La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
We’ve been obsessing about Dudo’s health, but Moose doesn’t seem to be faring much better. The boys are 14-1/2 years old, so around 75 in cat years. Our California cat, Dobie, lived to the ripe old age of 17. His brother, Maynard, was gone at 12.
Dudo has hyperthyroidism and has been on medication for a little less than a year. The meds helped a bit for a time, but he’s as skinny as ever and always demanding food (although he doesn’t always eat much of what he’s given; beggars CAN be choosers). Most days, however, he’s simply a more mature version of himself. Crotchety, demanding, clever, sweet, and at times, briefly cuddly.
Both boys now regularly leave us little surprises (not good ones) around the house. It’s dangerous to walk through the place without lights on, and it’s always slightly upsetting. We know they don’t enjoy it either.
Tuesday before lunch, I was sitting on the pot when Moose came in, I thought it was for a visit. He proceeded to crouch in front of me and stare lovingly into my eyes. I said, “Moose, you look like you’re pooping!” He was! He finished, left the bathroom, and proceeded to make awful sounds before throwing up in the hall. I can’t blame him. It’s what I was tempted to do after the episode in the bathroom. I went to the kitchen for cleaning supplies and found another small pile (from the rear end) and then found throw-up in the dining room. The one in the dining room was centered neatly on a paper towel left there after I spot-cleaned an earlier mishap. The spot had been damp and the paper towel was simply a reminder to not step there.
Poor Moose had one more minor episode a few minutes later and was rung out when all was said and done. Well, all four of us were. Dudo is surprisingly empathetic when it comes to his brother. Meanwhile, 20 minutes after all that, Moose was walking around the house yowling for another treat. By the evening, he was his old sweet, cuddly, bossy self. And last night, they were back to attacking each other and had to be separated.
Merchi is here to clean today. I told her to simply clean around all the fragile decorations rather than move and rearrange everything. There are a lot of things. I told her there will be dust.
I managed to get all our Christmas ornaments out and spread around the apartment yesterday. No tree. Can’t wait to share all that with you. Sweet memories. The top photo is just a teaser. I like to think of it as San Geraldo before I kissed him. But, honestly, he was already a prince.
Hemos estado obsesionados con la salud de Dudo, pero Moose no parece estar mucho mejor. Los chicos tienen 14 años y medio, así que unos 75 en años felinos. Nuestro gato californiano, Dobie, vivió hasta los 17 años. Su hermano, Maynard, falleció a los 12.
Dudo tiene hipertiroidismo y lleva tomando medicación poco menos de un año. La medicación le ayudó un poco durante un tiempo, pero está tan flaco como siempre y siempre pide comida (aunque no siempre come mucho de lo que le dan; los mendigos pueden ser exigentes). Sin embargo, la mayoría de los días es simplemente una versión más madura de sí mismo. Gruñón, exigente, listo, dulce y, a veces, un poco mimoso.
Ahora los dos niños nos dejan con frecuencia pequeñas sorpresas (no muy buenas) por la casa. Es peligroso caminar sin luces, y siempre resulta un poco molesto. Sabemos que a ellos tampoco les gusta.
El martes antes de comer, estaba sentado en el orinal cuando Moose entró; pensé que era de visita. Se agachó frente a mí y me miró con cariño a los ojos. Le dije: “¡Moose, parece que estás haciendo caca!”. ¡Y lo estaba! Terminó, salió del baño y empezó a hacer ruidos horribles antes de vomitar en el pasillo. No puedo culparlo. Es lo que me apetecía hacer después del episodio del baño. Fui a la cocina a buscar productos de limpieza y encontré otro pequeño montón (de la parte trasera) y luego encontré vómito en el comedor. El del comedor estaba perfectamente centrado sobre una toalla de papel que había dejado allí después de limpiar una mancha de un percance anterior. La mancha estaba húmeda y la toalla de papel era simplemente un recordatorio de no pisar allí.
El pobre Moose tuvo otro pequeño episodio unos minutos después y lo llamaron al final. Bueno, a los cuatro nos llamaron. Dudo es sorprendentemente empático con su hermano. Mientras tanto, 20 minutos después, Moose andaba por la casa maullando por otra golosina. Al anochecer, volvió a ser el mismo dulce, mimoso y mandón de siempre. Y anoche volvieron a atacarse y tuvieron que ser separados.
