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Halloween T-shirt Purr-fect for cat lovers - CAT-O-LANTERN

 

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 Zack, also known as Zack-O-Lantern, is 28 pounds and sometimes mistaken for a white Jack-O-Lantern. Impress your friends with our one-off Cat T-shirt for Halloween and beyond!

That's a real live cat on the tshirt - ZACK, our 28 pound sweet guy who really lit up when we took his picture the other night. No trick photography here. He's quite the ham and will be in the front window, no doubt, on Halloween eve scaring the kids. Good thing he's not a black cat or we'd all really be frightened!

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WEEPY LEAVES BIG PARTING GIFT TO SISTER APRIL

  WEEPY on Memorial Day, 2004 in one of his then favorite hiding places under table


WEEPY in his apprentice days in , er, on Coupon Country desk. Best
supervisor we ever had, keeping me company on long, difficult days

Missing Weepy, here's Big Sis 'sad-eyed'  APRIL back on same day nearby in a spot both April and Weepy loved, under table where they thought nobody was looking. Weepy left April many things, including a new low protein, high fat food we had recently tried for Weepy (which he didn't like) but is now what's keeping 20-year-old April going, the only such food she'll eat

WEEPY Leaves Big Gift to Sis April

Still difficult for us here with Weepy on our minds, but it's a little better with time. Just happened to find these older pictures, above, without even trying.. was meant to be. They do Weepy a little better justice - as I said it can be difficult taking pictures of a black cat...

Was thinking of the many things Weepy left us... including a new low protein, high fat food we had recently tried for Weepy (which he didn't like) but is now what' s keeping 20-year-old April going - the only such food she'll eat. We had just bought a case of the food for Weepy to try (saw it on the net), as there's only a couple such low protein , high fat cat foods on the market. Weepy didn't like this one - liked the other - but April really likes this and NOT the other. Without this food, thanks to Weepy, we'd be in big trouble ... (April also has kidney problems , like Weepy, but due to hyper thyroid, which when treated with medication causes the kidney values to climb. But after a year or more April is hanging in, eating a ton of food but not gaining any weight, which is par for the course with hyperthyroid , they tell me. At least she doesn't have the added heart issue, like Weepy , to deal with. By the wayThe new low protein, high fat cat food is called HI TOR NEO DIET in case anyonewhose cat has kidney issues is interested

Finally got the strength to pick up Weepy's ashes this week. Glad we have Weepy back with us now...

LIFE AFTER WEEPY TWO WEEKS LATER - STILL CAN'T GET YOU OUT OF MY MIND

Weepy in his 'catbird'  seat, as recently as a month ago...

Weepy was the first pet or first of any species, other than 20 year old April I've lived with for any length of time. Perhaps that's why it's been so difficult to face life without the big guy , whether it be having him next to me on the desk in his 'supervisorial' catbird seat, or on my lap while sitting in the TV recliner, or with Weepy on my legs in bed. I  still get pangs of sadness everytime I think of Weepy and his presence, like right now.


Weepy was the most organized cat. He had his little daily routine unlike most other cats I've had.


He would start off the day waking up on the bed and we'd play a bit with the snake charmer, depending on our moods... then he would it was breakfast time and he'd let me know by going to his bowl for food in the bedroom - yes I had a small auxilliary bowl of kibbles in the back bedroom for them. . If it wasn't full  he would stand by it, patiently waiting for me to fill it. Even if it did have some kibbles he liked when the bottom of the bowl was covered with kibbles. Then he would venture out of the bedroom down the hall to the big water bowl. 
Then, He would normally come into the work area and jump up on the extension of my desk, which became his 'catbird seat,' usually on top of a pile of papers in the 'US Mail box' I use in my mail advertising business.


After sleeping awhile he would get down onto the lower carpeted table where he knew I would  comb him and give him a few treats. Then he would perhaps do some 'chores, going to the patio window, which I would often open for him (screened) for him to smell the outside and see all the nature animals in the back yard - we have deer, squirrels , wild turkeys and lots of birds.


