Master of the House
I gave Mojo his sub-q fluids by myself yesterday. This was an experiment; usually one of us holds him, while the other (yes, we are both veterans now) does the administration. He was (as one of the vet techs told us) "a bit of a jumper". Well, he's not much of a jumper anymore, and having both of us do it has become routine. But it's also a bit problematic, since both of us travel for work. Previously, when one of us was out of town, the other would go to the vet. But since it has become pretty routine now, I thought it would be really helpful if he would accept just one of us doing the task.
I had to hold him on my lap (no way was he sitting on the table passively while all this was done) and it was a bit like trying to put a bra on another person with your hands upside down. And each holding an orange. Okay, not quite that awkward. He didn't like the setup much. Where was Dad? (In the living room, so as to not be a distraction.) He wasn't particularly impressed with my technique. And he fussed a bit. But overall it went pretty well. If I'd had an extra hand, it would've helped.
This was important because Husband is away on work now, and I have to give him his fluids tomorrow. Overall, I think this is better than disrupting him to take him to the vet. (I use a 21gauge needle because I've got all the time in the world. They use a much bigger one. [His fluids are administered by syringe, not IV flow, at this point]) He also needs to learn to let one experienced person do it for when he stays at the Cat Spa when we're away.
It's an evolution, all an evolution. Meanwhile his health is still good, he's still running over 8 lbs (I say - sort of jokingly but not really - that my goal is to turn him into a 9-pounder) and he is still in astonishingly high spirits, playing with his catnip toys, running up and down the stairs faster than any cat ever did, ever. For a 13 year old cat with a heart murmur and chronic renal failure, his quality of life is off the charts.
Wish me luck tomorrow. It's all in service of the Master of the House, as best we can figure it out for now.
ronnie
posted by ronnie at
8:36 p.m.
10 Comments:
I am wishing you luck, of course, but wishing Mojo even more. He is a hero... as are you.
I've always said, of my pets, that I'll spend or do anything if it is going to work for them, rather than simply make me feel like I'm doing something.
Obviously, this ridiculous, inconvenient process is benefiting him greatly and falls under that category. Good on ya!
Great to hear that Mojo's doing well! Take care.
Mary F (Freeway's person)
Thanks for all your comments. The fluid treatment went about the same tonight. Success! Lovely, clumsy success!
Sherwood, Mojo is the hero. We are the sidekicks who double as comic relief.
Mike, you make an important distinction. He was so sick when first diagnosed that to see him come back to full happy life makes it all not just worthwhile but something we're so grateful for. You have to know when to draw lines. Sending or taking him to PEI (the regional Veterinary College) for a full workup, for example (as was offered when he was first diagnosed), was something for which the return was not worth it - to him. We had to make that decision - for him.
Mary, hi! Wonderful to hear from you! Speaking of heroes, how is that amazing special Freeway doing?
My link to this over on Facebook is getting some nice comments. You can check them out on my "timeline."
Thanks for posting this on Facebook, Sherwood. Such nice comments!
I remember when one of our previous cats was diagnosed as diabetic, the vet explained she'd need daily insulin injections just like a person. I though he was joking at first. Oh no, we had a fridge full of vials, a big box of needles and a sharps box all in our kitchen.
I can totally empathise with wrestling with a cat and a hypodermic at the same time!
Hope the wee fella continues to be healthy.
John C (@decostop)
Oh my friend John C (@decostop) so nice to see you commenting here! Your experience with you diabetic cat mirrors ours with the Mojo. You think they're joking - but they're not! You will do many things you think you cannot do, grasshopper!
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Best wishes to Mojo. Hope he feels well enough to post again soon.
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