Merchi está aquí ahora. Le dije que simplemente limpiara alrededor de las decoraciones frágiles en lugar de moverlas y reorganizarlas. Hay muchas cosas. Le dije habrá polvo.
Mientras tanto, mi día solo mejoró un poco en ese aspecto. Por la tarde, con cuatro pastillas para la digestión, todo estaba bien. Sin embargo, logré sacar todos nuestros adornos navideños y distribuirlos por el apartamento. Sin árbol. ¡Qué ganas de compartir todo eso contigo! Dulces recuerdos. La foto de arriba es solo un adelanto. Me gusta pensar en el como San Geraldo antes de besarlo. Pero, sinceramente, ya era un príncipe.
• El árbol de Navidad de nuestro barrio, en la Plaza de España.
• Otro adelanto.
• Sentado afuera de la oficina de San Geraldo, mirando el comedor. No sé qué tramaban.
Click the thumbnails to enlarge.
Haz clic en las miniaturas para ampliar.
Poor Moose…My kitty Dijon lived to be 20 and just stopped eating at the end…I’ve had 2 kitties who got lymphoma which is evidently very common in cats…one is still around and on steroids every day (so he’s a chunk) but his symptoms were diarrhea & vomiting & he got so skinny…hoping for the best for Moosie
melinda in western NC
Melinda:
Thanks! He’s much better than he was that day. And just as sweet and bossy as ever.
Our last few cats, save for Tallulah Belle who passed at around ten, Lady and Sweetie and Max Goldberg and the Great Tuxedo all lived to be over 20. Even now, Consuelo is 13+ while Rosita may be about 5. And it’s hard seeing them age and their health falter, and the leaving of the gifts!
As always i have nothing but love for The Boys.
And their Dads!
Bob:
The cats must all have left it at your house. Over 20!
Oh, poor Moose. I know how he feels.
Deedles:
Oh, poor you! That can’t be fun. I hope BH gives you a cuddle (and a treat) whenever you want.
Sometimes being elderly/old can really SUCK! ……at least that is how ‘Cher’ put it a few years back. And, she is correct. Other times, it can be bliss.
Having critters comes with a little of both but SO worth it.
Jim:
And I can’t believe they’ve been with us so long.
That’s the age at which I was worried about Duncan and marigold. Various ailments and they got depressed about taking pills. They lived to 16, which was about 15 and a half more than their life expectancy where they started out. Boud
Boud:
Dudo and Moose didn’t have a great start either. They’ve had a good life since.
Such sweet kitties. And sweet princes.
David:
They’ve been very attentive.
Horrible time for both D & M, and no less for you daddies. Heart-breaking period which comes to all of us pet-lovers seeing them suffering, likely several times with different pets in our own lifetimes, when all we are able to do is ensure that they’re as comfortable can be under their circumstances. My two, Bobby and Sloopy, are ten and eight years old and I dread when their times approaches, but come it will. My thoughts are with you.
Raybeard:
At this point, they’re still mostly happy and active. Sometimes they even make us forget that we’re worried about them.
Poor Moose! And poor Moose’s family. No one wants this to happen. Do you have a recommendation for a vet in Cordoba yet? I hope he is feeling better soon and this is just a temporary situation.
I have two sister mermaids to yours, one right over my head, one on the wall opposite me. They are lovely, aren’t they?
Ms. MerMoon
Ms. MerMoon:
We do have a vet here. Jerry took Dudo to here last year for the hyperthyroidism. But we’re not ones to take them to the vet much. It’s way too traumatic. And, yes, I love those Bali mermaids and I remember seeing a photo of yours. We had a collection of large Bali frogs holding leaves as parasols. We left them behind when we moved to Spain. Another collection I miss!
I always attributed my pets’ long lives to the fact that we never took them to the vet. Maurice hasn’t been to one since we got her spayed. At that point, I thought she was a male and so it was a surprise when they called to tell me that they could not neuter her, she required spaying. Ooh boy.
Mary Moon:
I’ve been meaning to ask you how Maurice got her name! Truth is, as my father would say, she does have a pair of balls!
