Musings on a Small Life

-18C this AM (that's -0.4 F), with a windchill of -28C (-18.4F). I can feel it even through the long johns. LOL. And we're slated for up to 30 cms of snow tomorrow and into Wednesday. That's a foot of snow in Imperial measurement. On top of what we already have. It's not like we have bare ground here. Yippee! (Sarcasm) Annie update: One tiny bit of poop overnight, but not dried up. However, she threw up her breakfast this AM, with the laxative in it. Don't think that was related to the laxative, because she hasn't thrown up since prior to her stay at the "spa." I'm hoping it was a one-time thing, as she does throw up once a while, but if it happens again today, tomorrow, etc., I'll have to give her something to settle her tummy. Slippery elm or Pepcid or whathaveyou -- I'd check with the vet first. I'll see if she'll drink her afternoon dose of RestoraLAX in some Almo chicken juice. I'm wondering if it was the cumulati...

No poop from Annie till late yesterday afternoon, so I spent most of the day on a roller coaster of emotions. Called the vet clinic in the AM to reorder her thyroid meds and book an appointment for her tomorrow at 2:20PM...just in case. Finally, there was poop in the upstairs litter box, could only be hers, still too dry, but at least moving. More poop from Annie in the upstairs box when I got up around 4AM...and even more poop from her in one of the basement litter boxes. Whew! I suspect we both feel better, at last. I think it's just a matter of tweaking the dose of RestoraLAX (i.e. MiraLAX) she's getting, then adding fibre to her diet, finding her something better to eat (if she will), etc. No, I didn't go to the movie yesterday, no way could I have sat still for two hours. But I did go downtown for a hot drink and cookie and to pick up a few things from Dollarama. I even walked the 5+ kms home -- some long overdue and much-needed gentle exercise and fresh ai...

For some reason, I feel more wound up and stressed about Annie today than ever, in spite of the dried-out clump she made this morning. Maybe it's because she's been hiding out in the basement in her cube again, last evening and this morning. Maybe it's just because I'm so over-tired and over-stressed and just plain stretched to the max. Would that I had a naturally calm, roll with the punches personality, rather than this nervous, easily upset one. And maybe I should make an effort to get out of the house this weekend and do something for my self. Not cat-related. I actually haven't been to a movie in years, but have heard only good things about "The King's Speech." Perhaps, if I'm in the mood, I'll go on Saturday afternoon. Unless I'm having another crisis because Annie's taken a turn for the worse. Which, of course, is possible. But I hope not probable. It's all good, right? It'll be okay, right? Nicki out in the ...

Annie's output already is small and pebbly, now that she's not getting umpteen enemas a day. So I'll be heading home today armed with RestoraLAX (MiraLAX in the US), acacia fiber, and mineral oil. I left the cats with--gasp!-- no food this morning, for the first time ever . I always leave canned out. No wonder the boys are fat. Of course I've been worrying since that they're starving. They'll be fine. It's "mom" who always says "eat, eat," at least with regard to Annie. I only hope she won't balk at eating a bit of her canned with the RestoraLAX in it; it's supposed to be odourless and tasteless. Surprisingly, I didn't sleep well last night. I think I had an ear out for any noise from Annie (nope), and I confess I'm still concerned for her well-being: appetite, UTI, colon heath. I'll feel better if she keeps eating regularly and doesn't need another round of antibiotics, and if the bit of laxative added to her...

She's home and hanging around in the basement right now, though she's come upstairs for a few minutes, a couple of times. I brought her inside and up into a spare room, thinking to keep her there for a few hours to settle in, but she made such a ruckus I gave up after about 15 minutes, if that. The boys haven't hissed or fussed at her all; she, of course, has hissed at Nicki. Felix would be proud. She had a wander around the main level, had a few bites to eat (Derry's food) and then made her way to the basement. I'm going to pick up some RestoraLAX (MiraLAX in the US) and try that to keep her stool soft, perhaps a couple of other additives (natural remedies) as well. It was suggested by my vet, though I already had info on it. It's a powder and so can be put in food, not a sweet, sticky substance like Lactulose. She won't eat food with pumpkin. I'm thinking I'll have to change the feeding routine, though, because right now I feed at certain tim...

Well, not quite. A lot of extra sleeping -- or at least resting -- because my body has crashed from the stress/adrenaline. I look like something one of the cats would puke up. No call from the on-duty vet; gee, why am I not surprised? It's been very hard today to go without hearing how Annie is doing. By now she must have given up all hope of coming home. Okay, I know non-humans live more in the moment, but still...I really need her to come home soon. The vet had said, referring to the x-ray, that she had those few inches of stool left, then her colon was clear. So has she passed it all? If I hear her say tomorrow that she has to pass yet another few inches I might scream. Define "few inches," then. Because "a few" means three. And I know she's passed at least that much. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Deep breath, repeat the mantra (thanks, Cheri, I've been saying it all weekend), wait and see what Dr. Buchanan says tomorrow. There's an A...

