So when I got home from work, he was acting like he was starving wanted treats or food but he had refused the day before. But because I'm not certain how long ago he had eaten (most likely Sunday or Monday as the last I had seen the food in his dishes go down while Waffle and I weren't home) I didn't know exactly how far into the countdown to organ failure that happens with mammals who go too long without eating. But I decided that, whether there was kidney failure or tooth pain involved, rather than start with richer wet food, I was going to try him on some water soaked kibble. (I did this for him before with a larger sized kibble when he seemed to be having a hard time with it and did it for Audrey when it was harder to get her to eat anything and growing up we would do it for older animals before a transition to soft food entirely as they aged.) My logic with water soaked kibble being that if it was his teeth are hurting him (cats can have their teeth demineralize and the body absorbs the minerals as they age and vets don't actually know why but it can be painful and lead to gingivitis and/or tooth loss) softened kibble he can eat and if it's his kidneys the extra water will help his body with flushing byproducts (this is why one of the early signs of renal damage in mammals is drinking more water) as well as keeping him hydrated and getting food into him after he was sick. I waited til I got home because if there's something an animal ate or irritable stomach causing them not to eat and/or vomit, you're supposed to remove all food for 24 hours make them fast until they're throwing up just bile and then reintroduce bland or softened food. I figured softened food was better for him because he's obligated carnivore but renal failure in cats requires a diet of less protein to be kinder to the kidneys but not below a certain level so it's not like with a dog where you give them small portions of plain rice and plain chicken as the blandest possible thing til they are keeping that down having regular bowel movements.
Anyway. He went to it immediately, even before the food could have begun to soften, and started lapping up the water and seemed impatient for the food to soften. So I added more water to the softening food and then sprinkled catnip for him on all his scratchers. (He has only ever liked the curved scratching posts that look like sin/cos curves and only likes to scratch on the convex sides and use that as a pillow -- across his life have been periods when this shape is impossible to find and we tough it out with falling apart cardboard until I can find them again.) He ate up the catnip, scratched a bit, and then after a short nap on the catnip curve, he went and lapped up all the water then ate almost all the softened kibble. He sniffed at the hard kibble clearly wanted more, but after an upset tummy, it's important to have small amounts of food more often rather than too much all at once. (This is also true for humans and as someone with a super sensitive stomach gets stomach bug sick easily to not hold down food for several days including accidental pork cross contamination of my food (spoiler alert: if you ever want to kiss me, you will have to give up pork unless you ACTUALLY want me to throw up in your mouth from the proteins; we can't even play "you can kiss me anywhere but the mouth because you are bacon" anymore since I've developed skin sensitivity rashes from pork proteins on my skin) I find the best for humans recovering from a bout of glass stomach upset is rice with rosemary, you just mix the rosemary into the boiling water along with the rhce let them cook together. Works even better than plain rice to calm and restore an upset stomach to help you start holding down food again.)
Anyway. He's had a second small portion of soaked food and I put some of his greenies treats he didn't eat before I left for work yesterday in with some more kibble and a lot of water. I still intend to give him and the dog some soft food later today but I'm waiting to be sure he doesn't throw up the food he ate already. (it's technically the last can of soft dog food I have right now from when soft food was all I could entice Audrey to eat, but it has a best by date of May 2025. I've been told by the vet that it is fine as a treat as long as the cat eats enough of their own food and vice versa -- cat food has more antibiotics in it and dog food doesn't have high enough concentrations of some minerals cats need, but in small quantities as treats supplemental to food it's fine to cross breed share.) His energy is better and he feels less frail and the cord anchoring his soul into his body is brighter and thicker than the last couple days. Which is good. He's not yet ready to eat go, though if it's kidney disease, that doesn't improve in cats they just continuously lose greater functionality. Once past 2/3 functionality lost, there's little that can be done for them beyond dietary. I will probably pick up some of the kidney health soft food for him (because it doesn't hurt a healthy cat to have it, like if you have multiple cats, but they may not get enough protein if they only have it for too long) and even if he does improve enough by having softened kibble that he doesn't need to go in earlier than his annual visit, when it's time to get him a new bag I might send Erin an email asking if she thinks I should switch his kibble to the kidney health formulas or if his current Fromm kibble is fine.