Then, he would often do his slow 'macho'walk over to the round bed in front of the TV, which I had put out for him a few years b ack; ever since it's become one of his favorite places.


In the mid -afternoon he would often go to the back bedroom where he liked the dark, especially
under the covers. Yes , Weepy would pick up the blackets and  scoot way under the covers. Don't know how he breathed but he did.


Then, Weepy was back out and down the hall and to the kitchen, often accompanied by April, for dinner. He wasn't a big wet food eater and tended to eat when he was in the area of the kibbles in the back room.
He'd like to see what was being served for dinner, ie April, anyway. 


After dinner, if and when I went to watch TV -and I tried to watch a little every night, sometimes more to bond with Weepy than to watch one of the ' 57 channels with nothing on' - Weepy would come over and jump up  on my legs as soon as I could sit down. But , first, he would wait for me to put the newspaper on my legs first. For some reason, he liked lying on newspapers...
We'd watch TV for sometimes an hour or more. Sometimes Weepy would get up first and go to the other recliner, which had become his exclusive chair. There he's usually clean himself awhile and relax. Often , if I was still watching TV, he'd come bac k for a second or even third round on my legs. He hated if I were
the first one to get up . I would usually give him some treats when I did. I hated to disturb our 'bonding' sessions but sometimes nature would call or I'd have to go do something...

The back  bathroom doesn't look like this anymore, but much of the food is still left,
for April or Zack, though neither is as good an eater of these healthy foods as Weepy.

Eleven pm and Weepy would wait for me to get ready for bed. He was very patient as some nights I wasn't ready until midnigght or later. But, he was right there on the bed as soon as I got in. And he'd usually stay all night, whereas April would leave and sleep most of the night in her hallway bed. Weepy was the most loyal.


So, life without my buddy and all his little routines can be lonely. It's just hard to not have him here after 16 years. I'll get used to it, I supposed, but I still haven't - and can't  yet- sit in the big recliner and watch TV, knowing he won't be there with me. April and the new cat aren't lap cats ,either, and  even if they were it wouldn't be the same...



One   piece of good news that Weepy left us is that April LIKES the new kidney diet we bought for Weepy , especially, the last month, after discovering it on the internet.  Weepy didn't really like this 'NEO Hi-tor' diet but April sure does. And, thankfully, since April won't eat the vet's kidney diet that Weepy DID like...

Weepy Took Care Of Himself in the End, Making the Transition Easier for Us

Weepy Took Care Of Himself in the End, Making the Transition Easier for Us

Weepy in his favorite spot on bed, sleeping with April. I would join him later

                                         

               I've been thinking alot about Weepy and his last days and how he / we really had things in control. In fact, things were going so well, I thought, that Weepy might be around awhile, though I knew the doctor's dark prognosis. We'll never know for sure whether it was a sudden embolism or if the kidneys, or heart, suddenly gave out (kidney values had suddenly gone up)...



 In any case, Weepy seemed content, considering, and not unlike the past year. He would come out in the living room  and sit on my lap, go back and eat his food and take care of his personal needs.   The only difference is that when Weepy got suddenly ill the first time, late September, he retreated to the dark closet in the bedroom. That would become his 'base' for his remaining days. He would sleep there most nights and I brought his favorite  bed from the living room so he seemed pretty content. I would bring his favorite foods - not always sure what they were until we tried out from the many varieties I brought in.  I had moved one      of the 'toilets into the back bedroom, not far from the closet. Also, I brought in another water bowl  and located it just outside the closet.



So, it was easier for Weepy to take care of all his needs within a small area , and, at the same time I could be nearby to see how he was doing.   Some nights when I saw him coming out of the closet to his water or toilet I would ask him if he wanted to come up on the bed. He really, truly , communicated with me: he would sit right by the bed if he wanted me to lift him up on it and go to his old , favorite spot on the bed.  Several nights it was like old times with him sleeping the night next to me and April (even April didn't always stay on the bed, opting for her own bed down the hall). 



