Fighting the good fight.

I again apologize for my lack of updates. It's certainly been a whirlwind this past couple of weeks. Rosie is still fighting her battle with pancreatitis, amongst a number of other possible physiological aggressors. I guess it's time to catch you up to speed, so I apologize for the length this post will probably be, and for any rambling I might now do...

My last post was last Thursday, after I had given Rosie mirtazapine (appetite stimulant). I mentioned to you how she seemed a strange mixture of agitated and drowsy on it. Well, those side effects didn't stop there, and that night she seemed wobbly, had a noticeably increased respiration rate, and ended up urinating on my bed (with me beneath the sheets) rather than making the trip to her litter box. That certainly surprised me. I called the vet first thing the next morning and dropped Rosie off for a recheck, and for them to monitor her side effects of the mirtazapine. Upon arriving at the vet Rosie was weighed. She was down to 8.5 lbs, after having been 9.25 just a little over a week earlier. Although I've been syringe feeding her when she refuses to eat on her own, neither Rosie nor I have been able to give her the nutrition she was previously getting. As for the rest of her vet visit last Friday, after the vet looked at her she called me and indicated that just as Rosie tends to be somewhat sensitive to a number of pain meds (such as butorphanol), she is also obviously sensitive to drugs like mirtazapine. However, even though Rosie's heart rate and respiration rate were slightly elevated, the vet advised me that Rosie was overall managing the drug and its side effects pretty well and would be fine. That was a relief. At that time the vet also prescribed Rosie Cerenia (anti-nausea/anti-vomiting medication), as even though Rosie had not been vomiting, her persistent smacking and drooling whenever sniffing or attempting to eat food were classic signs of nausea. Whereas the vet had previously told me to try giving Rosie subcutaneous fluids twice a day in order to combat her persistent dehydration, she now told me to back off to once a day again. Her reasoning was that Rosie's hydration was still not great but had improved, and Rosie showed an especial dislike for having her skin tented when her hydration level was checked, and the vet did not want her to become unduly stressed by receiving fluids twice daily.

Now, on the mirtazapine Rosie's appetite did increase a bit, although inconsistently so. She ate decently well last Friday morning before I dropped her off at the vet, but then after taking her back home she would not touch her food the rest of the day. I syringe fed her throughout the afternoon in hopes of combating further significant weight loss. She did a little better on Saturday, nibbling at her food throughout the day. That night, though, she started acting very uncomfortable and would not eat, drink, or hardly even move. She again urinated in my bed, and after then watching her struggle to rather uncomfortably defecate, I gave her some leftover buprenorphine (pain med) that I had received from the vet earlier last week. Within a couple hours of receiving the pain med she seemed far more content and alert.

Sunday morning, then, Rosie started lapping at her food the second I put it in front of her. She drooled quite excessively as she was eating, making a royal mess of herself, but she was eating! She did that throughout the day, and even though her appetite was nowhere near what it used to be, I was so excited! The new issue, though, was that she also started a new habit of drinking water like there was no tomorrow, sometimes even lying with her head in the bowl and drinking for minutes at a time. She also started urinating more frequently. The volume of her urine remained normal, but she started urinating around five times a day rather than her usual two to three times.Also, her hind limbs started to appear especially weak. I started frantically going through the potential causes in my head -- had she developed diabetes from the pancreatitis? were her kidneys now acting up? was she developing liver disease?

So, I called the vet's office Monday morning. Rosie's usual vet was not in, but I told the other vet that Rosie was eating decently well, but that she was drinking and urinating more than usual. I also told him that she was starting to look and feel more dehydrated. Since this particular vet had removed Rosie's eye but had not seen her since, he went through her recent records and then got back to me. He told me that he is concerned that her increased thirst and urination and her dehydration could be signs that her kidneys are starting to suffer. He advised me to begin giving Rosie fluids twice a day again, 150 ml's each time. He also gave me the okay to refill her cerenia and buprenorphine so as to continue her on those.

