Canesisters 2023 journal - turning my Disasters into Delights

canesisters

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Chaos is home. It's a waiting game now. IF he can stay unblocked until the swelling & inflammation is down he's got a chance. They tell me that this kind of thing has less & less chance of recovery each time it happens. Because he blocked 2x in just a couple of days.... it's not great.
I'm off tomorrow so I'll spend the day following him around, spoiling him & obsessing over the litter box contents.
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canesisters

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So far, so good 🤞
It is very much a day by day thing. I'm trying really, really hard to not get my hopes up. He IS doing well, mostly. I've become obsessed with his litter box. Every morning the first thing I do is check the box in the crate to see if he peed overnight. When I'm home, I follow him around & obsessively clean all the boxes so I'll know exactly how many times & how much he pees. When I'm gone, he's in the crate with his Rx food so I'll know what he's done. This morning I was finally treated to a poo too. Hooray
He's not eating much... but he IS eating. Mostly drinking the can food juice (Watered down to get as much fluid in him as possible). On good days he is his usual chatty, snuggly self. On bad days he hides under the guest bed.
We're having more good days than bad days.
The vet says it could be a couple more weeks before we can call this episode over.
If we get to that point, there is a VERY expensive Rx food that will treat his condition & MAY give him several more years.
I'll have to become THAT Crazy Cat Lady who has several living loose in the house & 1 living in the bedroom/bathroom with his own litter & special food. And picking up everyone's food when they're all together.
But.... he could block up again at any time between now & then ... and this will all be over.

I've never dealt with a cat who fights this hard to not take Clavamox... and I've given A LOT of antibiotic drops. This morning he got a foot free from the 'purr-itio' wrap & in the flailing he clawed HIMSELF in the mouth!! 😳

I'm taking every chance I get to love on him & snuggle him. I've never met a cat quite like him. He has always been special.

An a different note, Birdie is doing well.... even though she's taken a back seat this week.
We've started clicker training. We play a game called Where's Birdie. I walk randomly stop & look at my feet. She watches & when I stop she runs over & sits in front of me. Click&Treat
She's working on mastering 'wait' & 'down' (lay), she's learning to not crowd me going up & down steps & has mastered waiting on her rug to be told that she can come to her food bowl. She still goes into her kennel with 'Birdie, kennel'. Using the click&treat we're slowly increasing how far away I can be from the gate. I hope to soon be able to send her in, have her 'wait', then release her from anywhere in the yard.
She still barks - a lot - while in the kennel. But the quiet times ARE getting longer & more frequent.
I had to put the professional training in hold. After 1 emergency vet visit & 1 hospitalization, finances are stretched too far to allow for any of that just yet - but we are continuing on on our own 👍
 

Mini Horses

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Let me guess -- Eva & Blossom are not escaping! 🥰👍 it's been a positively stressful, on your toes, take deep breaths, cry a little .... Summer. 🫂 You're doing great.

Thanks for the update. I was a little worried as it's been few days. Love good news. At least not bad news.
 

farmerjan

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Glad to hear of the progress with the cat, all things considered. And it sounds like things with Birdie are much better overall... I think she needs the structure more than was realized and this gives her something to "make you happy" and she is responding. Plus, by the time things calm down a little and you can think about the professional training, she will be in the intermediate to advanced stage !!!!! :yesss: Give yourself a pat on the back....🤗

And as much as Chaos means to you, please just believe that you are doing, and have done, all you can within reason if things do not go well for him. Be thankful for all the time with him so far....and cherish the time now, for however long it is. He might get over this and just keep right on with a change in diet too...
 

canesisters

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And as much as Chaos means to you, please just believe that you are doing, and have done, all you can within reason if things do not go well for him.
That's part of why I'm watching him Soooo close. When I left him at the vet's last Monday AM, I decided then that there wasn't any more that I could do. IF I had felt that the FIRST Vet had done a competent job, I'm not sure that I would've put him through the 2nd procedure & hospitalization. Of course, I'm doing all that I can because I love him and he is my constant companion at home and really IS a very unusual 'dog-like' cat. But also because I know how I'll beat myself up if I feel like I could've reasonably done more and didn't.
He's not licking nearly as much (hasn't worn the dishcloth collar all weekend) and doesn't seem nearly as irritated. 😊 I suppose it's time to buy that big bag of Rx food and move him out of the dog crate and into the bedroom/bathroom when I'm gone so I can continue to monitor his litter box activities & water intake.
 

Baymule

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Martha Stewart advertises something called Pretty Litter. It turn different colors according to what is good/bad in the urine. You might want to look it up.

Chaos is an old man. He’s had a good life with you. I know you want to do all you can for him, at some point it may be just making him comfortable and letting him go. If you can squeeze a little more time into his life, that will be wonderful.
 

canesisters

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Martha Stewart advertises something called Pretty Litter. It turn different colors according to what is good/bad in the urine. You might want to look it up.

Chaos is an old man. He’s had a good life with you. I know you want to do all you can for him, at some point it may be just making him comfortable and letting him go. If you can squeeze a little more time into his life, that will be wonderful.
Yes, my head knows.. but my heart is arguing.
 
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