 During the days, Weepy would still wander out from the back closet - I had given him his food and medicine early in the morning - and come out into the living room and to see my by my desk where I was working  . I would either help him up on his 'catbird perch' or invite him over to the chair where he would jump up on and sit on my lap - even during the day, which we never used to do. I would do whatever I could for Weepy now... every moment with him showing interest was precious. And it was just about like old times again. 



 Tbe silver lining...I had worried about Weepy losing a lot of weight and not eating / wasting away - but none of that happened. Only the last night before I brought him in to the vet for the final time did he not   show much interest in eating, but even then he did eat a little.   



 4 am the next (Friday) morning, August 2, Weepy was not in his bed but listless on the carpet next to the bed. I knew something was wrong and called the vet (open 24 hours, now, fortunately) and brought him right in. I certainly didn't mind taking him in at the early hour. The sooner the better if there's anything they could do for him, and , if not it was nice that there wasn't a lot of activity or a long wait at th is early time. Plus no traffic getting there..   I got the bad news and waited until final tests were taken to confirm the poor prognosis. Then , I waited for them to bring in Weepy and I spend  some time with Weepy, alone, saying my final goodbyes. ...



 Weepy has been with me more than 16 years so it's very tough, as compared to my first four cats who hadn't been with me long.  The  pangs of 'hurt' come early and often and a week and a half later I still can't sit in my TV chair. I keep Weepy's bed in the back closet as a reminder.  


I am fortunate to still have April and now Zack, who only came into my life a little over a year ago after
nearly passing after  left  at  'forclosesure' home. They don't remove the pain of loss but they do help for sure.

Weepy in his 'catbird' supervisorial seat only weeks ago while I worked next to him. Works not the same anymore

                                                                 

Life Without Weepy - One Week Later

Life Without Weepy - One Week Later

           It's been incredibly difficult without Weepy. Hard to stay in the house without his presence. I try to do all the things they tell you to do like exercizing, keeping busy, talking with friends, getting out, etc.  I try to rationalize Weepy's loss...e.g. it was his time, or,  perhaps he had not been really comfortable -in retrospect, the last years- moving slowly with heart and kidney issues. But, not to the point where he seemed in any real pain... He was able to climb up on my lap until the last day and be with me - which meant a lot to me knowing he still had the WILL and DESIRE. Weepy was able to function on his own terms (which was important to him) up until the end when he got out of his bed and lay down on the carpet in the hall the last day, effectively in a 'a coma, 'according to doctors.  I knew Weepy was telling me something. Definitely no point to try to keep Weepy alive so it wasn't a difficult decision to let him go, in one respect. 

Weepy in his catbird seat , 'supervising'  my mail advertising business. Picture taken the past week.

We spent much of days the past month together, which made Weepy's loss more difficult but yet I was glad to get as much time as I could with Weepy and I hope being there for him helped give him comfort. He ate well until the last night, which was the first indication of something wrong, as Weepy had been eating pretty well -with the right foods - right along since his initial bout with heart failure.

Now, it's just April and Zack , inside. I know it's been a bit hard on April. She looks in the back closet where Weepy made his 'home' the last month, with his bed moved from his previous favorite place in the living room... But, I think april knew Weepy wasn't doing well.  So, I spend extra time with April - and Zack. Now , Zack is starting to come on the the bed now, feeling more comfortable and , perhaps April likes to have his presence to some degree. He's not Weepy but he's a nother 'big ' brother for her... So, I try to bringApril and Zack together on the bed. Zack is definitely playfull, being younger - to the point of chasing April, which she doesn't really like but puts up with...

