1/13 Hershey AMPS(42)+2(94)PMPS(80) 4 Yrs Annifursary

Just wanted to stop in and say hello. I hope y’all had a fabulous Christmas and are enjoying a wonderful new year!!

Today marks 4 years my sweet Hershey has been on insulin. We’ve had SO many good days, better than I could have imagined while looking at the greasy-coated kitty who was wasting away before my eyes the end of 2011. I’ve watched him feel good enough to chase Oreo at top speeds through the house, seen him jump up on my bed, and the counters (GRRR!), and even caught him on top of the bookcase! He was so well-regulated that our new vet didn’t believe he was diabetic.

As is always the case, the end of the year throws our schedule out the window. Between holidays and volunteering with Operation Christmas Child, we do the best we can. This year was wackier than most. His SS shows MANY higher numbers and increases back to .75u. In the last month, I have also noticed him drinking water almost every day. I initially thought it was because of the Miralax, but even with making his food like soup and discontinuing the Miralax, he drinks almost daily. I still beat myself up, feeling like I should’ve taken better care of him to start with and he wouldn’t have diabetes and now the start to kidney disease. I haven’t had him back to the vet, partly because of schedules, partly finances, and partly because I fear what the test results will show.

Hershey will be 14 on March 1st and, I learned at Christmas, is the last of his litter. He is such a good kitty (Doug would argue that point when he’s calling outside our bedroom door in the wee hours of the morning!) and smart, too. He’s not terribly fond of the grandkids (When he hides, I try to make sure they don’t find him.) but tolerates them (for a while anyway) and even has lower numbers when they’re here.

Hershey is SUPER ticked that Friskies discontinued their Special Diet! I bought up every can I could find and we're alternating it with Wellness Turkey. He has started snubbing the Wellness, waiting for the Friskies. I t-r-i-e-d explaining, but he doesn't want to hear it. The last couple of days, I'm doing about half of each and hoping he'll decide anew that he likes Wellness.

In the last week or so, I’ve noticed Hershey is having trouble jumping up on furniture, or my lap. He can’t quite get the vertical jump to land his whole body. More like he gets most of his body up and struggles for the rest. I know some of this is age and wonder if the cold weather plays a part, especially with the surgical hip.

This dance is a tiring one, isn’t it? I find myself discouraged often lately, thinking that by now I should know the steps, but there are always new elements coming into play. So, just going to do the best I can and enjoy the moment. It’s all we can do, right??

Including two photos, if I did it right - haven't uploaded a photo since the site change, so... First one is Hershey sitting in my lap wondering why I'm typing to y'all instead of feeding him. Second, my grands (Sammy is 3 and Beth Ann is 21 months), for those interested in seeing how they've grown!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great night -

Libby (& Hershey, too!)

 

Hi Libby/Doug and Hershey/Oreo! Happy New Year. It's great to hear from you. How did Sammy get so big?!

Neko and I "celebrated" our 4th in December. Like you, I'm glad she's here to celebrate those annifursaries. She's also starting to drink more (stage 2 CKD) and has arthritis. But I agree, this dance is tiring. I wish it was just FD - it's so much simpler than the complicated dance steps. I still think of you every time someone wants to switch over to Levemir and we say that some kitties have an immediate reaction. You are legend Hershey.

The Friskies being discontinued disappointed a number of people. With the CKD in the picture, even more so. I've also changed over half of Neko's fuds and am making some of my own now. Why can't manufacturers make a cat food that's actually good for cats?

 

Happy Anniversary. It seems strange to say that, but it's great to look back and see how much better our kitties are doing. How great that your new vet didn't believe Hershey was diabetic. I'm sorry he's having trouble jumping. I hope it's something that can be treated to help him feel better. All we can do is make the most of each day we have with them. Sending prayers.

 

Hi Libby,
So nice to hear from you. Happy 4th Annifursury, Hershey! We hope that you will recover some of your fantastic skills and start feeling better again.
If you think that Hershey has CRF, now is the time to start doing something about it. It is quite common here and many of the kitties are dealing with it. @Amy&TrixieCat , @tiffmaxee , @Wendy&Neko to name just a few. Dr. Pierson's food list in http://catinfo.org lists the phosphorous percentages. And, of course, there is the CRF bible: Tanya's CRF site

Isn't it frustrating when favorite foods are discontinued or changed. Have you tried the Wellness Chicken? Rusty likes it better than the turkey. He also likes Wellness Core Turkey & Duck. But I'm not certain where these foods are on the phosphorous scale. You can check them out on Dr. Pierson's lists. Rusty's latest favorite is Merrick's Limited ingredient Chicken (but, if he is true to form, he'll stop liking it now that I have ordered a case).