Now, for today...This morning and through this afternoon Rosie suddenly did not want to eat on her own again. She also, however, has not really drank anything today. Throughout the day she acted alert, and I've convinced myself that she looks maybe a tad bit more hydrated since receiving a whopping 300 ml's of fluids both yesterday and today (600 ml's total in two days!). Yet, she won't eat. Occasionally today she has done a bit of smacking, especially when offered food or when attempting a bite of food. It seems her nausea has returned, therefore, even though she's still getting Cerenia. I guess that's why it was perfect timing when Rosie's usual vet called me earlier today to check in on her old gal of a patient. I told her of Rosie's lack of appetite. I did inform the vet that Rosie is due for a bowel movement, and when she needs to defecate she typically refuses to eat. So, the vet decided that we will give Rosie through the night to see if she defecates. Regardless, though, I scheduled to take Rosie in tomorrow at 4:30 pm for a recheck exam and bloodwork. They will check her glucose to rule out diabetes, check her renal values to see if that is what's causing her persistent signs of illness, and check her liver enzymes to see if she's okay in that area. I'm sure they'll also do a recheck pancreatic SNAP test to see if she's still fighting pancreatitis.

Needless to say, my Rosie has me worried sick.  I just really want to see my furbaby like this again:

Remember this, Rosie? See? Food's yummy. Eat it!

I thank you all for your kind purrs and prayers through all of this, and I appreciate any more you can spare for my sweet old girl! Also, thank you for your patience with this worried sick momma. As I'm sure you can tell by now, I tend to cope with stress and worry by writing everything out and sharing my thoughts. If you've made it through all of my tomes of posts lately, I commend you.

Eat, Rosie, eat!

The vet decided to try Rosie on mirtazapine, an appetite stimulant. I gave Rosie her first dose about five hours ago. About an hour after getting it she became very alert and sought out some food. She lapped at it pretty well for a bit, and then backed away and smacked her lips more dramatically than I've ever seen. This time it was more than just a couple of lip licks, it involved her salivating far more than normal and throwing her head around and essentially biting and chewing at the air. It almost looked as if she was trying to get something out of her teeth. As the evening has progressed I can definitely tell that the mirtazapine is having an appetite stimulating effect for Rosie, and that itself excites me. However, each time she's finished lapping up food she smacks very excessively and sometimes even spins in a few circles before finally settling back down for a nap.

That being said, I have learned that mirtazapine can potentially cause side effects such as agitation. It can also cause drowsiness as well as lack of coordination and stumbling. Since giving Rosie this drug I believe I have seen potential signs of all of these side effects. I will certainly be keeping a close eye on Rosie, as these side effects could potentially lead to dangerous effects. If I become too concerned by what I'm seeing I'll contact Rosie's vet. From what I've learned they should, if need be, be able to give her an antidote drug to reverse unwanted side effects of the mirtazapine.

I also wonder, though, if I should really put all the blame for Rosie's current condition on the mirtazapine. Honestly, I've reached a point where I'm just stumped. Rosie obviously had (and perhaps still has) pancreatitis, given her initial symptoms last week as well as her bloodwork. But now, especially after seeing her sudden excessive salivation and smacking, it's as if she's suddenly also bothered by her teeth, which are not a new issue for her by any means (her age and other health issues had just previously caused any dental work to be put off). One new thought I've had came to me when I remembered a case from when I used to work at a cat clinic -- in this particular case, a cat presented with pancreatitis and concurrent severe dental disease. The vet at that clinic ultimately thought that perhaps the dental disease -- which included a severe infection of one of the canine teeth -- led to the manifestation of pancreatitis. Rosie's vet has not seen any obvious, outward signs that Rosie's dental disease involves any infected teeth, but now I wonder if there is a link between her dental disease and this bout of pancreatitis.

So, that's where we stand for tonight. Rosie is certainly showing more willingness to eat since receiving the appetite stimulant. But, whether or not it is a side effect of the drug or a sudden side effect of her dental disease, she also seems more agitated, especially after eating. Pretty much, I think both I and Rosie's vet wish she could tell us what's wrong and where it hurts. But she can't, so I will keep doing everything in my power to get to the bottom of this with my sweet old girl.