So,it's a new chapter for us... Will never forget Weepy and his ways.. Among his memorable traits was  climbing on my lap whenever I watched TV... Weepy has his definite daily routine, which went from sleeping on  my bed to going to the kitchen in morning for breakfast, then moving to his living room bed.  Around noon he would usually climb up on my desk and supervise me from his catbird seat (above)

I'm lucky to have had Weepy as long as I did, with his heart murmur and all -and after losing my first four male cats in the period of a year, he became the 'lucky charm.' If  he hadn't lived long I might have given up on more cats ...

Weepy, you will always be with me. I miss you terribly. It's hard sitting at this desk knowing you won't be 'supervising' me anymore.  I must leave the house soon to avoid the pain.  But , time will heal though I will never forget you. 

With all my love, Dad

Back Bathroom became a kitchen and tasting area for Weepy. We probably tried over half the various canned foods on the market

WEEPY Fought 'Double Whammy' Heart and Kidney Disease - Great Companion Who Helped Us Through Family Tragedies

        In memory of family and friends who have passed away.

I miss you, I think about you.

I will never forget you.

 Sorry to have to report my dear 16 year old cat, Weepy, passed away August 2, Friday morning at 4 am, peacefully, after living long with heart disease and kidney failure.. He was born with a heart murmur yet lived a good life right up until the last day, not letting things get him down such as not being able to chase the other cats..., , I believe. He was my pal and work partner, as per photo, and big brother to April, 20, still alive and kickin. Weepy did his favorite things, eating and climbing up on my lap to watch TV right until the alst day. Weepy and I were actually able to communicate well; he was able to do everything pretty much on his own and would let me know when he wanted food. He was there with me - along with April - helping me get through our many family losses, which meant so much to me. He is the first cat of ours to live a relatively full life and die of natural causes after four previous young, male cats who all passed of dormant, undetectable diseases within the first year I had them, 1997-1998 Weepy is greatly missed by us , but will always remain in our heard; we appreciate being able to share this with you. Hope you and yours are well, Burt for April, Zack and Ornji (new outdoor cat who really didn't know Weepy except thru the window). Please see also nexg post 'One Week Later...'

  That's WEEPY starring in above videos with Squirrel

Posted in APRIL, CATS, Weepy ( and April) | August 2nd, 2013

April (above) with Weepy on a favorite pillow, taken some years back.

Recent picture of Weepy with favorite banana. Black cats are harder to photograph but you can see the beautiful brownish-red tinge in Weepy’s luxurious coat

         

         

     

         We lost Weepy this morning, August 2, about 5 a.m. after he put  up a great fight against the ‘double whammy of heart and kidney failure. He was about 17 years old. It had been quite a challenge as heart  and kidney disease work against each other, but Weepy was able to stabilize and have his usual quality  of life for another month and a half.

Weepy was extra special to me since I first   became a  ‘guardian’ (as I like to say) of cats after finding forlorn ‘Juicy’ left for no good along a country road along with a discarded mattress and sheets   .  After acquiring, first, ‘sister’ April in 1995,  she lost four ‘brothers’ in a row   within the span of a year-Juicy, Dorian, Victor and Mikey-to latent diseases that could not be diagnosed until 6 months or more later. Being a new cat guardian, at the time, I was unaware when acquiring these cats with dormant diseases from catteries of, apparently, questionable reputations . During the same period, I lost my mother and not long after that my sister and brother, so Weepy and April have been most important in my life as consolers, friends, companions. I’ve known them longer than most of my human friends.  

APRIL LOSES FIRST FOUR BROTHERS IN TWO YEARS

So,sadly, after losing Juicy after 7 months to Cat Aids, then Dorian to FIP after only one day after diagnosis, and Vic, again to Aids and Mikey to sudden death syndrome (whatever that really is), I was gunshy about getting any more cats back around 1998. In fact, I was hesitant even before Mikey. But, April needed a borther and friend, so we gave it one more shot, acquiring Weepy  from good friends in Redding, CA  (even though they had just given me Mikee, who passed suddenly, really inexplicably, in my opinion, but no fault of theirs).