Anyway, hang in there. I just celebrated my 6th anniversary on the Board!!!

Great photos of your grandkids.

Happy New Year!

hugs and scritches,

Ella & Rusty

 

Happy anniversary !

 

Libby,
I miss you my friend.

Woulda, shoulda, coulda.... DON'T go THERE!!!! Consider where Hershey would be if you hadn't done all you've done the past 4 years! He wouldn't be 14 years old.

I wonder if Hersh is just feeling his age lately? Maybe arthritis?

Thank you for the pics! Your grandchildren are precious.

How are your kids doing?
How is Doug?

Love ya like a fat kid loves cake!
Carl

 

- Hey, Wendy - I don't know why manufacturers don't see there is $$$ to be made if they made a decent, affordable product to cater to diabetic/kidney issue cats. If they realized it, surely they'd jump on $$$ bandwagon! You may recall Hershey had hip surgery when he was young (They made him a hip joint.) and they said to expect arthritis. He seemed bothered by it a few times a year or two after the procedure, but so far, so good. Praying that continues!

I don't know how Sammy got so big so fast! Thankfully, he stills like to sit in Nana's lap and read. Last time he stayed with me, we read 45 books in 3 days. I told his mommy he wasn't old enough for preschool, but she sent him anyway. He loves school!

- Hey, Carla - Thanks; you're right it does sound kind of funny to say, but I guess it's more of a celebration of how far he's come, so that's something to celebrate. I hope the jumping is temporary, too, maybe the cold. I know I don't function as well in the cold, either!

- Hey, Ella - The vet said he suspected CRF and wanted him to switch to prescription food. We 'talked' about it and I insisted on the Friskies Special Diet. (I think he's expecting us to revisit the subject.) I'm hoping the bloodwork is much improved on our next visit, but I know that's just a pipe dream. I'm not sure my brain cells can handle learning the CRF ropes, too. (*sigh*) Hershey would prefer a little food variety, but I checked the list and Wellness Turkey has the lowest phosphorus. I know what you mean about changing their tastes as soon as you order a case. We bought a year's worth of Friskies for Oreo at PetSmart's Black Friday sale. They had mostly T&G and now he's decided he'd rather starve than eat it. (He's so melodramatic )

Thanks on the grandkids. I had idea how much I'd love being a Nana!

- Hey, Jayla - Thanks for the congrats and for coming to visit!

- Hey, Carl - I miss you, too, my ever-encouraging friend. You're right, of course. Many thanks go to you for teaching me so much and holding my hand so many times. I'll never forget vacationing in the mountains with poor connection, holding the laptop on the window sill and talking to you in the wee hours of the morning because Hershey thought vacation meant 'let's see how low we can drop!'

Maybe arthritis, between age and the surgical hip, and how much JUMPING he's been doing, it's certainly a possibility. Doug fed them tonight, left Oreo's food unattended on the counter, and went on to other things. You guessed it! Got up there without so much as a grunt, so I'm having a hard time giving him too much sympathy. He happened to hit the cabinet door that doesn't close all the way, so I heard it. BUSTED!

Thanks on the grandkids. They definitely have me wrapped. I have a habit of singing something that goes with what you say. I was doing that to Sammy at Christmas. He had me sing the same thing 5 or 6 times. Then, he said, sing it for my daddy puh-LEASE! Well, we went and found my SIL; I informed him that Sammy thought he wanted/needed to hear this and sang for him.

The kids are great. My SIL was called to a church that pays enough for Ginnie to stay home with the kids. She's still giving piano lessons, though. Jessica will, hopefully, graduate 2017 (They keep changing the program which extends her time there, so she's changed her major.) and then we suspect she'll get married shortly thereafter. She's been dating this guy 2 years; we think he's a keeper. Joseph is loving his job and has a new girlfriend. The jury is still out. Doug is great. Thinking about retiring in about 7 years, so gathering information, options post-retirement, etc. We moved Dec, 2014, so there's a whole new honey-do list. I try to do my part to keep him out of trouble. How about you? And, Polly, too?? I miss hearing from you.

Like a fat kid loves cake?? That's a lotta love. Back at 'cha, my friend

 

Hi Libby!
I am sure you can tell I am fairly new here--Carl "held m hand" as well--he is awesome and very reassuring especially when you find out your cat has FD and he is dropping like a rock!!
I wanted to just give you support about the CRF-My other cat has been getting sub q fluids for 5 years (he is now 16) he is not diabetic (although my diabetic gets them now too) But my point is that it seems you are a pretty amazing care taker and I am sure you will be great at it if needed-
also for arthritis have you ever spoke to your vet about adequan ?? It is pretty great )
Nice to meet you!!!