Poor Ms. Wally. That’s her on an exam table at VCA Kaneohe Animal Hospital earlier this morning.

Wally’s had a series of vet visits over the past couple of months trying to find the cause of her reduced appetite and weight loss. First suspect was a urinary infection, but antibiotics cleared up the infection and her appetite still didn’t pick up. Then we thought it was a dental issue. She had several teeth that had to be pulled during dental work a couple of years ago, so I suspected another dental issue. So did our various vets. But a round of teeth cleaning–always an expensive proposition for cats and dogs–didn’t turn up any significant issues.

Then came a set of full-body X-rays, which apparently had a shadow of some kind that could have been a “mass” near her liver. Dr. Sakamoto recommended an ultrasound to check on it. I stalled, thinking that a tumor probably wouldn’t be treatable, so why spend more to confirm it. But I finally rethought it, and this morning I delivered her to VCA Kaneohe for an 8 a.m. appointment.

Wally now has quite a list of attending vets. When I first took her in during this latest round of visits, it was a day that our current “regular” vet, Ann Sakamoto, was not on duty. So we turned to Carol Ochiai, who I remember as the first of our vets to treat Mr. Romeo after we originally trapped him. Dr. Ochiai wasn’t available the next week, so Wally was seen by Dr. Renee Nagata, who used to be one of our regulars. Then she was back to Dr. Sakamoto for the dental work. Finally, today it was to Dr. Nagata again for the ultrasound.

The result? Her weight held up during the two weeks since we was last at VCA. And no tumor! All of her organs looked okay, according to Dr. Nagata. That’s good news, of course, but it still leaves us puzzled over what accounts for her flagging appetite.

Previous blood tests results were remarkably normal, ruling out kidney, liver, thyroid, or other problems. So we’re kind of stumped.

Wally’s problems are compounded because Duke and Silverman, our two diabetic cats, always feel hungry and are constantly prowling and read to snarf up any food she leaves unguarded, even if only for a moment or two. I have to referee during meals to be sure that Wally has a chance, or two or three, to eat. Mealtime is a zoo.

Hopefully Ms. Wally will quickly forget about her shaved belly and overnight fast, or at least won’t blame me for today’s ordeal.