Won't be around too much

[winter]

My elder cat, Tonio, is six years old. He's never been the healthiest of cats, ever since we got him at five months old, so thin and wasted that the first vet mis-diagnosed his sex. He's also very traumatised and neurotic towards strangers, sudden noises etc, which doesn't stop him from being an absolute darling evil feline mastermind who demands cuddles and thinks way too much.



Coming back from my trip, I noticed he'd suddenly lost weight. I was also told he hadn't been eating dry food, and it was unlike him to go to sleep so soon after greeting us.

I had him at the vet's this morning for a blood test. By this afternoon, he's been seen by one of the best feline nephrologists in town, and he's had an ultrasound test.

Tonio has chronic renal failure. His kidney function is at 25%. He's apparently one of the cats that are just born with it: his kidneys have been quietly deteriorating all his life, it's just that this week, he tipped over the threshold and became symptomatic.

He's on twice-daily IVs, special food and special treatment. We won't know the prognosis until much later, depending on how he takes to treatment. But he's not going to be around for the decade or more I thought I had left with him.

It's been four and a half years since losing Lady P, and I still think about her. I want my cats to live until they're twenty-five.

(People I owe stuff to, especially packages: it'll be a few days.)

Comments

[alice_montrose]

I really hope your baby gets better! *hugs both you and Tonio*

Don't worry about sending anything, you just focus on your job and your kitties until things get better.

[applegnat.livejournal.com]

I really hope Tonio isn't in pain, and that your time with him is as peaceful and fun as it could possibly be with his illness. I'm so sorry to hear this, Beth. Hugs.

[tokugawa.livejournal.com]

I really hope things will be the best for both of yous, <33

[amenirdis.livejournal.com]

Poor Tonio! I hope he's ok. Poor dear boy. *snuggles* He looks alot like our Alex, beautiful kitty.

[ariss-tenoh.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

[ciciaye.livejournal.com]

As you said in an earlier thread, sometimes life is completely unfair.

I hope he will respond well to treatment *hug*

[windstar127.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

[happy-riceball.livejournal.com]

Tonio is beautiful. I hope he recovers as much as possible and responds positively to treatment so he can start eating again. ;__;

[ruderal-species.livejournal.com]

Aw, I'm so sorry to hear it. I've lost two kitties to renal failure - one, like your kitty, rather young (she also had generally poor health). The other was quite old, 20, but it's what got her in the end. :(

Like you said, once your kitty gets to this stage of needing fluids and everything, you're not going to have him for another 10 years. But both of my cats lives for many months - my older one lived for over a year - through special food, medication, and IV fluid. It was an exhausting amount of work, but for me it was worth it to have that extra time to spend with her. <3

Hang in there, and appreciate the time together that catching this now has gotten you. <3

[atheva]

I'm so sorry to hear it, sweetie. It's always hard to lose a feline companion. My thoughts are with you.