It has been nearly two years -100 blogs later - since our sweet little kitty cat,
'Tiggy,' entered her senior years and began the endurance race known
as hyperthyroidism, a common affliction for many cats in her age
group, I have since learned..
One of the joys of my life has been and continues to be this
fragile little indoor creature, found freezing to death over 11 years
ago. (The temp. that day was -25 with a wind chill of -40.) I have
written about her many times. Our precious little pea, survived,
against all odds, losing her whiskers to Mother Nature's blast of
freezing temperatures that day. ... Time and time again, she amazes
me. These past two weeks, however, she has been sick with a bladder
infection which I was not aware of and much like the one she had two
years ago, she lost weight. The first time she lost one pound. This
time around, however, it is nearly two. Finding out was such a
surprise. ...(She weighs just 10 pounds - on a good day.)
She had masked her 'condition' well. (Cats do that well, I
have learned.) ...During a 'reminder' phone call from the clinic the
day before a scheduled appointment, a thoughtful suggestion was made
by one of the clinic's new technicians to simply 'add water' to
Tiggy's dry thyroid food might encourage her to eat more. It seemed
to work, temporarily. This special food has kept her alive, for sure,
these past two years. Iodine is her enemy. ... A food, ten years in
development, made my dreams come true. (All other treatment options
to treat her malevolent thyroid gland had proven too costly or nearly
killed her.)
Adding warm water to her dry food restored her desire in food
again.. She seemed happier, too, with added excitement at mealtimes.
Had I inadvertently created gravy in her tiny bowl? (We now had
something in common. I liked gravy, too, especially, on mashed
potatoes with homemade dressing and salad, lots of salad and
coleslaw, too.)
Prior to her wellness visit, nothing had seemed out of the
ordinary.. Her behaviour and litter box contents all seemed within
the range of normal. She was still eating, though with less
enthusiasm. (She had stopped eating the 'wet' version of her
specially formulated food weeks earlier). ... At her appointment, the
dramatic weight loss was made known. Her blood taken, I would soon
learn the complete health truth. Her weight loss had occurred for a
reason! Had her thyroid gland been stressed beyond belief these past
three weeks because her weight had dropped? Or was there another
more sinister reason? Her litter box, like a baby's diaper, provided other clues that all things seemed fine, internally. She had played, drank and
ate as usual. The blood panel and urinalysis would soon provide the
answers, in this latest puzzling health picture. ...She had a bladder
infection. Her blood told an opposite story, however. It revealed her
thyroid gland, the gland that was at the center of her chronic
health malaise, these past two years, was now in the normal range. I
was overjoyed. This tiny gland, situated in her tiny neck, had not
been declared normal now for nearly two years. All other 'indicators'
of health agreed. Even her doctor was surprised.
Treatment was begun
for her bladder infection. ... I began to add warm water to her dry
food, hoping to indulge her appetite and me. The addition of water to
dry cat food had never entered my mind. (It does, daily, for our dogs
for totally different reasons, however.) Canned pumpkin and low
sodium chicken broth are now other food options I have been allowed
to include, flavour enhancers that may help restore her appetite,
once again.. (In two weeks, a follow up appointment will tell the
complete story of the success of today's assessment and treatment
plans.)
Apart from the diet dilemma posed by Tiggy's hyperthyroidism, she
remains a delight and keeps me in a perpetual state of wonder. She
comes when called which is a good thing considering her overzealous
nature of going into uncharted territory and beyond. ... Lately, she
hides whenever the situation dictates. ...In cooler weather, it is a window sill, near an open window, that teases her senses, safely, while during the summer months,
she is allowed to go outside within the confines of Miss. S and Mr.
Wiggles' playground. They instruct her well and become agitated when
she feigns an escape from the compound, then runs into the house. We
then all breathe a sigh of relief. Her antics define her. She is not
in solitary. She is free to breathe the outdoor air, to remember her
place in the sun. Nature is there for everyone. Her brother and
sister, two model citizens, are constant reminders that family is
close by, there to advise and counsel as she resides in nature's
garden of life.
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