The biggest down side to giving him water soaked kibble is that if the animal doesn't eat it, it geta a bit funky and smells off and so there's more waste of you make too much. So I will keep his hard kibble out and just soak small amounts in water at a time. The main thing is to make sure he holds down this water softened kibble (he is smart and only eating small amounts at a time) AND that at some point soon he poops in his box or I may have to worry about an obstruction of some sort be it clogged hairball from shedding season grooming or something he ate he shouldn't have or the possibility of cancer or polyps in his gi which would be an expensive veterinary surgery fix.) I could give him fish oil (Omega 3 is actually shown to help cats who have kidney failure at all stages of it) if I think it's fur or buy him hairball reduction food/treats to help, ehrm, move things along.... But you still want to ultrasound if you suspect any sort of obstruction or growths in the gi. And that means pricey vet bills.... And between inflation and interest rates and condo association dues going up, I really don't have the buffer for affording that expense without asking family for help. So let's hope he can hold down the softened food and has a bowel movement other than pee either today or tomorrow.
Reasons I'm not (yet) too concerned about an obstruction: he doesn't have any obvious lumps or react in pain to me petting and massaging to check along his stomach, sides, and path of his gi tract -- he doesn't seem like he has a blockage...and as mentioned there are lots of other reasons cats stop eating, especially hard kibble, past the point they vomit up clear bile. Which is why you're supposed to wait til it's been more than a day or two of vomiting and not eating before you check with the vet. Which doesn't help when you're helicopter parenting your pet's habits all day, but also I do have. A lot of info what to watch for and older cats can have kidney function decline for years before it's serious enough for blood testing, special diets, phosphate binders, and vitamin supplements.
It has given a lift and a light to my heart to see him lap up the water eat the softened kibble, that he is not so clingy as he was the last few days, to see his soul light stop flickering and the cord to his body strengthen and brighten after eating, and to see him with one of his huge Cheshire grins smiling again in his sleep right now.
It doesn't mean I shouldn't keep monitoring for the signs of slowly declining kidney function in him -- but knowing he's eating softened food to reset the clock on starving/other organ failure issues and to feel his hold on his body strengthened not so frail is a better place to be today than the heartsick helpless of yesterday when we had to let his tummy rest til I knew he had 24hr fasted and then try offering him the softened kibble.
O. Also I forgot to mention the most heart breakingly adorable thing about Spock being sick yesterday throwing up frothy bile three times throughout the day. (I know that doesn't sound like anything could be adorable about it, but there was.)
So, whenever I'm home and he has a hairball, I either move him or ask him to move to one of the rugs that are easy for me to clean by throwing in the washing machine. And so each time today he was throwing up (or trying to get up the hairball, still not sure which) he would patiently walk over to the throw rugs that I can wash and get sick there rather than on the large oriental rug or the carpets or my bedding which aren't as easy to clean. And then he would just give me the sweetest saddest look of love like, "That was gross and not fun at all. But. Did you see? I did like you asked when that happens mum. It was hard, but I did it." I gave him lots of love and snuggles and praised him for remembering even though he didn't feel good every time he did it, because what else could I do?
I gave him most of yesterday for snuggles, didn't even go into work until late when his energy seemed better but still frail. And now that he's lapping up food flavored water and eating water softened food and his soul cord to his body is brighter and stronger, I'm less worried about him than I have been these last couple days.
I will shower later, some point after 9:30, since we're already in the range of people showering before work. And at some point I will make some breakfast and coffee though not yet. I'm still in quiet slow relaxing into the morning tea with the sunrise to Greer the new day and reading mode. Waffles is still passed out asleep in her kennel didn't even wake up when I went to check on her ask if she needed out for some water or wanted to keep us company while I read so not taking her on a walk yet (and maybe not at all depending on when the rain arrives -- the Cancerian beagle-dachshund-terrier mix pup needs a lot of sleep self care time alone in her kennel even introverting away from those she loves best in the world, in addition to her need of snuggles and kisses and being told frequently just how much she is loved.) My other plans for the day besides shower and breakfast/coffee and keeping an eye on how Spock is doing are to finish reshelving the book stacks, make both types of histamine relief tea for my mum and Crissy who are both out, plant some water rooted photos, check if mine need haircuts to snip and start rooting long sections without any leaves and to water all the green babies, do some basic cleaning chores that I've been neglecting and don't want to do but if I don't do them nobody will. And somewhere around 4ish I will head to work with Waffles so she can visit everyone and then run some energy off and have dinner before being kennelled with her Billy Joel music while I go "run errands" for a bit. And by errands, I mean downtown to meet up with my parents for dinner at Tipsy Cow followed by seeing Rain The Beatles Tribute at Overture. But we tell the dogs we have to go run errands they can't come with and if it's me I give them a time frame to expect me and instructions on whether they're staying by themselves at work or who they're going with and how long til they should expect me back to pick them up.