Still toughing it out.

I apologize for the infrequent updates, as well as for the lack of new pictures to share. I've still been nursing my sweet Rosie, while also trying to use her nap times to continue working a bit on preparing my new home. Things are just a tad bit hectic lately.

So, where does Rosie stand? Well, in terms of her behavior, she seems to be improving every day. She is becoming more like her old talkative self. She sleeps more comfortably now, and she stretches and bathes. Although she is still more dehydrated than she was prior to this bout of pancreatitis, her hydration level seems to improve daily, sometimes not even needing a second round of fluids. And, sometimes she even asks for her breakfast and even gets excited when she sees me approaching with her food bowl. But...

Rosie is still not really, truly eating. She used to slurp up her breakfast and often empty the bowl, and she used to ask for food throughout the day, and when I'd refill her bowl she used to almost always immediately eat at it. For the past few days, though, when given food she does one of two things: 1) She will sniff the food and then smack her lips and walk away without eating anything, or 2) she will take a couple or a few licks and then stop, smack her lips, and walk away. I can tell that she wants to eat, and she often tries to eat, but then she stops and acts as if she is nauseous or as if it hurts to eat.

I have been calling the vet daily with updates and for advice. They're probably getting tired of hearing my voice. Nevertheless, they always give me something new to try or suggest a new medication. Yesterday I went and picked up some pain medication (buprenorphine), as the vet was thinking that perhaps Rosie's dental disease was causing her pain and that pain meds would alleviate that and prompt her to eat. (My old girl needs a dental. If she would get better and eat, I would force myself to push past my fears and would schedule a dental so that her mouth can heal.) The vet noted that if the pain meds don't work then perhaps her teeth are not the primary culprit right now, and we would next try either an anti-nausea medication or go right for an appetite stimulant.

Long story short, after two doses of the pain meds (buprenorphine being a potent, fast-acting pain medication) Rosie's appetite has really not changed at all. She seemed so excited and eager to eat her breakfast this morning, but could only manage a few licks before backing away and smacking her lips. She even tried a second time, but did the exact same thing as the first time. Although I know her teeth are not healthy at this point in time, I still wonder how much her teeth are truly contributing to her current inability to eat well. As far as I can tell, she at times seems to be acting nauseous. She has not vomited (except for once after defecating yesterday, but that's her typical post-defecation ritual), but she acts like food just doesn't quit sit well with her right now.

I will call the vet again this morning in hopes that she will try an anti-nausea medication next. If the vet prefers to go right for an appetite stimulant (mirtazapine), though, I won't resist, as at this juncture I simply want to see Rosie eat like normal. One of the hardest things for me right now is that I can tell my old girl is losing weight. Especially for her 21 years of age, she had been doing great in the weight department, at least up until last week. Now Rosie feels so much more bony and lighter than she used to. Just one week ago today she weighed in at 9.25 lbs, but now I fear that she is well below that. She is eating some, and I am at least once a day mixing some food with her meds and thereby syringe feeding her (which she really quite dislikes), but neither she nor I am currently able to give her the nutrition that she used to get on a daily basis. Therefore, she is losing weight during this frustrating battle with stubborn pancreatitis.

I apologize for any ranting in this or previous posts, but, as I'm sure most of you out there have experienced, it is so frustrating to watch your furbabies struggle through times of illness. I think I'm most frustrated with the fact that Rosie in many regards acts so much better, yet something just won't allow her to eat like she used to.

As soon as I talk to the vet today I will post another update regarding the next step in this battle against pancreatitis. And I will certainly let you know how Rosie does with whichever medication she is given next.

Rosie and I will keep toughing it out in hopes to get her back to this happy, hungry state:

Thank you for all of your purrs, prayers, and patience! Rosie and I appreciate it more than we can describe!

A little more on Rosie...

