you all. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Kim
Until Next Time...
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