A Cat Update
Apr. 28th, 2011 06:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
spookyeviloneWhen last we left our intrepid heroine, she'd given up on $Youngest_Cat, after spending roughly $1800 in veterinary fees for every test under the sun, as well as about $200/month on various specialty cat foods due to some sort of absorption issue that was causing the cat to waste away to nothing. To be told that there was nothing medically wrong with the cat - all tests came back "normal". Except the cat was literally wasting away. At his worst point, he was down to less than 1lb in weight, weak enough that he was sleeping all the time and could not walk without stumbling. He was still eating but meowing all the time as though he was starving - because he was, and nothing in veterinary science could figure out why. In the words of a sibling, "That cat is fixin' to die." Having decided that the $200/month cat food bill was ridiculous, since the cat wasn't gaining any weight back - although he wasn't losing any more, but that might have been because there was no more to lose unless he liquified his organs - Our Heroine said, "To hell with this." $Youngest_Cat was put back on Iams, which, while not the crappiest cat food in the world, is also not the $50/bag super primo no-additives, limited-ingredient raw cat food he'd been on. Because if the cat was fixin' to die, be damned if Our Heroine would let him go out feeling like he was starving.
Proving that the cat is indeed in the most perverse, contrary creature known to man, the little bastard not only failed to die, he actually gained weight back. He's still underweight, but he's up to about 3lbs right now and gaining. He does appear to have a legit allergy to something in the food because he has resumed pulling his fur out on his hind end. However, I would rather have a bald-assed live cat than a fully-furred dead one. Also, both cats now have decomposing fish breath that could stun a maggot at 50 paces. I can live with that, also. To be fair, $Youngest_Cat has always had kitty halitosis. Now his brother has it as well and it's enough to make your eyes water when they yawn.
At this point, I can only assume that I have put any listening gods in mortal fear of my wrath. No other explanation makes sense. The only thing that changed in this entire fiasco was the brand of cat foods, and the cat was not failing to eat - he was eating a lot but seemed to get no benefit from the foods. His brother, same parents, earlier litter, has had no such problems with any of the foods. It remains a mystery.
Regardless, I am thankful that the damn little cat didn't die on me. Live forever, you contrary little bastard.
Proving that the cat is indeed in the most perverse, contrary creature known to man, the little bastard not only failed to die, he actually gained weight back. He's still underweight, but he's up to about 3lbs right now and gaining. He does appear to have a legit allergy to something in the food because he has resumed pulling his fur out on his hind end. However, I would rather have a bald-assed live cat than a fully-furred dead one. Also, both cats now have decomposing fish breath that could stun a maggot at 50 paces. I can live with that, also. To be fair, $Youngest_Cat has always had kitty halitosis. Now his brother has it as well and it's enough to make your eyes water when they yawn.
At this point, I can only assume that I have put any listening gods in mortal fear of my wrath. No other explanation makes sense. The only thing that changed in this entire fiasco was the brand of cat foods, and the cat was not failing to eat - he was eating a lot but seemed to get no benefit from the foods. His brother, same parents, earlier litter, has had no such problems with any of the foods. It remains a mystery.
Regardless, I am thankful that the damn little cat didn't die on me. Live forever, you contrary little bastard.