You know I took Taxi to the vet yesterday after work- but apart from a slight fever he was fine. She gave him a “blanket”, long acting antibiotic to catch anything that may be starting and said to watch him and try and tempt him to eat. He seemed a lot more himself after that, and he was good as gold at the vet. As they don’t go outside, it’s highly unlikely that Taxi has caught any of the serious cat illnesses so he should be fine.
Then later in the evening, I went to my bedroom for my nightly snuggle with the old man.
When I found him, his eyes were runny, he drooled, he was filthy, he was slightly incontinent, he was skin and bone, one tooth was broken off and he was covered in scars. He’s old enough to have grey fur ticked through his dark fur! He actually has a scratch scar on his eyeball! Hence his name.
He then spent 10 days with the vet getting doctored and fed and I was hoping someone would take him as I already had two furbabies at home. But the vet told me when he examined him that he was at least 10 years old, if not older, so I figured the chances of someone adopting him were slim to none- so when the vet said he could no longer keep him and was going to send him to the SPCA, I gave in and took him home.
He has been my snuggle-cat. He loves to be held and stroked and scratched and cuddled where Taxi and Greebo don’t like it too much. He spent two weeks locked in my room, away from the other boys, and after that I opened the door.
But this old man wasn’t having any of it with these two young upstarts who kept trying to tell him they ran the joint. He and Taxi fought like mad- and still do- and Greebo just pretends he doesn’t exist.
Since he moved in, proper diet and regular brushing and doctoring his eyes made sure his coat became thick and shiny again and his eyes were shiny, and he was lively- though he wasn’t much into playing- he would jump up and greet me when I went into the room. Occasionally he’d just stay where he was and wait for me to come to him, and I indulged him, being the old man he is- he deserves the respect, teehee! I would just reach under the bed or the chest of drawers and stroke him a little and leave him to his snoozing.
So I thought nothing of it when he stayed under my bed the last coupla days.
But last night- his bowl was still full of pellets. At his age, the old boy lives to eat and to sleep, so for his bowl still to be full from the morning is very unusual! And he didn’t respond to my calls at all.
I reached under the bed when I found him and the smell of wee hit me.
Now my nose doesn’t work very well at all- it’s almost permanently blocked, so my not smelling it sooner was no surprise.
I pulled him out from under the bed, gently, and he didn’t make a sound. He resisted- he was still alive (stop panicking bunnies) but I had thought the worst- of course.
But I think his time has come.
His eyes were all gummed up again and he is incontinent again. And he’s not eating… I cleaned his eyes and tried to clean him up a little but he wasn’t at all happy with that, so I just left him lie and I stroked him and scratched him, he liked that. Then I made him a comfy pozzy on my bed where he likes to lie- but as soon as I got up he went in under the bed again.
I have decided to take him to the vet tonight after work.
I knew he wouldn’t be with me very long, but he crept into my heart very quickly and made himself at home.
I was fine with everything until I called Glugs this morning to tell him. Then I started…
Oh boy.
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