[Warning: Details of litter box output, so for understanding animal-people only!] I had gone the clinic this AM and left a note for the vet, to call me Monday to discuss surgery ASAP if these enemas aren't working...and Annie's pooped twice this afternoon! A few inches total (okay, gross, I know), so I'm encouraged for the first time in what feels like forever. (She did poop Thursday and Friday too, but the vet said she had a big mass that she would have difficulty passing. Hmmm....) The enema this AM didn't have any effect, but the clinic staff person (Ashley) said it was really busy today and Annie was stressed with so much going on. She pooped about an inch sometime between 2PM and 3PM (because I called shortly after 3PM to check on her and Ashley had looked in on her at 2PM) and Ashley just called me once more to say Annie had pooped again, a couple of inches. Sorry if it's TMI, but gee, maybe she just needs peace and quiet...and maybe she won't need sur...

I thought I'd post here, I don't need to post umpteen updates on Fuzzy Tales. (And apologies to a couple of people, I've already emailed them with this update, I copied it over to the blog for posting.) I just talked to the vet...Annie's trying to pass this poop but it's not moving. The vet has sent the x-rays to the Ottawa internist and a radiologist, She really wants to get their opinion as to whether the colon has a stricture. She said that if does, the surgery is very difficult and involved. She doesn't feel Annie is suffering at this time -- said she's taking the enemas better than a lot of cats, but that they'll ease up on them over the weekend, three tomorrow and two or three on Sunday. Monday will be the attempt at manual extraction (unless there's a poop miracle), but because Annie's pelvis and colon are so narrow, she's very concerned about the procedure. And if that doesn't work...well, I'll have to make a decision ...

Just a further note re: Annie, so don't read if kitty poop grosses you out! Dr. Buchanan had felt hard stool in Annie's colon on Monday, so when we spoke yesterday evening she asked if Annie had passed anything. I said only a very tiny hard bit on Monday, nothing subsequent to that. So she felt we had been "barking up the wrong tree" with the Clavamox idea and that Annie likely was constipated. She hoped it was that. I didn't want to post an update last night or this morning, because the vet wasn't certain and I wouldn't be able to talk with her till this afternoon. I would have thought that nothing would get through if that were the case, but she said anything that did make it around the blockage would come out as diarrhea. This would explain Annie's running to the litter box every few minutes and straining, but not having anything come out, then her two further bouts of diarrhea on Wednesday AM. She must have been (and still be) feeling so unco...

It's like I have only Nicki and Derry for feline company. Annie kept to herself this AM, in the basement. Had a couple of licks of food before I left for work, that was it. I have no idea if she had anything else to eat all day. Isn't interested in eating supper at all. In fact, though she had been curled up on the dining chair when I got home, she's taken herself off to the basement and her kitty tent. She wants absolutely nothing to do with me, definitely is holding a grudge. So I can't judge if she's still feeling really crummy or not. Nothing untoward in the litter box, though. She hasn't eaten enough to have any real output, frankly. [Update: Oops, wrote too soon--she did have a bit of a mess outside the litter box a short time ago.] I spoke with the vet a few minutes ago. Her BUN came back at 11.1 (last week it was 11.3 and the normal high is 13) and her Creatinine came back at 141 (was 166 last week and the normal high is about 177, if memory serves)...

I'll update the fur kids' blog tomorrow, but here's how it went: Weight down slightly to 3.54 kg from January 10th (3.61 kg) Had blood taken for a full CBC again, plus the BUN and Creatinine (she just had this last week too) Injection of Cerenia for nausea Sub-q fluids (about 150 ml, I think, not a whole IV bag) Liquid Flagyl for the diarrhea, to be administered twice a day, if I can squirt it in. The vet said it was nasty stuff and might be hard to get into her. Another Convenia injection, in lieu of other antibiotics Annie didn't see Dr. Ross (he wasn't due in till the afternoon), rather she saw Dr. Jamie Buchanan (I like her, Derry and Nicki saw her when I first adopted them). I needed Kleenex and she was very kind. Annie got home and had a few bites of food, then I went for groceries. We didn't get home till noon, so I didn't bother heading in to work (takes an hour...longer if I've just missed the every half-hour bus). Oh, Dr. Buchanan sa...

 An hour and twenty minutes till the vet clinic opens at 8AM. Annie is worse this AM, threw up (just foam) last night and this morning, has been dripping water-poop, poor baby. She doesn't even want scritches this morning, had only a bit of chicken juice from the tin of Almo that I opened. I thought she would show improvement today, because it's been over 24 hours since her last dose of Clavamox, but she's worse. So she's keeping to the dark basement, while I sit up here and worry and fret and wait till 8AM rolls around. Emailed my boss that I didn't know when I be in. Apparently Bugsy's 90+-day diarrhea started after he was given Clavamox for his UTI back in the fall. Great. Just great. I appreciate all the purrs and support...I feel helpless because I know she feels awful and there's not much I can do about it. P.S. Just FYI: It's -27C this morning, with a windchill of -34C. I hate winter. P.P.S. Annie has a 10:40AM appt with another vet...