I'm sorry I didn't post an update over the weekend. I've been so consumed with watching Rosie like a hawk that I just didn't make it onto the internet much these past couple of days. So...

Rosie did get to come home on Saturday. The vet called me in the morning to inform me that Rosie's recheck pancreatic SNAP test still indicated that her pancreatic values were abnormal. However, because she refused to eat while being hospitalized, her vet decided to send Rosie (along with a couple of extra medications) home in hopes that she would eat and perk up a bit better in her familiar, stress-free home environment. In some aspects, that is what happened. Rosie did eat a little for me as soon as we got home, but only a very tiny, minuscule amount. She was still pretty lethargic, but that could also be attributed to the fact that she had just spent three days away from home with an IV catheter hooked up to her leg. So, Rosie rested most of Saturday, eating a couple of very small meals throughout the day. She did on occasion still smack her lips as if nauseous, but she never vomited.

Yesterday morning Rosie was a bit brighter. Even though it was a very small meal, Rosie did readily eat when I gave her some of her favorite Friskies food for breakfast. She also was a bit more of her usual vocal self. However, throughout the day Rosie started to decline. By the afternoon she would barely eat anything I put in front of her, taking a couple of licks at best. I noticed that her eye started to look dull and sunken in, her coat started to look very dry, and when I tented her skin it went back down very, very slowly. Obviously her dehydration was getting the better of her again. The vet had told me that, since Rosie was given IV fluids through Saturday morning, I should wait until Sunday to give Rosie her usual subcutaneous fluids. Well, by yesterday afternoon I felt horrible upon realizing that I might have waited a bit too long. So, I immediately warmed up Rosie's fluids bag and admittedly gave her a little more than the prescribed 100 ml's. Within an hour of receiving her fluids Rosie perked up. She ate a couple of small meals, her coat started to look far less dry, and her eye was brighter and less sunken in. She even took a little bath after one of her feedings!

This morning Rosie is still doing relatively well. She actually gave me my usual morning scolding when it got near feeding time, and she ate a decent meal of yet another of her favorite Friskies flavors. She is still far less active and alert than usual, but I am seeing small improvements now -- as long as I keep her hydrated. That being said, already this morning, roughly 12 hours after receiving her subcutaneous fluids here at home, I can tell that she's starting to dehydrate and slow down a bit again. I am going to talk to the vet today, and I will be asking her whether she thinks it is reasonable for me to give Rosie subcutaneous fluids twice daily, since going the usual 24 hours between fluid administrations obviously is not working ideally for her at this point in time.

The vet mentioned on Saturday that if Rosie is not improving by early this week then they would re-hospitalize her. The only problem with that is, as the vet has observed and is concerned about, Rosie simply will not eat away from home. Or at least she won't eat at the vet while hooked to an IV, which Rosie makes obvious that she does not like. Nutritional support is very important in treating pancreatitis, so her going on a hunger strike is not ideal. Therefore, if she can be managed with fluids and medications at home, where she will eat, then that would be great.

I'll make another update post once I talk to the vet. Hopefully I can soon get my sweet Rosie back to this (minus one eye, that is):

Thank for you for all of your purrs and prayers for my sweet old girl!

It's time for a Rosie update.

I heard from the vet, and she did find a reason as to why Rosie has been smacking her lips, turning her nose up to her food bowl, and overall not acting herself. The vet first informed me that my old girl's renal values look good (they look great, actually), as does her thyroid level. So, after those tests came back normal, the vet decided to use some of Rosie's blood to do a pancreatic SNAP test, and that came back abnormal. Rosie has had pancreatitis in the past, and it seems that she's now having a flare-up.

Truthfully, as weird as it sounds, I'm considering this more or less good news. I'm thoroughly relieved that after three years of fighting kidney disease, Rosie's kidneys are still showing no signs of shutting down. It was also about three years ago that Rosie first had pancreatitis, and at that time it was a truly severe case that involved significant hepatitis. She pulled through that, and since this time we caught it very early and her vet seems optimistic, I have faith that Rosie can pull through again.

