It’s been one of those good news-bad news weeks.
The good news, of course, is that we’re on track to bring The Cat Known as Mr. Marbles home within a few days. He was successfully picked up by caretakers of the cat colony at the top of Aiea Heights and, they report, responded by turning “super affectionate” and being “VERY kneady…with sharp little claws!”
So he didn’t freak out at being indoors. That’s very good news, since more than one of our former Kaaawa feline rescues would not tolerate being kept in the house, and we had to relent. They eventually became comfortable inside, but it took a long time.
Mr. Marbles has a vet appointment Saturday morning. Then, with any luck, he’ll be ready for us to pick up and bring home.
It remains to be seen whether The Cat Known as Mr. Marbles keeps his name or reveals a new one. That’s one of those “wait and see” decisions.
All of that is good news.
But then the bad news. Romeo visited our vet this week, his first checkup since last June. He has continued to lose weight, nearly another two pounds in this nine-month period. Back at his fighting weight, he weighed in an about 18-1/2 pounds. He’s now below 12. We are awaiting the results of his blood test, but it looks like his chronic kidney disease continues to progress. His hips seem to be getting more painful, which means it is getting harder for him to get around. And now there’s a new issue…what might be “a mass” has appeared in his mouth. It isn’t large now, and it’s possible it is caused by bacteria, but our vet is concerned and wants to recheck it in a month to see if it is growing. I’ve noticed that he’s eating more slowly, and that’s probably because of this sore. There’s a possibility the weight loss could be the result of a thyroid issue, common in older cats. The blood test will tell. But there’s also the earlier problem of an undiagnosed shadow that shows up on xrays, which could be cancerous tumor, we just don’t know. And his heart murmur is still there.
I think we’ve already coasted into a long goodbye for Romeo.
So, as you can imagine, it’s been an emotional up and down week, with our 2nd Pfizer vaccine shots thrown in for good measure. We will get through it. We have no choice. The hard part is to know when to let Romeo go. That’s never easy, but making that decision is our duty as his family.
Enough. Here are the latest photos of Romeo and Kali, taken over the past week. Perhaps by next Friday The Cat Known as Mr. Marbles will be part of the mix.
[Update: Soon after I uploaded this post, we got a call from our vet, Ann Sakamoto, with the results of Romeo’s blood test. They were surprisingly good. Kidneys stable since the last visit. Thyroid okay. She is most worried about the thing in his mouth at this point. So we just tiptoe along, I guess.]
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Thinking positive thoughts for Romeo. When his time to cross the Rainbow Bridge comes, both he and his hoomans will know the love is deep and plentiful and his legacy will be wonderful memories and happiness. I’m sure Miss Kali and Mr Marbles (for now) will do their best to carry on the legacy of keeping your home warm and interesting with daily feline antics.
Ka-ching$
Heart ache.
See my update to this post, added at the end. Romeo’s blood test results were surprisingly okay! Kidney values stable since last year, no thyroid issue. So those aren’t getting worse, but we’re left not really knowing what’s behind the steady weight loss.
Good news!
Maybe diabetes for the weight loss? Or simply eating less?
Checked. Not diabetes.
If I am remembering correctly, Romeo was the alpha (top dog?) cat in his prime. From your posts I feel as though I know him best of all. Good luck, old cat.
I feel like a member of my own family is ill.
We’re with you, cousin Romeo.
Sending Romeo and Meda and you positive thoughts. It’s never easy. Deep breaths and positive thoughts.
Sending you folks my best, including answers to current ailments for Beautiful Romeo. He and Kali look so fit and happy in their photos this week and the addition of TCKA Mr Marbles will be a positive addition to the family… perhaps the new little guy will bring new spark for Romeo as well. My fingers are crossed for a good outcome.
Our oldest cat had a lot of mouth tumors. We felt terrible, because we had no idea. She became very withdrawn in her later years. I hope Romeo is not in pain. 🙁
Romeo has a little discomfort at this point from the sore in his mouth. But he has painful arthritis in his rear end that makes movement slow and a little difficult, and has eliminated his ability to jump up onto our bed. He’s getting a half-dose of a pain med (gabapentin) twice a day. I was giving it “as needed,” but we are in the second day of an experiment making these pills available twice daily at half a dose to sort of smooth out the day (in theory, of course). We’ll go for a few days and see if it makes him more comfortable, or comfortable for more of the day, perhaps.