[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Thank you! The blowing in her face worked! Success!! She took her pill! <SNIPPAGE> She'll forgive me eventually.....

I'm really glad it worked. I've had both dogs and cats as an adult, and there are no two ways about it--cats are bloody harder to pill.

Originally Posted by Katsunami

When my parents had big dogs (Dutch and Belgian Shepherds), it was easy. We trained them from a very young age, starting at 10 weeks or so, to catch treats when they were thrown at them during excercies (but only when thrown by us).

When they needed some medicine, we just made a few treats and then had the dog do some exercises.

One of the treats would obviously contain the medicine, but because it was just *throw, catch, swallow*, they never knew what hit them. I don't know if something like that would ever work with cats.

The dogs that have been my faves, for ages, are Belgians. Love 'em all. The Malinois or the Tervuren, the Groenendael, I've never had a Laekenois. My all-time fave was an uber-smart Groenendael (nicknamed Bear, of course). Nothing like them for SMART, and of course, they are killer at obedience trials.

Originally Posted by Blossom

Cats do not do tricks for treats. They are the master you are the servant. In return for taking good care of them they will curl in your lap and let you love them.

Well, I think it's fairer to say that they'll make you part of their pride. That's about it. A relationship with a cat is a relationship of equals, rather than "pet and master." It's nothing like having a dog, IME. Different, but great.

I do not have children. These are my babies. It's been so hard to see Maisy sick. The vet is no help unless you have a lot of money. They just say she is old. She's has lost so much weight in the past two months. We've switch to a sensitive for stomach formula and now I have to give her Pepcid for nausea. They suspect Kidneys which they say there isn't anything you can do. I bought some high calorie paste to give her too. I need to get her to drink more water. She has vomited so much this year I need to keep her hydrated somehow. She use to have a water fountain and would drink from it because cats love running water. I think I'm going to see if I can't find a cheap one for her. She still drinks but I don't think it's enough.

Sorry to hear it, I am. A long time ago now, I had a cat--the Ragdoll that I mentioned--that was my baby. I'd acquired a Himalayan Sealpoint for Mr. Hitch, and after a few weeks, we decided that he needed a playmate. Long story short, a young woman at my office said she'd come into possession of a young kitten, and we ended up with her.

Spoiler:

(Poor thing--we were the THIRD home for her, in her short life saga, and she wasn't even 5 weeks old when she came into our possession. She'd come from a home where a 2-y.o. girl kept picking her up by the TAIL. She never lost her absolute terror of children. She was bold and brave about absolutely everything--but even the SOUND of children playing nearby would drive her under the bed. She had worms and fleas when she arrived; first stop, the vet!)

Anyway, the male Himmy lived for a month shy of 20 years; the Ragdoll was with us for 18+. I'd lived longer with those two cats, at that point, than I had with my own parents.

The point I was getting to is: the female Ragdoll became ill. She had cancer. Now, when we discovered it, it was just that she seemed a bit off to me. She still had excellent weight, her coat gleamed...so yes, we underwent chemo for it. It was a very aggressive, very fast-growing, etc., tumor. She did go into remission, and lived for another 18 months or so, after remission.

I wouldn't do it again. I adored that cat. BUT I was wrong. I put her through a lot, just because I was selfish. I realized it when I saw how much more peaceful and content she was, after we were able to cease the vet visits, etc. Her last half-year was quiet and comfortable. But the moment she started to drop weight again...it was time, before she really started to suffer.

The Himmy had kidney issues. Now, those were long-term. We were told he had kidney issues when he was 10, and as I said, he finally left this plane of existence nearly 10 full years after that. But when it came--it came really fast. He went from being fluffy and hefty-ish to little-old-man-thin, and his appetite went. Within weeks, it was time. Keeping him going with this or that wouldn't have helped.

The reason I posted is that because when this was happening, I was earning a really good lick. So, treatment or not wasn't a financial thing--there's really nothing you can do about kidney disease in a cat. It's all managed diet. You are likely doing as much as you can. It's just...he's probably reached the point where there's not much more you can do, other than putting him to sleep, I'm sorry to say. The weight-loss and the vomiting, the reduced fluid intake (because the kidneys are already overstressed)...these are pretty big flags.

You ought to at least know that no matter what your vet is saying, really...the treatment methods are pretty scant on the ground, regardless of budget.

I know that doesn't help. Wish it did. There's probably not much more that you can do, I'm sorry to say.


Hitch