It actually started last night, when Rosie began acting a bit uncomfortable and did not want to eat her evening meal(s). At that point I pegged it to the fact that she was due for a bowel movement, and she always refuses food when she needs to defecate. She finally defecated late last night, after which she did seem to feel better. Then, although this morning she was a bit quieter than usual, she did eat most of her breakfast, was alert and watched me move about like usual, and purred when cuddled. Since getting home from work, though, I've observed that Rosie is only licking at her food, is frequently smacking her lips, can't quite seem to get comfortable, and simply does not look or act her usual bright self. Also, her usual rough, gravelly old lady's voice has become quite high-pitched in the past day or two, as if her throat is irritated.
So, I called the vet right after getting home from work and scheduled to take Rosie in the morning. There were no appointment slots available tomorrow, so I'll be dropping her off. It always breaks my heart to just leave my furbabies there, as I do like to be with them during their vet visits, but I understand that the vet is busy and Rosie needs to be seen as soon as possible. So I'll drop her off tomorrow morning and then proceed to wait anxiously by the phone until they call me with their findings.
Although I know it's not healthy, I'll admit that I have been a downright worrywart tonight. I know I shouldn't sit here and try to analyze what could be wrong with my furbaby, but I can't help myself. Rosie is one tough cookie of a 21-year-old who has been fighting renal disease for at least three years, and she also has dental disease. Given her symptoms (lip smacking, etc.), Rosie is surely dealing with some nausea. As I typed this Rosie also vomited for the first time in days. She has always been a cat who frequently vomits, but since getting her renal disease under control it has been far less frequent. Renal cats commonly have nausea and vomiting, as the toxins build up and can lead to gastritis and signs of acid reflux. To combat this, Rosie has been on Pepcid AC for years, but it does not seem to be helping her much lately. Her dental disease could very well be causing some of this, but given the sum of her symptoms, to me it just doesn't seem to be the root cause right now.
Rosie will be getting a full blood panel tomorrow, checking her renal values as well as checking for hyperthyroidism, as it seems as if Rosie has lost a bit of weight. Also, up until this past day or two, she had been more vocal and perhaps a bit more restless than usual, which could potentially be explained by thyroid issues.
Needless to say, Rosie is my priority right now. Although it was put on hold today and likely tomorrow as well, all of the painting, repairs, and moving into my new house is finally nearing its end. Luckily, though, I have not yet moved my furbabies to the new house, as I am waiting until everything is a bit more settled. At least that means Rosie is still in her familiar environment and is not being stressed by changing locations.
I'll go ahead and end this worrywart rambling of mine with a picture of Rosie that I took earlier tonight. It is not the best picture, but since my furbaby doesn't feel well I didn't have the heart to harass her for any others.
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| One tough little cookie. |
1 comment:
My heart goes out to you. Our cat Simba had CRF for over three years. He did really well until the last few months. We gave him fluids daily and he also had a phosphorous binder in his food (phosphorous is a big agitator of renal disease). I know how worried your are about dear Rosie. This brings back memories of when we were caring for our two senior kitties. I am anxiously awaiting an update and sure hope it's a good one. I hope the vet can come up with a good treatment plan. It's so good of you to put your move on hold for Rosie. It must be somewhat of a relief that all the painting and repairs are done.
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