Live long and prosper
May. 29th, 2017 08:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
talyenMy oldest cat is maybe 18. She was one of the foster cats from when I fostered with the Ann Arbor Cat Clinic, and I got her in 2002, pregnant with 4 kittens and too far along to "do" anything about it. She was a great mom and her kittens were adopted quickly. She, however, made nice to my two home cats, and convinced me to keep her.
15 years later, she's been through three moves, three babies, three dogs, breast cancer, and hyperthyroidism. Until three months ago, she slept every night on my pillow, and has been pretty much a fabulous cat: not too demanding, not too expensive, but always there, always nearby, always peaceful and purring.
And of course I'm writing this because we are nearing the end. At first, about a year ago or so, she started ignoring rules, and jumped on the table while we were eating, trying to get our food! This past winter, she decided she no longer wanted to eat the fancy cat food, and would only eat boring grocery store cat food.
This weekend I noticed that she wasn't really eating anything at all, and she has lost another pound (she's usually around 5.5 pounds now that she's old, so 4.5 pounds is not good.) So I got a lot of tuna at my favorite club store, and she's downing that whenever she gets off her favorite perch. If that buys us a few more days of happiness, I am thankful and happy to provide her with what she wants.
This site has very good advice for considering the quality of life as older cats age. So does this site.
15 years later, she's been through three moves, three babies, three dogs, breast cancer, and hyperthyroidism. Until three months ago, she slept every night on my pillow, and has been pretty much a fabulous cat: not too demanding, not too expensive, but always there, always nearby, always peaceful and purring.
And of course I'm writing this because we are nearing the end. At first, about a year ago or so, she started ignoring rules, and jumped on the table while we were eating, trying to get our food! This past winter, she decided she no longer wanted to eat the fancy cat food, and would only eat boring grocery store cat food.
This weekend I noticed that she wasn't really eating anything at all, and she has lost another pound (she's usually around 5.5 pounds now that she's old, so 4.5 pounds is not good.) So I got a lot of tuna at my favorite club store, and she's downing that whenever she gets off her favorite perch. If that buys us a few more days of happiness, I am thankful and happy to provide her with what she wants.
This site has very good advice for considering the quality of life as older cats age. So does this site.
