Getting Through the Kitty Crisis
It's been a rough few days.
Tilly still wasn't eating on Sunday, so as soon as the pet supply store opened I went in search of a 10cc feeding syringe. I thought this would help me feed her more food, but she would struggle madly (even wrapped in a towel) and I still couldn't get much food into her. The whole thing has made me very worried. She needed to eat. When cats stop eating, that's almost always a baaaad sign.
She skulked around, crawling into my lap for comfort but running if I approached her myself (no doubt afraid I'd force food down her throat). She did a good job of emphasizing a scrawny look, sticking her fur and bones out in all directions. It's a talent that cats have. Lola continued hissing at her, which didn't helping matters. It's hard not to get mad at Lola when she does that, even though I know she's only acting out her own trauma.
Yesterday morning, I spoke with the vet and she prescribed an appetite stimulant. It is one that I used with Purrscilla years ago when I was trying to get her to eat when she had acute kidney disease. I gave the medicine to Tilly as soon as I got home. I could tell that it made her a bit restless; I just was hoping she doesn't feel too strange.
This ordeal was wearing on me and made me weepy. I keep remembering how it was to nurse Purrscilla (my cat of 17-1/2 years) through terminal illness. It's amazing how those memories can suddenly resurface with such force. Tilly is just a baby, only five and a half years old, and I don't want to lose her. I knew that if she would just eat, she'd be okay.
Finally, tonight, she started eating. Yay, Tilly! I am so enormously relieved. I will keep giving her the appetite stimulant for a day or so longer to make sure she keeps it up, though I am halving the dose to make her less jumpy. I know what it's like when you have a sensitive little body, so I don't want to torment her with a bigger dose than she needs.
I feel exhausted. Can I just sit in front of the TV for a few days with kitties in my lap?
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