Even though I was told Weepy had a heart murmur not long after we got this rugged big black cat, brother for April, he seemed fine. April liked him and he liked April , enough to give her a ‘bad time’. Though, with Weepy’s eventual heart and kidney problems, April was able to run away from him – though mostly in play.

So, April, after losing four brothers in such a short span, was glad to have Weepy, and they were together  a full 16 years. April is now 20 now, and good health after beating cancer a few years ago; a thyroid issue doesn’t seem to keep her down - she gets her daily pills and can eat pretty much whatever she wants as cats with thyroid issues don’t seem to gain weight; they lose it.

DISEASES ‘ SUDDEN  ONSET

Weepy started showing sluggishness, more than usual due to his heart murmur, late June. I was always concerned that Weepy was a bit slower than most cats but now he would roll over and lay in the hall instead of jumping up on the couch. He just wasn’t himself, suddenly. I was worried and took him right into our top flight vet clinic late June. Dr N gave me the bad news that Weepy had not only kidney failure, which we have been treating him for, but full blown heart failure. They drained the fluids that had build up around his heart and gave me a couple meds (Lasix, to drain the fluid at home and Ben-) with the bad news. We would return in a few days for an update

6-20-13   BAD NEWS

We will speak in presence tense, now for awhile, as I took these notes that way, as we spoke, with plans to write this  while Weepy was alive and , hopefully living an even more extended life; also to help others who might be going through similar plights.

  Back to the vet with my dear 16 year old black tabby  for an updateddiagnosis – and things do not look good. Weepy has not only CHf (Congestive Heart Failure) but Kidney failure. I knew of both and was treating the kidneys by giving Weepy low protein special diet. An old heart murmer recently evolved into the full blown CHF.  tHE two are especially hard to deal with at the same time, since the heart has more trouble pumping  the excess fluid which the kidneys DO want. So, we have to limit the diruetics for the heart since the kidneys need water. Not much else can be done.    

TIME TO REALLY SPOIL  (within reason)

After a week of lethargy where Weepy stayed mostly in the dark , back closet, it was nice to see Weepy climb up on the bed today upon our return from the vet. He had his fluids drained, which probably made him  feel better, for now anyway. I expect he’ll revert back. IN fact , it wasn’t long after I had to leave that Weepy went back to his closet.         

  I  have been spoiling Weepy with rich food this week – anything to get him to eat. It has taken a toll on his kidneys , so I’m hoping he’ll go back to eating the kidney diet, which he did today.  I am going out to get some other things to ‘spoil’ weepy including a high food dish , as he has a little trouble bending over. I will get him an extra bed in case he venturees back out into the living room again, a fan for the extra hot weather and whatever else they might recommend such as an appetite stimulant for a cat thatdoesn’t want to eat much.

Weepy in one of his favorite 'cat bird' spots, looking out while supervising my mail advertising business

7-3-13 Hooray! Weepy’s OUT OF THE CLOSET and Back On the Bed!

Just back from the Vet – visit # 3-  and  Weepy  just jumped up on the bed(!) for the first time in two weeks since he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure to go along with his kidney disease   This was the second follow-up after last week when Dr N pronounced  ‘I don’t like the way that looks,’ referring to Weepy’s  heavy breathing, nor his kidney and heart values. They would have to drain Weepy’s excess fluids from around his heart – and quite a bit of hit.

But this day, July 3, 2013 there was no draining needed! On top of that, Weepy’s kidney and heart values looked better, according to the doctor who was quite  ‘surprised’ at Weepy’s turnaround.     Just last week, Dr N gave us the bad news that the heart and kidneys work against each other, ie the kidneys want water that the heart doesn’t. The kidneys want low protein and the heart needs protein (this from some internet outside research).   So, this couldn’t have been better news for Weepy , myself and the other Katz’. Bonus days! I’ve always said every day is a bonus –especially when you get to a certain stage of life – or after a serious illness.