That's more or less the plan for the day. It may shift dramatically, but that's what I current have on my "the moon is in Virgo so have to get all the things done to tidy up my home" to do list for today. (I've said it before, but I am more impacted by the sign the moon is in than the phase as far as affecting my inner emotional tides and my will to action. Fire moons make me restless need to go do something, earth moons I am most grounded practical getting tasks done successful at adulting, air moons I am my most gregarious extroverted, and water moons I am the most introverted deepest in my feeling everything all at once. I am the most centered grounded best for me for adulting are Virgo moons and Capricorn moons are my most productive, followed by Aries moons for starting tasks and Scorpio for deep diving tasks. I am most lazy least likely to get anything productive done during Taurus, Leo, and Libra moons, during those moons I mostly want to sleep a lot and enjoy all the good things in life and spend time with good people. I am the most loving, dreamy, intuitive spiritually connected in Pisces, Libra, Scorpio, and Cancer moons though the water moons can make any/all feelings/anxieties overwhelming to me. I am the most scattered ADHD all over the place starting tasks I never finish during Gemini, Sagittarius, and Aquarius moons.... I didn't see and recognize the patterns of my energetic tides til I was in my 30s but once I did, I thought it random in my teens and twenties, I started keeping an eye on where the moon is beyond just the phases and it has helped me immensely in dealing with the otherwise random seeming shifts in energy flows.)
Anyway. Virgo moon. I have plants and animals and self to care for today and magical herbal tea blends to make for the healing of loved ones and cleaning my home that won't get done unless I do it. So more doing less screen time, even if it's at least tapping out this update rather than doom scrolling social media.
P. S. 7:30ish addendum, maybe as late as 7:45:
So while reshelving the last of the nonfiction, I made enough noise to wake up Waffles who then wanted to come out. She came, she asked for breakfast, she lapped up water, looked outside at the gray day huffed at it, tried to settle down in her bed by me reading, then stood looking down the hallway toward the bedroom plaintively asked to go back to her kennel unless I was planning to go sleep so she could pack snuggle sleep. But the funniest part was before the dog decided today wasn't yet worth being awake for so she would like some more sleep time and it was Spock having some of his usual spunk and sass back. Because the moment he saw Waffles, he came over meowing for a treat remembering that I had promised him they would both have some soft food later today once she was up. So I looked him straight in the eye and said, "Yes you're right she's up. But it's too soon for soft food for you sir. You'll get some later today, but you'll need to wait til it's been long enough I don't fear you have an obstruction will throw up everything you ate OR I need you to go poop in your box. As soon as you have pooped, I will gladly give you both a portion of soft food. Otherwise, you will just have to wait." He looked shocked that was no part of the promise as he had understood it and affronted by my coarseness speaking of such things as poop to a superior species such as himself -- and then he decided that he would lap up some of the food flavored water I had just refilled for him but just to show me and the dog he was fine and his bowels were fine and no reason not to have soft food sooner, he started in on eating his bowl of kibble just like usual. 😆
It was the most bristlingly defiant I have ever seen an animal eat their own kibble from their own bowl. But if it helps him move his bowels sooner to prove to me there's no major obstruction, then we can all be pleased by the animals getting soft food earlier than expected. He's currently watching the birds flitting about the choke cherry tree out the balcony door wishing I would open it to add sound and smell-o-vision to his favorite show. Then from there it was right back up to my lap and kneading my leg before curling up for a purr and a snuggle once I sat down to read some more. He's so torn between proving to me he's better now that I challenged him and milking the perks of illness/convalescence for all it's worth. 😂
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