No one wants the old cats

Yesterday was pretty typical except for the phone call from the vet. 

She said they found blood, and dilute urine, in the test.  She is concerned about kidney disease. 

On the plus side, Torbie is acting normal again, playing with her rope, bugging Ron for treats, hanging out with us, teaching Biscuit some manners when he tries to walk on her, etc. 

On the other side, she is an old cat and kidney disease gets a lot of them.  Worst case, if she has it, I put her on a special diet, take her in now and then for appointments, and monitor her quality of life so I know when to put her down. 

It is pretty easy, actually: she is addicted to cat treats.  The day she doesn't want them is probably the day it's time to go.  Bubba was the same way, and he didn't want cat treats the day we put him down (we put him down because he had congestive heart failure, not just because of the treats).  So that will be a watermark, so to speak. 

All of this is incredibly depressing, no matter how you cut it.  I have an old cat and she is deteriorating.  Whether we put a "kidney" label on it or "old age" she is still dying every day.  I sense a horrific depression coming.  I am doing what I can to prevent it. 

So, today, I went to the dentist.  They did a full exam and x-rays in addition to my cleaning.  I like the dentist.  At first, I left Ron out in the waiting room, but he complained and the dentist wanted to talk to him while he worked. 

They found a cavity.  I asked how much it would cost to fill, because I have to save my money for Torbie right now.  I was fully prepared to wait on my teeth to take care of her. 

I think all pet parents should have similar values. 

Anyway, they told me everything, exam, x-rays, cleaning, and filling would be $160, within what I had budgeted for today.  I have savings, and then I have my current money.  I took it out of my current money. 

I signed the form and went back to get my cleaning.  They wanted to do that before the filling.  I got that.  They still use that bubble gum polish.  My teeth feel nice so that was worth it.  They did a little scraping, which I always hate, but necessary. 

When they measured my "pockets" (it is a measurement of gum health, you want a 1 or a 2, that is ideal.  I tend to have gum disease so they are more like a 5 for me, usually).  Imagine my delight when I found they were all 1's and 2's, with a couple of 3's.  All in the totally normal range. 

I use the Colgate Total Enamel Repair toothpaste, clearly it is doing the job, and to be honest, I have only been brushing in the morning, so I'm even more impressed.  Good stuff.  Try it if you have gum issues. 

Then it was off to the dentist for my filling.  It was on #2, the big back molar on my upper right jaw.  I need that one. I got a bad cavity in that one right after Ron's accident.  It just added to all the general mayhem, and eventually this dentist fixed it. 

I got my shot, it wasn't too bad, and I got the filling, which wasn't too bad either. 

I opened up my bottle of generic aleve and found prescription pills, I don't know what for.  I took one by mistake but I have been fine so maybe it was a mental health drug. 

I will take the rest of them, in their bottle, to the pharmacist at Walmart so they can do a recall.   Someone could get really hurt taking them. 

I went home and went to bed.  I had a pretty good nap, but I woke up hurting from the filling.  I took some real generic aleve this time and it helped.  That should hold me till tomorrow morning. 

Then I dehoarded the house for a while, getting rid of stuff I really don't need.  I filled up a big garbage bag.  I also got rid of some larger trash, putting it at the street.  I took out the garbage can, cleaned the litter boxes, topped them up, etc. 

Torbie approves.  She just came and used the box by my desk.  She got in, peed, and left.  No straining.  Good.  I think she did have a little bladder infection.  I'm glad I caught it before it got bad. 

That cat is worth every penny I spend on her.  Sometimes she sleeps with me, which is my favorite.  She's a wonderful cat and everyone loves her. 

It still astounds me she went 28 days at the shelter, without getting adopted.  She's a beautiful cat, friendly, loving, silky coat, and big green eyes.  You would think someone would have wanted her.  But she was "old", the shelter said, and no one wants the old cats.  Well, I do. 

Even if they do develop kidney problems.