It would have been easy to give up after seeing the vet two weeks ago and getting the bad news. Depression was rampant. Not only with myself but I could see it in little April, our 20 year old big (little) sister to Weepy, now 16. April has been with me about        18 years, a time when I lost not only my first four male cats to early , dormant diseases -brought on from cateries and just unlucky conditions I was prepared for as a new cat guardian – including Aids (twice), Peratonitis(sp) and and sudden cat death (whatever that means) – a time when I thought I’d never have another cat after the pain of losing four in a row. It was also a time during which my three-fifths of my family was wiped out : sister Joan, 50,  in 1999 to breast cancer, Mom in 2001 to leukemia and brother Don, 46 , to brain cancer in 2004.  My ninty year old Dad and I would tough it out for another seven years until he passed last year at 97, a good ripe age compared to the others, but my last link. I had also lost my sister’s wonderful older dogs, Pucky and Roscoe, who I cared for until they both passed at age 18 in the early 2000s.  So, it was down  to me and April , who’d been through all these sad losses together, and now, we were in serious danger of losing Weepy, who had  suddenly slowed down to the point of laying on the rug in the same spot – at which time I knew I had to get him to the vet.. His kidney numbers were not bad, as he’d been on low kidney food the past couple years but the new news that a heart murmur had advanced to full blown CHF was devastating. I tried to prepare myself.

    I didn’t really get much positive news from the vet, the only cardiac specialist for cats in the area. Basically, it was to continue giving Weepy the Lasix diuretic to help remove fluids, though we had to cut that back to a half tablet a day since it was working aginst the kidneys’ need for water. And, one other pill of less significance to guard against other problems.    As for feeding and placing pills, it was pretty much my discovery, trial and error. 

After the first visit to the vet and a struggle to get the pills to go down Weepy’s mouth – he doesn’t like pills at all – I developed my own method that has worked (using a water syringe to wash the pills down as soon as shove it in h is mouth. Now , it goes so fast –usually – it doesn’t bother him much.   (Later, I would discover ‘liquid’ pills.” So, a week after the second visit and successful pill giving and  increased eating by Weepy, we got the good news yesterday. I had read in my related research – one should always enhance their knowledge as much as possible as the vets can’t and don’t always cover everything , such as best foods to eat – that cats CAN  ‘stablize’ after one gets things ‘right.’  This ‘stabilizing’ is what kept me going – searching for  such – which  meant getting just the right dosage of pills down Weepy, getting him to eat and drink and make sure he’s going to the bathroom.

I even had to remind Weepy , on occasion, where the water dish and toilet were. I did , soon after, move a n extra cat box and water dish to the back bedroom where Weepy likes to stau these days, just inside the opened, but dark closet. He only needs to walk out a few steps and there’s his water dish and another three feet beyond, his toilet –so he doesn’t have to venture down the long hallway, as before.  

Though I do encourage him once or twice a day to go to the front of the house, where he used to – and still does – like to look outside and smell the outdoors through the screen door. Yes, it means carrying him, too, when he’s in the mood to be picked up.  As research points out, one needs to be careful to do things in small doses so not to alienate the poor animal.  

                                                                                     

Back Bathroom became a kitchen and tasting area for Weepy. We probably tried over half the various canned foods on the market-  

                                         

