Our week started with an unscheduled visit to the vet on Monday morning.

Duke had been ailing for at least a couple of days, with “digestive issues” (a polite description) causing vomiting and, well, you know, the other stuff. I am the designated pooper cleaner, and I spent a busy weekend. We’ve been worried about recent weight loss. And, since Duke is diabetic, I was increasingly worried that this latest episode could send Duke’s whole system of glucose control out of whack.

So a quick call to the vet snagged us an unexpected opening with Dr. Leianne Lee Loy, which was unexpected luck. Her schedule was fully booked for the day, but she had finished round of dental surgery early and was willing to fit us in.

We have a history. Back in 2002, when Duke was born, Dr. Lee Loy was working at VCA in Kaneohe and saw Duke (and the two other kittens) when they were less than 12 hours old. She later moved to a vet clinic in Manoa, but joined the crew at the Hawaii Kai Veterinary Clinic several years ago, much to our delight.

In any case, she did a round of blood tests on Duke and sent those off for analysis, then treated Duke’s symptoms. A shot to control nausea, another of an antibiotic. A different canned food with additional fiber. Some fluids to replenish what Duke had been losing.

The surprise came the next day when Ann Sakamoto, now our “regular” vet, called regarding Duke’s blood test. We steeled ourselves for the results, and then got a surprise. “Overall,” she said, “Duke’s results are very good.”

There were more details, but that was the bottom line.

Now, four days later, Duke’s feeling better. He is eating better. He’s still sub-par, but on the scale of things, doing okay.

We know there’s something going on causing the rapid weight loss, and we’ve talked about it with Dr. Sakamoto. She could do more tests, try to identify the issue. But it’s likely to be cancer somewhere in his system, and there really isn’t much treatment available for an 18-year old cat. So we treat the other symptoms, make Duke as comfortable as we can, and try to enjoy our remaining time with him. It’s the same scenario that is playing out with Romeo, with the addition in his case of periodic pain pills for his bad hip.

So it goes in our feline world.

Oh, and don’t forget. Tomorrow, August 8, is International Cat Day.

Just click below for the week’s photos.