Annie was okay for the first five doses but after yesterday's supper time one, she was off her food and hanging out in the basement. Ditto this morning. She's only come up now for a few licks of some "broth" leftover in Nicki's dish, nothing solid (it's 9:40AM on Sunday). Dr. Ross had said to stop the antibiotics if she went off her food, so I'm not going to give her the PM dose or tomorrow's either, will call the clinic first thing when they open. I'm not sure where we go from here, because if all antibiotics are going to put her off her food, she's going to be in serious trouble. *Sigh* Time for a bit of dark chocolate. Just one teeny piece. And I don't care that it's not 9:45AM yet! Then...a cup of tea. The answer to all ills, right? Pic snapped on the 8th, through my living room window. The haughty look.

If it doesn't load, 25 seconds of white can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXW4GO_m4a0 The few extra seconds of white can be found here, if it doesn't load: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cOWXDbA76o Somehow it doesn't seem that bad when you view the videos, but I assure you, it's nasty out. Ten centimetres, the weather channel keeps saying. Huh. I already shovelled that much this morning and it doesn't seem to be letting up. Either that or it's the wind stirring it all up and making it seem there's more of it. I am so too old for this winter shit. Seriously

Sunshine today, hallelujah. Before our expected snowstorm tomorrow and subsequent days of grey and gloom and more snow. Mind you, along with the sunshine comes a -24C windchill. Oh, and actually I have been reasonably productive this morning, here at the office. No weekend plans other than the usual errands, housework, snow shovelling, etc. I hope someone out there in cyber-land has something more interesting on their agenda! So I'll wish everyone a wonderful day and weekend and leave you with a few snapshots from early January 2007, our first snowfall of that winter, I believe. Snapped on campus, around our old building.  Snapped from the third floor corridor window. Behind our former building, before the parking lot was moved and the trees cut down. (New trees planted afterward, though.) And one bonus photo, scanned from today's cat-of-the-day calendar image. I bought the calendar, by Workman Publishing, last weekend at Chapters, 50% off. They have terrific calendars,...

No, I can't magically fast forward to March or April. Though I have to admit that when winter starts in January, as did it for us this season (rather than in November or even December), it's not so bad. "Winter" meaning snow, snow and more snow. The cold is a given. Nothing thrilling to update on at my end. Annie had her first dose of the liquid Clavamox this morning. I did her methimazole transdermal gel per usual, then a little later went upstairs to give her the antibiotics. I had to add water to the powder and give it a good mix (it'll last for a week in the fridge), and even though I did this downstairs and Annie was upstairs , I swear she knew something was up. How, I have no idea. I'm up and down all the time, getting ready for work, so heading upstairs is nothing unusual. But she took one look at me and skulked away into my bedroom, as if to hide under the bed. I caught her before that and sat on her to get most of the measly 1 ml of meds into her....

Blood test results tomorrow. No sign of a dental problem, no tumour on the thyroid gland itself. But Dr. Ross felt the infection wasn't limited to her bladder, that it was also in her upper urinary tract, i.e. kidney. So we'll see if she needs another round of antibiotics (something stronger). I would imagine she will. Her weight was virtually the same, up 2/100ths of a kilo, so nothing to take into account. At least she hadn't lost any. I think we're both leaning to early CRF--I know her BUN and Creatinine still will be high. Also, there was a barely detectable heart murmur, though he noted it because the previous vet hadn't given any indication of it. Said it could be related to stress, that it wasn't anything to worry about. I told him I wanted to be proactive re: early kidney failure, so will talk about options when the results are back tomorrow. (Food, supplements.) So after we got home, just after 11AM, I came to the office. Needed the mental break...

I didn't actually have a whole pyjama day yesterday, had to get out of the house once the chores were done. So I bused up to Chapters and browsed around for a while, something I haven't done in a long time. Picked up a photography magazine and a few on-sale books then bused home....only to check my receipt and find I'd been charged twice for a $5 book. I debated letting it go -- it was only $5 -- but it bugged me enough that I hopped on the next bus and went back for my $5 refund. Plus tax. That 24 cents in tax made all the difference, of course. Annie's been eating regularly, six times yesterday, a few bites at a time. Not enough to keep weight on, let alone gain, but a relief to see her eating regardless. Nicki's been picking fights with her, two days in a row in the basement, and he's had a "time out" both days, for almost an hour. Translation: I needed a time out. Annie too. In the evening I dug out a pumpkin loaf recipe from an old church la...