Shadow And Kiki - Happy Anyway

Shadow in the sun

We're getting lower on cats, and now Kiki has joined Shadow in that walk to the last days.

Kiki - the calico - has a heart condition. Every other day she tolerates a little pill from the vet.

Kiki, with toys

Shadow is taking water for renal failure. He doesn't like it, but he and Kiki both like the special treats they get when they've had their meds.

This is all normal for a household with old cats, and we've done this many times before. 

Both cats are happy, eating, enjoying themselves. 

They've even takien to sharing the heat lamp on the afghan together! 

Tolerance!

We've learned not to hang on forever when a loved one is dying, and let them take their own course.

When my time comes, I plan to subsist on chocolate and coffee.

Recent photos show the two older cats - Shadow from Bremerton, Kiki from Clallam Bay - are even tolerating Jim, our other Clallam Bay rescue.

Shadow, Jim and Kiki -
in English reading order.

I think Shadow's brother might have been a cat in Bremerton named "Egypt." He looked exactly like Shadow, even to the kink in the last inch of the tail.

Shadow is Fearless's brother. We lost Fearless last year to a number of health problems, including thyroid and heart. 

We're too old to be adopting kittens, now, but it looks like we'll still have neighborhood dogs and cats, and can keep contributing to the ASPCA, as we have for years.

There are always animals that need petted or assisted, and owners who need help and contacts. 

It takes a village.

Shadow and Jim

Price The Good Cat - He Wins.

Don't want to bum anybody out, but many people have been rooting for Price.  We did, however, know what was coming.

Price has really stopped eating, drinking or grooming himself.  I'm not going to bother him with his wheelchair any more; that can be saved for the next problem in another cat.  If he wants to go outside, he can limp along pretty well at this point; he has his little bootie on his limp foot.

Here he is, after a little Diazapan, freshly washcloth-bathed, on his comfy sofa.  The gray blanket is one of two, at this point being used like a diaper.  Sometimes he'll take an edge of the plaid blanket on his back.  This is just before the drug kicked in.  It's a very small dose; just enough to relax him and let him sleep in comfort.

There's a point where you stop bugging the old person and let them work on their last job.  He's 16 years old, warm, safe, relaxed, pain free.  As we say on Facebook:  Price wins.