Spring Break(?); Starving Cat Chronicles #6

The trip last weekend was very good, as you might have gathered from the Twitters. The rain stayed away until after we left, giving us a nice last ski on Sunday morning. I didn't take any pics. The trails (to be precise, the Corsair trail system near Tawas, MI) ran through unbroken pine woods, mostly red pine plantations, so not much of scenic interest presented itself. You could say that the straight rows of trees made the place something of an artificial environment, and you'd be right--but what landscape isn't the product of some artifice these days? The cold air, the twilight on snow, the gurgling of a small creek made this a far cry from running on a track.

I'm in the middle of my university's spring break, though it's not at all a vacation. I'm catching up on work I let go earlier. I was hoping to do my taxes too, but that isn't looking likely.

But a lack of spare time is the least of my sorrows this week. My cat, Pavlov, all but stopped eating this Monday, and he was almost skeletal to begin with. That, plus the foulness of his breath, suggests his failing kidneys may be all but exhausted. I'm taking him to the vet this morning, and I know he'll tell me it's time to put him to sleep. While I've known this day was coming for a while, I am still not ready for it. Kristine and I got Pavlov just after we were married, so as long as we've lived together he's been part of the household.

I will confess I've found caring for him increasingly difficult of late. Until Monday, he needed to eat constantly, he had become quite casual about his bathroom habits, and his runny poops tended to stick to his fur, making him unwelcome on our laps despite his insistence on climbing on them. Frankly, he's been aggravating. But a few more weeks of his problems would be easier to take than putting him down.

There is the question of how much he's been suffering (he's actually had many more good hours than bad ones), and whether sparing our emotions a bit longer merits prolonging his life in its pitiful state. I'm hoping the vet can give an accurate assessment of where he stands, and possibly take some measures that will give him some more quality time with us--peritoneal dialysis, perhaps, and another round of antibiotics for his intestinal problems.

This sounds foolishly hopeful. But I'm afraid that's about as far as I can go emotionally at the moment.

Enough self pity. Hope you regulars are doing OK, and I hope this outburst of pathos doesn't scare off anyone who's newly happened by.

STARVING CAT UPDATE:

The vet gave didn't seem overly concerned. He gave Pavlov another peritoneal dialysis treatment (basically shooting lots of water into his abdomen) and said he should be fine for a bit. Plus, Pavlov has recovered some of his appetite today.