One Last Good Day

Micky reclining on the sofa several years ago

When an aged  beloved animal friend begins to decline, eventually a decision will need to be made.   I made the decision to euthanize Micky on Friday, July 6th.   It was not an easy decision, but it was the right one.  Micky showed signs of kidney failure in early spring.  We changed his diet and  pumped him with fluids.  The fluids helped  Mick's kidneys to function the best they could -- he needed them every day.  



But, Thursday night Micky looked really bad.  The once roly-poly Garfield-look-alike was a skeleton.  I brought him to the Washington Animal Rescue League Animal Medical Center first thing Friday morning.  I knew we were out of time.   I have the good fortune of working with the kindest, most caring group of people assembled anywhere.  We collectively decided to pump Micky with fluids and give him an appetite stimulant -- that way he could eat one last really good meal.  And, he did.  I found a really stinky can of something that claimed to be "ocean delight" and Micky ate it.  He purred, too.  He was feeling better.  But the good feeling wouldn't last.  Maybe a day, maybe less.  And, when Micky, who was always a solid 12-pounder barely registered on the scale at  less than 6 pounds, I knew that we could not buy any more time.  I'm not going to anthropomorphize  (big word that means projecting human thoughts and feelings onto my cat) but I know that Micky was feeling really crummy and there was no hope of him feeling better. He wasn't happy getting fluids and didn't feel like eating.  So, I made the decision to euthanize Micky that afternoon after a really nice day.  He was in one of his favorite spots, my office, with one of his favorite people, Max.  

Micky in my office several
weeks ago. 

We adopted Micky in January 2002.  He was said to be 6-8, maybe 10-years-old then.  He had been an outside cat with crusty paws and bad teeth.   His paws improved soon after his move to an indoor-only cat and his rotten teeth were pulled by a veterinarian who specialized in dentistry.   Micky feared Merl, the house bully cat -- although Merl came to live with us after Mick.  He loved Natalie and Max and slept with one or the other every single night that they were home.  On the rare occasions that they were both gone, and I was home, I'd encourage Micky to climb into bed with me.  He always declined, electing to sleep on the sofa instead.  Micky was dearly loved, and is sorely missed.

Change Happens

My old cat Micky is wasting away -- well that's a bit of an exaggeration, but not much.  I brought him in to see Dr. Shillito the other day.  When you take your animal friend to the vet, the doctor asks all sorts of questions.  Obviously, the questions are directed at you since the cat can't speak, or at least talk  in a mutually understandable language.  Anyway, Micky's blood and urine were drawn, diet was discussed and then Dr. Shillito asked what I use for flea and tick prevention.   I proudly said, "Nothing".  After all, Micky, Merl and Charlotte don't go outside, so why would they need flea preventative?  Dr. Shillito was not buying my logic -- he said Nigel goes out, I go out, windows are open, there are ways for fleas, and even ticks to make their way inside the house for a tasty meal of  feline blood.   He strongly suggested a flea and tick preventative.  I begrudgingly said okay.  But not convinced, I looked up "Indoor cats and flea and tick prevention."   AND,   I found numerous articles that said --

Other animals in the household that do go outside (like dogs and people!) can bring in different parasites that can affect the “indoor” cat -- from www.CatHospitalofChicago.com

and

Even if your indoor cat never goes outdoors, it is not a bad idea to implement a flea, heartworm and intestinal parasite prevention program. This is not just my opinion, but that of the Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC). The parasite control recommendations from the CAPC website www.petsandparasitescom state the following: “the use of year-round heartworm and broad spectrum flea, heartworm and intestinal parasite medications, as well as appropriate flea and/or tick products, is the foundation of an effective parasite control program for your cat”. -- at  http://www.petparents.com/show.aspx/question/do-inside-cats-need-flea/tick-medicine.

So, I ordered the monthly preventative and am psyching myself up to apply it to the feline trio.   But, for now, Micky doesn't have fleas, nor do I think he has had them in the ten years that he has lived with me, but he has lost 2 pounds since January.   The diagnosis is not yet totally complete, but the broad, general thought is that he is old and things are changing -- including my opinion regarding flea and tick prevention for indoor cats.