                                                                                                                                                             As for his food, I have relented to bring that to him – small meals every few hours. I ‘ll bring a small can of something I hope he’ll like, snap the top and that’s Weepy’s  ‘Pavlovian’ signal to eat.  At first it didn’t work, but now,  we’re doing better.  I’m trying to get him to eat the low protein diet as much as possible; the vet initially said to just get him to eat anything, but I figured lower protein is better, though one article  I read said the heart needs protein.  The vet disagreed in last visit. Go figure. But, it’s worked the  last week, so if Weepy’s not eating the other stuff much I KNOW he’ll eat the  Trader Joe’s  tuna and will go with that as necessary.       So no giving up here.  Animals I’ve been around have never given up. I’ve only lost my sister’s dogs to natural ,old age – and that only after keeping them going well beyond expectations (sub q fluids do wonders and gave Pucky another year of quality life ) . However, with the four young cats, there was pretty much nothing that could be done –not that I didn’t try; my vet, at the time had an associate who was into holistic health and I tried my best but  Cat Aids and Peratonitis are pretty much death sentences once they get to the full blown stages     But, it’s my obligation (and desire) to do whatever I can to help them get these  furry favorite friends feeling better, if at all possible. So, what if it means opening ten cans of food before you could find one they’ll eat. I remember getting up early every morning and cooking a dish of rice mixed with egg and a little ground meat for  Pucky, who wouldn’t eat anything but that. Weepy  likes certain canned – and even kibbles – food, when he’s feeling better. They’ll find that one can (or maybe two)  that’s agreeable to them.. and now, I’ve got it down pretty well… I hope… SEE WHAT TO LOOK FOR –Foods, below    

TIPS TO OTHER CAT / PET GUARDIANS…Since I’ve been going through this I thought I could share tips with others who may be going through similar times with their pets.   First,  I know it’s hard but try to savor each day you still have your furry friend around.  We’re all here a short time and each day is a bonus, we say.  Don’t give up. We enjoyed another pretty good six weeks together. If it weren’t for the double whammy, cats can live with one or the other (heart OR kidney) disease quite a while – months to a year or more).  We were excited and greatful to see Weepy make his ‘comeback’ after the doctor gave every indication that his days were about up six weeks ago.

-          COMMUNICATING: Cats will tell you what they want. I know that sounds strange. But,  Weepy and I really started Communicating well.  If he was sitting up, looking at me , I knew he was ready  for food. If he turned away, It’s time to ‘leave me alone.’  If he would come over by my next, it would mean to lift him up on the sunny desk spot to look out the window. Weepy was pretty self suffiencient.  We set up a kitty bathroom near the back bedroom closet where he stayed and his water bowl was in between, so  a few steps out of the closet for water and a few more for bathroom.  At first, I had to remind him that the bathroom was there by nudging him but he quickly caught on. When he was ready to venture out of the bedroom and down the hall, as in the previous days –including yesterday – he would find more water bowls and bathrooms in their regular places. After awhile it was pretty much business as usual, just like before, which made me happy. Though he couldn’t quite jump up on the bed , he did indicate he wanted ot sleep with April and myself several occasions.  

   -          FOOD:   This was tricky, at first, getting Weepy to eat. There was the kidney food (Royal Canin LP Renal) which we would eat a bit, but he needed more volume. I would usually have to open 2-3 cans per meal – and that was 4-5 times a day, as we learned that more, smaller meals were better – and more successful- than 2-3  big meals. It was a matter of finding the right food that not only Weepy would eat but was relatively low in protein for the kidneys (‘under 12%’ for canned food was what one of the pet store vets told us).

 We actually found several brands including Blue Buffalo, Weruva and Spots that had protein as low as 6%. The other challenge is to make sure there’s higher fat content, if possible.  Weepy had trouble eating dense food with chewy meat , so gravies were the way to go for us – and probably for most older pets. Anything with the word ‘gravy’ or ‘sauce’ was worth a try and we came up with some favorites- though they could change from day to day – but generally the gravy foods were Weepy’s favorites. There’s no way he was going to want – or be able to- eat the dence Hill’s ‘Kd’ or even the Royal Canin Renal LP (large cans, which didn’t include the gravy). There’s another one we found just recently, Hi Tor, which is pretty soft, but Weepy didn’t care for that (I would have felt bad if he liked it as we only discovered it lately; however, April likes it, and she needs to start watching her kidney values, too, now). So, don’t worry about opening a lot of cans. Or taking them to the back bedroom if you have to…Just put out some newspapers. We also had good fortune that Weepy was often in his bed and we only needed to drop the small cans right now the ledge so he could eat right out of the can. Weepy would usually eat no more than have a can so we would try to make sure there was enough gravy left , or then substitute a new can. I know Weepy probably thought I was crazy, but I think he liked the variety. And, I was grateful that he was eating most of the foods- even if not always a lot. Back when I had the four young, sick cats, I had no luck getting them to eat. Spots was always one of the best back then but now there are several other low protein foods, as mentioned   

