Last week, Tampopo was lethargic, listless, and sat on my office couch for multiple hours as in a daze, head bowed over, eyes halfway shut, the whole gamut. Went to the kind folks at Family Pet, early next morning, did blood work, her kidney numbers were off the chart (not a good sign), creatine off the charts, etc. Kidney failure with secondary obstipation – R/O underlying infection, inflammation, neoplasia ((Diagnostics/Radiographs: CBC: HCT=27.8 (30.3-52.3), WBC=29.55 (2.87-17.02), NEUT=15.64 (1.48-10.29), LYMPHS=12.10 (0.92-6.88), MONOS=1.03 (0.05-0.67), BASO= 0.76 (0.01-0.26), PLT=107 (151-600) —> Mild anemia and panleukocytosis Chemistry: Severe azotemia – BUN>130, Creat not reading, Phos=12.6 (3.1-7.5), Ca=11.7 (7.8-11.3) ))
We could have left her at the vet (and an overnight place, at a different location) for 3 days while they hooked her up to a catheter and gave her fluids, but instead decided on option B: to bring her home, give oral dosage of Enrofloxacin and 100 cc of subcutaneous fluids daily, and be a hospice for her. We had to feed her with a syringe, and though she did drink water on her own, when she could stand, I learned to administer a sub-cutaneous fluid injection daily, a basting or juicing as I called it.
She did recover a bit, enough to drag herself to her litter box to pee, but not enough to keep her with us. So this morning, we did the difficult, heart-rending task of taking her in for a final time.
Rest in peace, sweet kitty.
Pope Soaks Up Some Sun
Pope Exploring Bags
The Pope Mauls
Do Not Pass Go, MoFo!
Is It My Turn Yet?
Tampopo Double Exposure
The Pope Learning How To Make The Aviation Cocktail (Outtake)
Mondrian Pope
Morning, Pope
Cleo and Pope on a ladder
Pope In a Bag
Planting the Pope
Among The Contributors
It’s Hard To Sing With Someone Who Won’t Sing With You
The Pope Having a Nosh
Wasn’t Me
Whole Foods, Amazon and The Pope
The Guitar Hero Pope
The Pope abides
You Are Dreaming Again
Self Portrait With Cat On The Head
The Pope Learning How To Make The Aviation Cocktail
The Pope Awaits Election Returns
The Pope Plans On Sleeping In Today
The Pope Searching for String
The Pope gets bagged
“Oh, You wanted to *work* at your desk?”
Did You Hear Something?
Pope With Her Mouse
The Pope reading Keith Richards autobio
The Pope says, “Again With This?”
popes
Having a Beer with the Pope
Yizkor (of sorts)
Kitten Transgression – Act 2: the Whuppin
The Pope Plays Piano
Volga Blues
rainbow pope
Optimism Toned
Prelude to a tussle
The Pope Having a Beer
Snoozers
Levels
Pipp and Pope
“Yeah? What’s Up?”
You Must Be Kidding
A small cat with a large personality, who cheerfully hung out with me every day for 17 short years. I keep excepting her to trot out and meow at me, or find her cuddled up in my discarded hoodie. Sigh…