One of the worst things for me right now is that Rosie is going to be hospitalized for a couple of days, primarily because she is significantly dehydrated and because she could also certainly use some IV antibiotics and so forth. Although I can say that I'll try not to, I'm sure I'll be the worryingest worrywart during the entire time Rosie is away from home. My vet does allow humans to visit their furbabies during hospital stays, though, so I will be going to see Rosie tonight, tomorrow, and any other days that she'll be staying there. I'm sure I'll be calling them for updates as well, but luckily the staff and doctors are wonderful and patient people and have yet to block my calls.

Unfortunately, the vet did inform me that Rosie's dental disease has worsened significantly since her last appointment. Therefore, once she gets past this pancreatitis, it is likely she will need to undergo a dental. Since I can only stand to worry about Rosie's most pressing ailment right now, though, I'll worry about her teeth another day.

Any purrs and prayers you can spare are still very appreciated! And thank you so much for all of the purrs and prayers you've sent Rosie's way thus far!

Purrs and prayers please!

I'd like to request some purrs and prayers for my sweet Rosie please! I will be dropping her off at the vet first thing tomorrow morning, as she has not been acting herself today.

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.

One tough little cookie.

Thank you in advance for any purrs and prayers you can send my Rosie's way! Your purrs and prayers worked wonders at the time of her eye removal surgery, and they would be much appreciated now as well!

Operation Rosie Update

I dropped Rosie off at the vet first thing this morning for her eye removal (enucleation) surgery. As I'm sure was obvious in my previous posts, I was a nervous wreck, especially since Rosie's age (21), renal disease, and heart murmur put her at a high risk for anesthesia.

Well, the vet just called, and...Rosie did great during surgery and is already recovering! There are no words to describe how relieved I am. Thank you all for the purrs and prayers, as I know they helped!

A couple of years ago Rosie's previous vet told me that, given everything she's been through and survived these past few years, Rosie must be something along the lines of "bionic". There may be some truth to that, as Rosie is one tough cookie. On that note, when the vet called today I was told that during surgery her heart rate stayed between 120-140, which is pretty much perfect, especially for a cat Rosie's age and with a heart murmur. The vet said that Rosie just sailed right through the surgery.

Now I'm just counting down the minutes until I can go get Rosie tonight and take her home. I don't care if she's down an eye. In fact, I'll think she'll be adorable one-eyed!

I think I'll post a "before" and "after" picture of Rosie soon, to give you all an idea how bad the eye was and how cute she is now without it.

Rosie Update

Rosie went to the vet this morning for an exam of her "bad eye" since it suddenly started to display severe changes, as I mentioned in my post yesterday. The vet does not believe it is glaucoma causing the issue, but instead it appears that Rosie's cornea (the transparent outer layer of the eye) is now almost completely absent in the central front portion of her eye. Due to this, her eye is on the verge of rupturing. That explains the significant discoloration and discharge.

More than likely, Rosie will have the eye removed on Tuesday (our vet does surgeries on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so that is the earliest it can be done). The vet gave us antibiotics, eye drops, and pain medication to administer to Rosie over the weekend. She was also sent home wearing an E-collar to keep her from rubbing and rupturing the eye when we aren't able to watch her. We have an appointment scheduled for Tuesday at 10 am. The vet will examine Rosie's eye first, and unless some drastic improvement is evident we will move forward with enucleation (removal of the eye) that day.

I'm trying not to be a nervous wreck in the meantime. Rosie does have renal disease, as well as a heart murmur, which both can increase the risk of anesthesia. She will be receiving intravenous fluids during the procedure, though, which aids the functioning of the kidneys during an anesthetic event. Rosie has otherwise been acting great, as she is eating well and cuddles and purrs plenty. Although now, due to her pain medication, she is staring off into space a bit.

I'll be doing my best to stay calm and remain optimistic, but I certainly would appreciate all the purrs and prayers you can spare for Rosie!