Marymoon:
We’ve taken the cats to the vet a couple of times but we’re not big on putting them through that regularly. At this point, we’re trying to completely avoid it. Anyway, although Maurice can be the sweetest cat, I do think she’s just too damned mean to die.
Poor kitties. It comes to us all eventually.
Love the teasers especially the Indonesian flying mermaid.
ellen abbott:
At this point, the cats are still active and happy. I love that mermaid!
My one friend had a kitty (Shiloh) and she lived to be 19, too.
She was skin and bones and blind but loved it when people visited and sat with us all the time. He now has a rescue who is a riot and is addicted to catnip.
Love the mermaid ornament! And I didn’t do a tree either. Just some xmas-y stuff around my place. For effect.
XOXO
Sixpence Nonethewiser:
Dudo and Moose are rescues, too. That’s how we’ve gotten all 5 of our cats over the years. We used to love doing a tree. In Seville, we had three. But, since the cats came along, we forego the tree. It would be a playground. Our California cats (and one from Las Vegas) completely ignored our trees. I was amazed.
Ah yes, hyperthyroidism. One of my cats had it too and she was very hard to medicate, but she lived with it for years. I wonder if Moose ate something that disagreed with him? It seems weird that he was pooping AND throwing up pretty much simultaneously.
I love the frog ornament!
Steve:
We realized that Moose has been doing this at times for a while. Fortunately, it’s not a daily event. And he’s happy as a clam after he recovers.
Her Royal Highness the Cat was never one to cuddle or sit on my lap until the last couple of years of her life. I figured out that it was because her circulation was deteriorating with old age and she was seeking full-body warmth. I was happy to serve as her human heating pad, although it was bittersweet too. She made it to 17 years old. And yes, she left us “gifts” too. That’s when having carpets is a drawback. So I feel for you and The Boys right now.
Debra:
I was grateful most of the mess that day was on the wood floors. But we’re spot-cleaning the dining room rug daily. We chose synthetic area rugs here. So much easier to clean. In San Francisco, we had wall-to-wall wool carpeting and one cat who threw up just about every day (mostly hairballs). Those carpets were a disaster.
Well I hope both boys still have a lot of life left in them. And can you blame poor moose? At least he took a dump in the right room!
Mistress Borghese:
Yes, Moose is very well brought up!
I don’t like to think about it. My younger daughter has a house full of geriatrics (two dogs and a cat) and it’s depressing thinking about it. We lost six dogs over the space of 2-1/2 years. You can know it’s coming, but that doesn’t make it any easier. Sweet, sweet Moose and Dudo.
I love the frog and your comments about it. 😊
Kelly:
It’s so hard to say good-bye. I can’t imagine losing 6 in 2-1/2 years.
Watching pets age is difficult. And that it happens so quickly, compared to humans, makes it harder still.
Kirk:
When I see people out walking their obviously elderly dogs, it breaks my heart.
It’s a bitch getting old, regardless of species. I hope Dudo & Moose have lots of life left and as pain free as possible.
Your glass frog prince ornament is adorable!
Tundra Bunny:
Both cats (well all 4 of us cats) agree with you.
I’m sorry to to hear about the decline of your cats. It’s difficult to see them aging; you’re good stewards for them, and they are living in comfort.
Rade:
And both cats are still happy.
I can’t stand putting down pets anymore. Haven’t adopted a dog since I was in 9th grade. Losing her broke me
My wife’s dog passed a year ago. Had to call a vet to come down to the house and do it. It was a little easier but still tore me up and I tried not getting super attached to him
Adam
Nekorandom.com
Adam Nekorandom:
I‘ve only had to do it once and it was awful. We’ve talked about having a vet come to the house when the time comes, but we’re not sure we would be comfortable after the fact.
I love the coloured glass frog. Where did you get it? Having sick or aging pets is stressful. We had 4 dachshunds who all lived until 15 or 16 yrs old. The last year is always sad and we worry about them. However our rule as always been to not let them suffer. If the Vet says there is nothing more I can do and they are suffering, we prefer to let them go. We are lucky to have met Vets who will come to our home for the last moments, so they are surrounded with all things familiar to them.
larrymuffin:
We talked about our memories of the different ornaments as I revealed. Neither of us can remember where we got the frog. And, yes, we are in agreement that we will not let the cats suffer. At this point, they’re both happy and active with an occasional bad moment here and there.