PILLS/ MEDs:  Never had a lot of luck or enjoyed trying to force pills down pets. I think it even caused or   promoted Weepy’s vomiting, at first.  Mixing pills in food is tough as the pet often avoids the pill, even if crumbled.   Nobody told us until we asked – which is often the case – but you can have pills ground up into a liquid fish emulsion – and that was most successful this past few weeks after discovering it and the associated lab that does the mixing (delivers it, too). We’re still using it for April    

 WHAT TO LOOK FOR – OR NOT with heart failure: 

Breathing: Watch the stomach rise – should be about 20 per every 30 seconds (best checked when cats are sleeping). Weepy was breathing about 60 rises the first time he came in, according to doc. I  will have go get better at measuring this.   

More Food: At first, we thought there was only ( first choice   Friskie’s senior   (chicken and tuna in gravy and/or  lamb in gravy)  –hard to find these days outside of Petsmart, and Royal Canin Renal small  (3” cans) with gravy) – wet is preferred since it contains water which cats don’t get in kibbles) and second choice the richer, higher protein Tuna from Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods) and for dry it’s kibbles  (Royal Canin ), which I usually mix with a little high octane Friskies kibbles of choice.  Towards the end it was almost exclusively wet food for Weepy, which is actually recommended for the liquid content. And, lots of  brands on the market. Few companies make a ‘senior’ wet food so one has to check the labels, primarily for protein (low) and fat (high) content. Hills makes a senior food in the 12 pack (chicken, beef and turkey) for ‘mature 7+’  and Royal Canin has ‘sliced turkey in gravy’ for ‘12+’ cats. Both come in small cans, which is the way to go as you cana feed the cat right out of the can if you wish; no they won’t cut themselves.  You may want to drop the can up on another can or tray for cats that generally are larger or eat sitting up.              

April and Weepy (back) only weeks ago. They were buddies.

 8-2 Today hasn’t been so easy , after putting Weepy down and now seeing April noticably at a loss. It’s also 14 years since the passing of Mom , August 1, 1999. It    will be an adjustment. On the positive side, I’m glad that Weepy had pretty much his usual quality of life most of these past six weeks. He didn’t lose much weight and he ate pretty good – and got to try nearly every type of gourmet , albeit lower protein) canned food in the pet food stores (Tthe owners were getting to know me pretty well and my perhaps overly-caring questions. I think in some cases I knew more about the food content than the employees. It was also easier on both Weepy and myself, to go through this in the middle of the night, when things were quiet and we got good ‘emergent’ attention , rather than in daylight hours with a lot of noise and people to deal with.    

 Now,   there’s still  28 pound Zack, a ‘foreclosure’ cat we took in a couple years ago, now taking up my full desk as I try to write this. I’m glad we have him now, as I hope April is, to help fill the void (not that anybody will replace Weepy.) Zack will probably now  have the run of the house along with April, after geing semi-comnfined to a room. Zack is a friendly guy, about four times April’s weight (seven pounds) and forgets , sometimes , how big he is when he tries to jump on top of April. But, April is a good sport and was glad to finally have a brother for more than a short time – about 16 years to be exact.(All of April’s other brothers weren’t with her more than six months).   

New addition Zack, still recovering from Fatty LIver Disease when we brought him in...Now, he's 10 pounds bigger. No pics of Ornji yet...

And there’s also Ornji, a friendly, young organg e FIV outdoors cat that came around last year – best thing to happen to us that year –  I will try to give a room in the house this winter or sooner.