This is Rosie a couple of weeks ago. Her right eye has been discolored and slightly bulbous for quite some time, but it had not caused her any issues until this past day or two. I can't wait until the surgery is done and over with on Tuesday so that the eye can cease being a concern.

All hail the Queen.

It only seems right that the first of my four-legged furballs I introduce here would be Rosie, otherwise known as Queen Rosie.

Queen Rosie

When I refer to Rosie as the Queen what I mean is that, in this furry corner of the world of mine, essentially everyone and everything revolves around Rosie. That's okay, though, because she's put in her time. At the beginning of this month Rosie turned 21 years young. I've had Rosie since I was a very young child. I grew up with her.

Now, in her geriatric years, Rosie is battling renal disease and arthritis, and she even fought off a severe case of pancreatitis and hepatitis two years ago. She also has -- excuse me while I use watered down medical terminology here -- a bad eye. At this point in time the eye is not causing her any problems or symptoms, but in the future it could result in glaucoma, which can be very painful and for which the only true cure is to have the eye removed. Through all of her ailments, though, Rosie has been a real trouper. It seems that nothing can bring her down. In fact, back when she was being treated for pancreatitis and hepatitis, she was deemed “bionic” by the veterinarian caring for her. What’s more, upon meeting Rosie, no one ever seems to believe me when I inform them that she is twenty-one years of age. I can only hope that I’ll age as well as Rosie.

I should give credit where credit is due, though. Helping Rosie fight her ailments is indeed an impressive pharmacy of medications. One of these is RenAvast, a relatively new nutraceutical that promotes healthy renal function. It has not been on the market for very long, but it has worked wonders for Rosie. On RenAvast, Rosie not only acts happier and healthier, but her renal values (BUN, creatinine, etc.) have been not only remaining static but at times even showing improvement. In fact, at her most recent vet visit a few weeks ago, her renal values were at levels lower than when she was first diagnosed with the disease. In addition to RenAvast, Rosie is on potassium supplementation and famotidine (pepcid) to further assist with issues arising from her renal disease, and she receives subcutaneous fluids daily to help flush out the circulating toxins caused by her faulty kidneys. She is also on a low dose of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory for her arthritis.

So, as I said, Rosie is certainly on an impressive pharmacy of drugs. But, since with these medications she is thriving in her geriatric years, I won’t complain a bit. After all, just like us, our animals age. And, just like with us, age is not a reason to simply throw in the towel. Quite the opposite, actually. So, if giving Rosie a pharmacy’s worth of medications makes her feel more or less young again, then that’s what she’ll get.

And then there’s the fact that Rosie has taught me that just because an animal is aging does not mean he or she can’t offer us just as much companionship and undeniable entertainment that he or she offered as a youngster. Yes, my once young and playful Rosie has certainly slowed down, but, at the same time, she has become sassier and at times riotously set in her ways. When Rosie wants fed she lets that fact be known loud and clear, and then she gets fed right then and there. Seriously, she gets fed on the couch in the living room, because that’s where she wants to eat.

Rosie invented the "couble" -- a couch and table all rolled into one.

Talk about breakfast -- and lunch, dinner, snack, and everything in between -- in bed. Speaking of which, when Rosie wants help getting onto my bed in the wee hours of the morning, she lets me know with a meow that could wake even the dead from their slumber. And so what do I do? Of course I immediately jump out of bed and lend her a helping hand onto my bed, and then I swiftly contort myself into whatever position she demands of me. And then there’s the fact that when Rosie physically demands the very blanket off my lap, I relinquish it without question. And when Rosie wants the resident dog or five other cats to give her some much needed space, she lets them know with a wail or a hiss or a swift slap in the face, and sometimes all of the above. And then, with a hop, skip, and a jump, I corral the young hooligans out of Rosie’s sight.

As I said, Rosie is the Queen of this furry brood of animals, and she deserves to be. After all, to put it in perspective, she is the equivalent of a human being who has made it to roughly one hundred years of age. We must respect our elders. So, all hail the Queen.