[Misc] Cat Update
Cat Stuff:
Loki is still with us. Gwendel was up late last night / this morning (see "Minecraft," below) and was in no condition to take Loki in to the vet for his early morning appointment, so I had to cut out of work to make it there with the cat in time. He's a pound down in weight since last time, despite my attempts at force-feeding him and increasing the amount of his subdermal hydration.
My only glimmer of hope over the weekend would be that when I bought some "chicken and gravy" and "turkey and gravy" baby food -- intended to go into a syringe to put in his mouth -- he actually sniffed at and started devouring the contents of the jar ... well, if by "devour," we mean, "consume an ounce of food, then become irrevocably distracted with repetitively grooming oneself." But, hey, he actually ate something on his own, without prompting (if by "without prompting" I mean, "Well, yeah, I DID put it right in front of his face, but I wasn't EXPECTING him to eat it without me forcing it down his gullet"). Ceasing with the amoxicillin DID NOT cause him to regain his appetite (nor his thirst), so he's back on that again, because otherwise we're running big risks for him to get SOME OTHER sickness to make him even more miserable. He was previously enthusiastic about the kitten formula, but now that is passe for him (so the only way he's getting it is via oral syringe, because it is a lot easier to shoot that stuff down his gullet with a syringe than it is to load it up with cat food). The stuff is pricey, but I'm going to get more baby food and try thinning it a bit with chicken broth if I have to deliver it via syringe.
I tried leaving his cone off for extended periods, but I can't do it without supervising him -- CLOSELY. He no longer tries to tear off his ear (which is healing nicely on the outside -- not counting the hideous tumor growing INSIDE it), but there are plenty of other places he claws at to the point of bleeding. One moment, he's relaxed, even PURRING -- the next, he's whipping out a leg (left or right) and creating a new gash, and I'm trying to wrestle him and clean up the mess. It's ... disheartening.
He spends most of the day sleeping, but during the brief moments when he's active, he's no longer limping, and he actually seems a little more alert somehow. He's still dropping in weight -- I need to get more food in him somehow (because he's not doing it on his own) -- so I can't explain it. I fear it's just a momentary "eye in the storm" and that if this trend continues he'll inevitably take a downturn again. (Not that anything's rosy right now either.)
The veterinarian explained to me that loss of appetite is sometimes a side effect of ANY oral-applied medication, but I can't find any explanation for why the cat refuses to DRINK anything. I can't really blame the subdermal hydration, because this was an issue well before I started the daily injections (it's what prompted that desperate measure).
The vet has been a big help, advising me on cheaper alternatives to various pricey things (hence the baby food rather than expensive specialist cat food), but it's still adding up. I have no idea what to do about that. If I could get the cat to actually eat food and drink water on his own -- even if I have to buy ground turkey and mix it up with oatmeal or whatever "homemade cat food remedy" is needed, or give him a can of wet cat food every day instead of the dry stuff -- it would not only give me some hope, but it'd be a lot cheaper. He's got the energy to get up and get around (at the very least, to go to the litter box on his own, THANK GOODNESS), but no interest in stopping by the water dish (even if it's on the way to the litter box, and I keep emptying it and cleaning it and refreshing it -- which USED to be sufficient to please him).
Loki is still adorable, though, even if the tumor on his chin (the vet is now certain it's cancer, too) is disfiguring his looks. I'm still grateful for each day he's still around. He'll still curl up next to me. Occasionally (rarely), he even purrs. I know this isn't going to have a happy ending, but he's not gone yet. If the weather would cooperate, I'd like to take him outside again, maybe this time for a longer duration.