Sick Kitty

I dropped off my primary cat, Katya, at the vet and left her all day with mean evil strangers. In our eight-year relationship, this is the first time I've ever left her at the vet. She mewed in the carrier the whole way there.

I hope she will forgive me.

She's been losing weight and the vet is concerned. She's lost about 2 pounds over the last year, which is about 25% of her weight. She was having kidney problems, but the vet doesn't think that would account for such a dramatic weight loss. He thinks it's something else.

So she's getting some kitty ex-rays today.

If the ex-rays don't turn up anything, we may have to consider exploratory surgery, which would not only be expensive, but also risky in a cat her age (she's 14.) I'm not enthusiastic about that.

Since she's so furry, I hadn't noticed the weight loss. And she doesn't seem to act sick, whatever that means in a cat. But ever since I found out about this last week, I have noticed slight changes in her behavior. Is she walking more gingerly than usual, or did I imagine it? She has been more affectionate the past few months, but I thought that was because she only has one primary lapgiver now. Are sick cats more affectionate?

Because of her kidney thing, she's supposed to be drinking more water to compensate for it. But I haven't noticed an increase in the amount of water she's drinking. The vet recommended a cat fountain, because studies show that cats are more likely to drink from running water than a stagnant dish.

So this weekend I spent $50 on a zen-like contraption that runs water through a spigot and shoots it into a bowl. It's become another background noise in my apartment-- the sound of water running 24/7. I was convinced my cats would love it and imagined them running to it and licking the urine-like stream of flowing water.

Instead, Hermione, my auxiliary cat, was afraid of it at first. Katya just ignored it. It's hard to know whether they're using it or not, since the bowl is so big it's hard to see a difference in the water level, and they don't usually drink in front of an audience.

I also started buying them wet food in an effort to get Katya's weight up. The vet doesn't think her weight-loss could be accounted for by her not liking her regular food, but I'm still in denial that there's anything seriously wrong. She goes bonkers for wet food, and even if it doesn't help her gain weight, I can at least make her happy during this crisis.