"Welcome to the Kitty Hospice!"

My mom and I frequently joke about our home being a "kitty hospice," because the house is full of cats who require medical attention. At one point my mom said "cats come here to die." That's not a very accurate statement...if that were true we wouldn't still have all of them around! The truth is, we take such devoted care of our sick pets that they've all ended up living way past their life expectancy! Cats come here to stay alive, man!!

Take Buddy for example. My homely but affectionate baby boy has been living with diabetes for nearly 8 years!! When he was first diagnosed (my junior hear of high school), the vet said we'd be lucky if he lived another 3 years. Since then he's had most of his teeth removed and a few scary blood-sugar spells, but he still has full mobility and his eyesight!

He doesn't even notice the insulin-filled syringe I stick in his neck every morning (the trick: do it during breakfast!).

Jacob has a benign tumor in his abdomen, discovered in late 2008. Because he is so old (17 years!), surgery to remove it is out of the question. He gets a (crushed) steroid with his breakfast every morning, which on most days he chomps like a champ!

Thankfully, the tumor's development has been stunted! Not halted, as it has grown slightly, but for the most part Jacob still seems comfortable.

Giving kisses!

Once the 'roids kick in I can't resist teasing him about his "roid rage" behavior, because he gets so wound up (especially about dinner!). He sits by his food bowl and yells at me every time I walk by...

Spitter, on the other hand, doesn't require any medication- she's just fat!! I have her on a diet, but my kitty-girl eats everything! She loves butter, eggs, cheese...and guacamole (isn't that bizarre?!). She will even lead me to "her breakfast spot" each morning, because she knows exactly where to go! It's hilarious!!

 

     

The whole "kitty hospice" notion came to fruition when we learned that Zuma is in the early stages of renal failure. So far her only "treatment" is staying hydrated, a pretty easy prescription to keep filled!

The other night the subject of animal adoption came up (following that sad Sarah McLachlan ASPCA commmercial). This is how the conversation went, pretty much verbatim:

ROSS'S FRIEND: "There are so many animals that need adoption. It's crazy."
ME: *nods sympathetically*

ROSS: *looks from me to his friend* "Don't say that, don't give her any ideas!"
ME: "Don't worry, I don't think we could fit any more animals in this house anyway." (what I was really thinking was, With our luck, another cat would bring yet another medical issue. The cats we have now already run the medical gamut, I don't think I could handle another one!)

Even the craziest cat ladies have their limits!!!