The Upsetting News Thread

[Escriba]

Sad to hear about it, JadziaKathryn.

I hope everything turns out well. I'm sending good vibes.

[Lady Rainbow]

Yikes. I hope your cousin gets better, JzK.

And that your animal friend will be all right too, Aquarius.

[Aquarius]

Thanks, LR (and everyone else!). Basically, Mr. Boo's got a really bad case of old. We're putting him on prescription food and giving him subcutaneous fluids every other day or so in order to keep his system flushed and protect his kidneys. There's really not a lot else we can do, I'm afraid.

[JadziaKathryn]

Alas, serious cases of old are quite impossible to cure.

On the improvements front, my cousin is doing somewhat better, and she's going to need surgery but isn't, at least, hovering on the brink of death anymore, it seems.

[Aquarius]

Glad to hear your cousin is getting better. Still sending good mojo your way.

[Alelou]

That's good. I hope the surgery resolves her issue.

[Linda]

JK, glad to hear of improvement in the health of both your loved ones!

[Asso]

Yes! Very glad!

[Elessar]

We have observed from very strange behavior in Sonic lately . He has appeared not to know where to go and almost walks into things, so we thought, either he is going blind or maybe he had a stroke.

We took him to the vet and he said "Oh yeah, he's blind." Well, we otld him he's still going around outside, jumping the fences and stuff, so he says well he might be seeing shadows and some general shapes but he's really not seeing much, based on the lack of constriction in his pupils when he shined a light in them. "Something" has happened to his retina/optic nerve, which he said could have been almost anything from trauma to a retinal tumor or brain tumor to a stroke.

Now, we will just have to find ways for him to live inside. He's 17 this year, so teaching him to use a cat box will be no easy task, but we're too afraid of him getting hurt or lost outside. I don't know that he's learned to live with it yet because he still acts very surprised and unused to it like something sudden happened in the last week or two. He's very outdoorsy, so even though right now it's 35 and sleeting, he wants to go outside .

He is still eating great, is very happy, but it's sad to see him walking in circles or trying to follow your voice and not bump into things

[Alelou]

That is sad.

So you won't just have to teach him how to use the litter box (which is pretty instinctual for cats), but how the heck to find it. Though I'm sure Sonic's nose can take up some slack, there.

[Aquarius]

Sorry to hear Sonic is having troubles. He's very lucky to have you to take care of him.

Litter box training may not be as hard as you think, since it's in their instincts to want to bury it after they go. Plus, he'll learn to identify it by scent. You might find some helpful tips here, as well as articles relating to living with a blind and/or elderly cat. This is a resource I use often, and I even get the weekly newsletter.

[JadziaKathryn]

Oh, your poor kitty. Best wishes for both of you adjusting.

[Elessar]

Thank you guys! I'm gonna bookmark that...

You know, we have kept him inside mostly in the last 2 days and he has gone in the bathtub twice in a row now, so we know he can find it again.

[Aquarius]

Maybe try starting out with the litter box in the tub for a couple of days. (Yeah, I know it's a pain in the ass because you have to move it to take a shower, but it shouldn't take long.) Once he starts consistently using the box inside the tub, then maybe move the box out so it's beside the tub. If he goes in the box then, wait about a week and then gradually move it, little bit by little bit, to where you actually want to keep the box.

[Elessar]

Maybe try starting out with the litter box in the tub for a couple of days. (Yeah, I know it's a pain in the ass because you have to move it to take a shower, but it shouldn't take long.) Once he starts consistently using the box inside the tub, then maybe move the box out so it's beside the tub. If he goes in the box then, wait about a week and then gradually move it, little bit by little bit, to where you actually want to keep the box.

yeah we might actually put it in my room, too, because he goes VERY consistently in here!


Let's just say that the amount of pet waste I've disposed of in my lifetime probably exceeds that of the average mother