*

Posting days: Sunday and Wednesday and, sometimes, maybe, extra ‘news flashes’

Sunday March 11th 2018

When she first arrived, poor Isis was ravenous. Not surprising, I discovered later, as she only weighed around nine kilos instead of her ideal weight of between fourteen and fifteen. Once she reached her ideal weight, and realised that food comes every day, she calmed down and ate well, but not voraciously. Now she no longer picks up rubbish or attempts to snatch food from my plate. If she can choose between eating and running outside, she always chooses the running. She turns her nose up at treats she doesn’t fancy. Now, in fact, she is not a food orientated dog, just a good eater.

Daisy, to be fair, is very good considering her staple diet is Royal Canine Renal food. We’re lucky really, as cats are not known for adhering to strict diets. Very occasionally, when I have a carnivore visiting, she gets a tiny amount of chicken, but otherwise, there’s no variety. When I took her on from Polymath last July, Daisy ate only the tuna version of the food, but I borrowed a chicken pouch from C. a few months ago and kitty went nuts over it. So, being a cat, she went right off the tuna and demanded chicken. A couple of weeks ago, I tried her on the beef variety. At the moment, that’s what she prefers. She eats well for a tiny cat who will be nineteen at the beginning of April.

Now, Isis only ever refuses her food if something has frightened her. Then, she won’t even accept her favourite treats. But once the fear has passed, she’s soon back to normal.

But, out of the blue, Daisy puts the wind up me. She stops eating. My immediate response, of course, is ” Oh, god, she’s on the way out.”

She walks up to her dish eagerly, sniffs at the food and walks away. I give her beef. She doesn’t want it. I offer tuna. I offer chicken. She refuses both.

I fantasise about her demise. What will I tell Polymath as her cat gradually fades away? I can’t dig a grave for her until my shoulders have been operated on and had three months each to heal. Who can I ask to do it? It will be impossible anyway. The ground is frozen.

For two days, I am worried sick. Then Daisy creeps onto my chest when I go to bed and her face twitches and twitches. This happened from time to time when she lived in Wales. Polymath thinks it’s because, periodically, kitty has toothache. Because of her age, taking out the teeth is not recommended unless her life quality becomes seriously compromised.

Dim Human at last begins to wonder whether the refusal to eat might have anything to do with the teeth. Ah, but she’s not refusing to eat her Dreamies, is she? Ah, but the Dreamies aren’t cold, are they. Human gets up and touches the cat food in Daisy’s dish. It’s very cold, even though the heating is on.

Ah.

Human goes downstairs and stands the dish in hot water before stirring a little boiling water into the food.

Isis, wondering what the hell is going on at this time of night, appears, blinking, in the kitchen doorway. She is given a morsel of cheese and sent back to bed.

Returning to the bedroom, Human picks up a sleepy Daisy and sets her down beside her dish. The poor little cat falls on the food. She clears the dish.

Although it’s much warmer this week and Daisy has stopped twitching, I continue to warm her food. Cats like their prey warm and her appetite seems better than before the twitching began.

On Friday, Emma (petservices) takes me, Isis and Daisy to White Cross Vets down the road. There’s good news: Hairy One’s anal glands are only ‘normally’ full, although she’s not had them emptied for six weeks. The vet explains that the anal gland situation can improve when a dog has a good diet. Daisy is judged to be doing well on her change from thyroid cream to thyroid tablet, her heart is in excellent shape for an elderly cat,  and her coat is healthy.

When they are weighed, Hairy One’s weight is still stable and Furry One has put on two grams!

Phew!

Isis came from the Aeza cat and dog rescue and adoption centre in Aljezur, Portugal. For information about adopting an animal from the centre, contact kerry@aeza.org or  www.dogwatchuk.co.uk

*At last, a date for the first shoulder op. It’s next Friday. (March 16th) Shudder. Must keep thinking about being able to drive and being able to hold Hairy One’s lead again.