Looks like I'm going to lose my youngest cat (10 years old)
Posted by
Covington (aka CovingtonCat)
Jun 23 '17, 15:48
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She showed up one day in the back parking lot almost 10 years ago. I thought she was maybe 12 weeks old, from a litter of cats living about 2 blocks away that I passed on the way to work. The mother was a stray and guys in the window tinting shop fed her. The kittens just ran all over the place. I brought her inside and realized she was in bad shape. I put her in a basket by my desk and she immediately fell asleep. When she woke up she ate like she hadn't eaten in a while but then she started coughing. She slept for most of 3 days. I took her to the vet who said she was probably 9 months old, just very small and set her birthday as Feb 14th. $500 later and multiple vet trips I decided to keep her. (I thought I might stabilize her then adopt her out.) She imprinted on me like no other cat I've ever owned.
She's never been a playful cat but once in a while she'll play with a string if neither of the two older boys are around. When she lays next to me (or more often, on me) she purrs until she falls asleep.
We call her Judgmental Cat because she can give you such a look. She has a habit of literally giving me a cold shoulder if I'm not paying attention to her. She'll sit or lay nearby with her back to me. Every once in a while she'll look over her shoulder with That Look. Recently I was outside talking to a neighbor. The front door was open but the glass storm door was closed. She sat watching me while I was chatting. Then she turned around and gave me her back. And sat there until I came in.
When I came back from New England the day before Memorial Day I thought she'd been pigging out while we were away. A friend came over every day to replenish the bowl of dry food and give all 3 a couple of cans of wet food. Normally the dry food is only down a couple of hours. I figured she was stress eating because I was away. Her belly was much rounder, almost like she was in the early stages of pregnancy, although that was impossible. Two weekends later I was in DC for 3 days. When I got back she was even bigger.
She didn't show any discomfort and didn't react when I pushed her belly. She really looked like she about to drop kittens. But her belly was a little hard. All this time she was eating and drinking normally. Also no change to using the litter box. The only thing I noticed was her little back legs had to work harder to lift her up stairs. I weighed her - she'd gained nearly 2 pounds since the last vet visit.
Earlier this week I made an appointment to take her to the vet, expecting him to put her on a special diet. He immediately said she was a very sick kitty. The enlarged belly is called ascites. It's fluid leaking from somewhere and is caused by several things, all of the ultimately fatal in a short time. One possible cause that was ruled out was heart failure - he didn't hear anything wrong with her heart. Another cause could be a tumor. Because of the fluid the vet couldn't feel any of her organs and an xray wouldn't get through the fluid. It could be caused by kidney or liver disease or a cancer of some kind.
He was pretty clear that she had only a couple months left and that there probably wasn't anything to be done. He said surgery was ruled out if it was a tumor because it would be too far along by now.
They kept her for the night. He'll try to extract as much of the fluid as he can tonight. That will allow him to feel if there's a growth. They will take blood and send that and some of the fluid for testing. He'll call me in the morning and let me know how the draining went (the way he explained it it sounds very painful to the cat - he said it usually takes several people to hold the cat down while inserts the needle).
I always expected Jennifer would go before the boys (who are 3 years older). The breathing problem she had when I took her in persisted over the years. But she never seemed in distress, even when she was snorting out huge lugies. She's always been even tempered. She'll cry, sometimes scream, when she realizes she's going to the vet but once there she's as calm as can be.
If I go through with all the tests that can determine the cause of the problem I'll end up spending another $500. But the results probably won't make a difference. The vet said once a cat gets this way there's no turning back and the end can come quickly.
Because she's so quiet it's hard to tell if she's in pain or even any discomfort. The vet said to expect her to stop eating, get lethargic, and then die. I don't want her to go like that so I'll probably put her to sleep before it gets that far. The only question is how soon.
The linked picture is the best picture she's ever taken. The cat in the window is from Cat's Meow up in Wooster, OH. Many of you know what that is. I bought that shortly before Jennifer came into my life. I could never get her to pose with her tail curled up.
Visit "" on Flickr
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Responses:
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She's beautiful. I am so, so sorry. -- nm
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David's iPad
Jun 23, 16:40
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That's a shame, very sorry to hear that. -- nm
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Cuzzin Todd
Jun 23, 16:20
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😥 Good thoughts for Jennifer. -- nm
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Krusty
Jun 23, 16:20
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Aw, she has the look of my Mojo only with shorter fur. So sorry to hear the news :( -- nm
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Meg
Jun 23, 16:14
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My thoughts are with you, and Jennifer. -- nm
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Spawn
Jun 23, 16:07
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So sorry. :( very beautiful cat -- nm
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Amoxy
Jun 23, 16:01
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pretty girl. I'm sorry to hear this. -- nm
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kelly
Jun 23, 16:01
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:( -- nm
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budice
Jun 23, 15:58
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aww :( -- nm
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Beryllium
Jun 23, 15:53
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