a poor old cat

[redbird]

Artemis finished her antibiotics a couple of days ago, so we got a urine sample and took it to the vet yesterday.

cattitude talked to the vet this morning. The good news is, there's no more protein in her urine, so no more antibiotics. The bad news is that the kidney problem is "chronic, irreversible, and untreatable": at some point, she will die of it. She's 16, and this isn't an "n months to live" situation, but it's still not good. What we're supposed to do is take her to the vet every six months, from now on, instead of every year; and keep her on the special KD catfood and minimal or no other treats.

She seems fine and happy, jumps onto laps and all that. Nonetheless, we've had better days.

Comments

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Have you had Artemis all of her 16 years?

K. [we have cats on antibiotics, too]

[redbird]

Yes, we got her as a kitten, 12 weeks or so, from the Humane Society in Bethany, Connecticut.

[brisingamen.livejournal.com]

My sympathies -- I know we don't have our cats forever, but when we've had them a while, it makes this kind of thing ever harder to cope with. After Iver was diagnosed with her thyroid problem, I took each day as a bonus; we had over a year of bonus days, which was lovely.

M.

[roadnotes.livejournal.com]

Ah, shit. I'm sorry.

[tsjafo.livejournal.com]

Damn. *hugs*

[holyoutlaw.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry to heart that. Good luck and best wishes for the "bonus days" with your cat.

[red-queen.livejournal.com]

You should know that sometimes cats with weak kidneys can be kept more comfortable by giving them subcutaneous fluids every other day or so. It's not too hard to do this at home, as long as needles don't squick you too terribly. Some cats put up huge fights; my old Fresser curled up in his papa san chair and let me pet him while the fluid dripped, with nary a squirm. Ask your vet; it doesn't sound like Artemis needs anything this involved yet, but it might prolong her time here, and could keep her healthier and more comfortable.

All the best to you all... and skritch both your cats for me.