Kringle looks marvellous after a few days of fluid treatment My days have become consumed with senior cat care, since Kringle was recently diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD). How do you help a kitty who doesn’t appreciate much handling when that’s required for treatment? I was thrilled to get nursing help from a local cat rescuer. I was desperate for help to give Kringle fluid treatment at home. The Number One method to improve a CKD cat’s quality of life and slow kidney failure, fluid treatment is a bit like dialysis for humans. Dialysis cleans a human’s blood of toxins that healthy kidneys would have removed. With cats, the process is more indirect. We inject sterile fluid under the folds of their loose skin. As the fluid is absorbed within hours, it moves through the kidneys, which remove more toxins. The kitty feels better, less nauseated and not suffering the other painful effects of dehydration. A cat can’t possibly drink enough to achieve these effects on their own. With previous cats, I learned to give fluids at home, but Kringle’s feisty nature called for a helping hand. I sent requests everywhere I could think of. And I prayed! I was saddened by one friend’s response. She sometimes helped in the past when I gave fluids to Missy, my 26-year-old cat (and former Guinness World Records candidate!). But this time she asked why I would pursue an uncomfortable treatment and bring a stranger into the house, which he wouldn’t like. At nearly nineteen years of age, why not let him go? I considered her suggestion seriously. It had been on my mind that Kringle’s days were numbered. I didn’t want him to suffer, and CKD isn’t his only health challenge. I was persuaded that it was probably time. I’d take him to the veterinarian the following day. That night, I gave Kringle whatever he wanted to eat. Extra tuna. Some crunchies. For a last meal, you don’t worry about diet. I recalled the manager of the no kill Coquitlam Animal Shelter telling me that a dog gets a juicy hamburger for a last meal, when the dog is suffering and needs help to pass. At bedtime, Kringle curled up unusually close to me. I loved feeling his warmth and the vibration of his quiet purrs, but it was terrible to think it would be the last time. I tried to reframe things in a positive way, picturing Kringle running free again, without pain in his joints. I thought about what sort of cat I might adopt next, perhaps another elder who’d enjoy a happy retirement home. I finally slept a little. The next morning, Kringle demanded breakfast and enjoyed more of his favourites. He ate everything and wanted more, which I obliged. More than once. After I returned from an appointment, he demanded lunch and wolfed it down. This was not the look of a cat about to die. My intuition was receiving messages in a different direction than my grim thoughts of the night before. I’d been reading a daily devotional called The Upper Room. That morning’s reading was about a lost cat who returned home! The Bible passage was the story of the prodigal son, who asked for his inheritance early, wasted it, and returned home penniless, welcomed by his father. The father said, “He was dead and now he’s alive! We must celebrate!” (paraphrase of Luke 15:24). Those readings spoke to me, and I had a glimmer of hope. I called the vet to arrange the appointment, saying that I’d thought it might be for euthanasia, but now I wasn’t sure. Kringle was so perky, demanding food. “What’s he doing now?” asked the vet tech. “He’s meowing loudly. He wants me to let him into the crawlspace!” More of a low storage room, the crawlspace is Kringle’s favourite place to rest or hide. The door isn’t always open, like on days when a vet visit is needed. Dr. Henderson of B.C. Animal Hospital explained that Kringle’s kidneys had just 10% of their function left. We discussed treatment options, and decided that the priority was finding some way to give him fluid treatment every day. I told her about considering euthanasia, with Kringle’s discomfort from multiple issues, but it didn’t seem right when he was so lively. She suggested that I track good days and bad days. It might be soon, but not today, a good day. Vet tech Noreen gave me a refresher course as we gave Kringle 200 ml of fluids. She showed me how to create a tent of skin, and point the angled part of the needle upwards while inserting it. I held Kringle in the bottom half of his disassembled carrier, his head facing its back wall, while a heavy towel covered his head. Teeth and claws were safely out of the way. Dr. Henderson was impressed when I asked for the bag of fluid to be warmed to the cat’s body temperature (38.9C or 102F) by laying it in a basin of hot water. A cat is more comfortable than using cooler fluids at room temperature. An infrared thermometer gave an instant temperature reading. I used a Fluke 62 Mini that was once used to find cold spots in home renovations. It reads the temperature of the bag’s surface rather than interior, a number that changes quickly, so we begin when the reading is about right rather than striving for perfection. Back home, I was relieved when I heard from one of our local VOKRA cat rescuers, Alia Ishida. She was available to help with Kringle’s daily fluids, beginning the following day! My prayer for help was answered! I appreciated Alia’s extensive experience at giving injections. She once took in a diabetic cat, whose family wasn’t up to the twice daily injections that the cat needed. After about a month of treatment, the cat was cured and returned home! Alia also vaccinates local VOKRA cats. She’s now studying Biology to prepare to become a vet. Several vets had told her that she would make a good vet, and finally she decided it made sense. It’s a long program of study and I applaud her for taking on the work. It’s wonderful to have a cat lover in the ranks of future veterinarians. Alia has also helped with other needs of Kringle, like untangling bits of matted fur. Arthritis makes some grooming painful, and he won’t tolerate brushing for the same reason. We’re working on the mats gradually. Alia has even offered to bathe him. She assures me that Kringle is easy compared to feral cats she has bathed. I’m excited to learn new skills to help more cats in the future as we continue with his treatment. Alia is willing to help other cats needing nursing help, if the home is near transit. She plans to start walking dogs in the Sunnyside area of Surrey, B.C., also for a reasonable rate. I recommend her services for any animal. You can reach her at aliaishidaATgmail.com (change "AT" to "@" or click on the link). While it isn’t easy addressing the multiple needs of an elderly cat, the bond that we have is powerful. I’m ready to do what’s needed, and what’s reasonable and fair to my cat. I’m also willing to help him go when it’s his time. And not before. - Irene Plett Topics: Senior cats, geriatric cats, kidney failure, CKD, Chronic Kidney Disease Tiny 26-year-old Missy bulged a bit after receiving fluids in December 2014
2 Comments
Sharla Parry
1/31/2019 05:51:55 pm
I admire you for finding help and from where it came from.
Reply
2/2/2019 11:04:51 am
So sorry for your loss. I hope the grief will ease soon. It's heartbreaking watching your kitty suffer, and they rely on us to help them pass when the suffering becomes too great. You loved her and that is what counts.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorServant of cats and words, Irene Plett, and friends. Categories
All
|