Murfy, My Beautiful Silver Persian Options

[Inessence]

I love him so much. I adopted him from the Humane Society when I was 22 and he was 3. I'll be turning 40 this year.

Murfy is now 20 years old and we have been together most of my adult life. He was one of three in our household, but he was MY cat. As I was his chosen "person" to be with always. Pook, my brother's cat, passed away in March at age 19. My Mom's cat "Sassy" is 14 and still going strong.

As of late, Murfy's been spending all of his time curled up on my chair at the kitchen table. Over the past year, he's been slightly wobbily at balancing at high places. The only thing unusual about his personality, was that he had stopped jumping up on my chest in the evening to curl up and sleep or be petted while I sat back to watch TV and play on my iPad. He not being a creature of habit over extended periods of time, I really didn't think much of it, as it had only been for a couple of weeks. He still begged for food and treats, especially roasted chicken, during this much of this time.

Murfy has dropped some weight in the past 2-3 years, as is relatively normal for a senior cat. His coat is still magnificent and shiny as ever. But on Friday evening, July 27th, he just stopped eating or drinking voluntarily at all. His eyes looked a dull-gray instead of their usual bright, blue-green.

The next morning, Saturday, July 28th, I brought him in to see the vet. He did an exam, senior blood screen, and x-rays. The following day, I brought in a sample and they also did a urine test. (He had no urine in his bladder for them to extract.) During the exam, he was dehydrated, so they gave him an IV. That seemed to perk him up a bit. The Dr. felt what he thought was stool in his intestines. He then gave us a feeding syringe to hand-feed Murfy soft foods. The vet had told me he really couldn't tell anything from the x-rays. Murfy's heart and lungs appeared normal. Next, was to wait a day for the results of the screening tests.

The following afternoon, Sunday, July 29th, we brought in Murfy's urine sample and received the information about the blood test results. Remarkably, all of Murfy's screenings were in the normal range, except for his Pancreas. (I can't recall what the numbers were exactly.) The vet said nearly all of his numbers are great considering his age. He suggested giving him Sub-Q fluids and continue feeding him through a syringe and watching for any changes. Then on Monday, July 28th, we received a call that Murfy's urinalysis showed he had an infection and they placed him on an anti-biotic (Clavamox 62.5 mg per mil) for 7 days. He received his first dose on Monday eve, July 30th.

I did some Internet research on "Pancreatitis" and was hopeful for a full recovery. The symptoms seemed to match and and we were doing all the right things. However, by the middle of the week, the only noticeable change was that Murfy stopped sleeping on the chair and moved down to the hardwood floors underneath the table. (Despite our having pet steps placed nearby that he could walk up.) So I placed a thermal cat mat down there to keep him comfortable and warm. The weather's been in the upper 80's or 90's the past week, and we don't have air-conditioning. Therefore, I think he changed places in order to stay clearer of my small dog and because it was easier to get to without climbing.

This past Friday, August 3rd, we ran out of Sub-Q fluids and brought Murfy back in for a re-check. He's still not wanting to eat or drink anything on his own and mainly just rests or sleeps. He continues holding his head up at things of interests and likes being petted and brought outside into the sunlight. He doesn't do much while he's out there, just likes to soak up the sun. He still manages, however, to bring himself over to the potty box when needed and fortunately has not had diarrhea or vomited anything up at all.

Nevertheless, the vet was now less optimistic about Murfy's recovery, given his advanced age and lack of significant improvement. He was still dehydrated when the Dr. did the skin test and his stomach felt full of water. He had gained over half a pound in less than a week. The Dr. said he feels a "mass" of what could be "fecal matter" or it could be a "tumor" in his intestines. There is no way to know for certain. Even with a $400 ultra-sound, he would still need to perform a biopsy to be sure. Though, he advised strongly against it, for to operate on a 20-year old cat, it would be nearly impossible for him to survive the invasive-type surgery. We are just going to have to wait and see.

Yesterday, Sunday, August 5th, I called the vets office to question whether I should continue giving him Sub-Q fluids if he's already retaining so much water. Also, Murfy has not defecated for the past 2 days. The receptionist said she'd ask the doctor, and when she called back, asked me to bring him back in first for a recheck, which are only $10.

I brought him back in and the Dr. said he no longer felt dehydrated and that he didn't feel any fecal matter in his rectum. He instructed us to give Murfy the entire can of Science Diet A&D that we had already been feeding him via syringe. He also said to watch for vomiting, as it could mean that it was a tumor blocking the passage of nutrients through Murfy's intestines.

Before we left I also asked about giving him another urinalysis, since his anti-biotic treatment was about to run out. This time, the Dr. said he didn't want to stress the cat by forcefully extracting the urine, and for me to bring in another sample from home.

Since yesterday, have had a difficult time getting an entire can down him. Maybe about 3/4 of a can is all. He did urinate this morning quite a large amount, that was brought in for testing, but still no stools. I just called and they told me there was no longer any infection in Murfy's urine. I have about 2-3 days left of Sub-Q fluids before bringing him back in again.

I'm still holding out hope that this will pass, but the reality is beginning to set in, which brings me here. Any words of advice or support will be much appreciated. Thank you,

-L

(Photo: Murfy (left) and Pook (right))

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[Inessence]

Today it's been two weeks since I've had my boy with me. I still subconsciously expect to see him every time I enter or leave a room. I'm still waiting for his soft fur to brush against my face as he moves to curl up on my chest just over my heart.

Camelot - Before I Gaze at You Again
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr9Fopyrofo...be_gdata_player