19 Candles

 

I didn't forget it IRL, but it seemed like I should say something about it since, at her age, this could be her last. Sophie turned 19 earlier this month. She has officially outlived her predecessor Wilma, who made it to 18.

 

While I'd be happy to have her live forever, the main reason I don't think Sophie will make it to 20 is that in the past year she's finally become the high-maintenance elderly pet she had never been before. In addition to the daily probiotic she's been on since spending Christmas at the emergency vet in 2021, in the past year we've added monthly flea treatment, regular fluids, Mirataz (an appetite stimulant for when she gets overly picky about eating) and even Miralax, an over-the-counter (human) laxative to keep her pooping on a regular basis. It all got so involved that I had to create a calendar to keep track of what she gets and when.

 

 

You know those YouTube videos where people demo giving their cats fluids and it's no big deal because you just give them a treat and they don't even notice the needle? Yeah, that's not how it works with Sophie. I don't blame her hating it, I just wish I didn't jab myself almost as often as I jab her. Recently, just as I let her go, I noticed blood on her and worried that I'd hit something internally. Then I noticed blood on my hand and when I went to wash it off, it kept bleeding. I'd jabbed my thumb and hadn't even noticed. The only good thing about the process is that she doesn't have to have the needle in for long - just a couple minutes to get the dosage.

The Mirataz works pretty good at stimulating her appetite, but it also has issues. It's an ointment that you rub into the earflap, and while that makes it easy to apply, the portion that doesn't get absorbed ends up as crust and the past couple of days I've been trying to remove all the build-up without tearing up her ears.

So yeah, multiple meds, pickier than ever about her food, and peeing all over the apartment. That just started up a couple years ago. It's weird, it's not like she lets loose because she can't get to the box in time, but rather she has certain spots in the apartment, and lately it's gone from once in a while to pretty damn frequently, which is wreaking havoc with my carpet. My apartment will be renovated sometime next year so all the damage will be replaced, but if she's still around then I'm concerned about the effect she'll have on the new wood floors. I've never been the pet owner whose pet trashes the place, so it's kind of weird. She does still go in the box, but she's going outside the box more and more often.

And there's also the fact that the last couple of times she's been to the vet, they've picked up a small murmur when they check her heart. The funny thing is her most recent kidney readings weren't as horrific as I was expecting them to be, but apparently now the heart is a problem.

So yeah, this is probably her last birthday. I guess I'll have to wait and see what I'm blogging next September.