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Pookey had a vet visit yesterday (routine 6 month check) and he is doing wonderfully. All his numbers (blood/urine) came back in the normal range, no symptoms of "anything" yet. The only thing I have to do with him is give him a very low dose of appetite stimulant every 2-3 days as he will eat well for a couple days and then taper off and not want to eat much. Pretty common in older cats (he's 16 now). The appetite stimulant is working well -- and it only takes very little to work a couple times a week. She said no long term effects of keeping him on it. So, all is well. He is still pretty vocal at night, but not as bad as he was. He wakes me a couple times between 2 and 5 AM, but I can usually go back to sleep after a few minutes of trying to get him to settle down. Not nearly as bad as he was when we first lost Stanley (4 months ago). It was a good Christmas present for me to find out he is doing so well, it wasn't so good for him. He let me know that he wasn't happy going to the vet. He even meowed pretty crankily while he ate his treats when we got home. The fact he ate treats so soon after getting home let me know he wasn't too traumatized.

Looks like he will continue building his Cosmetics Empire for a while to come.
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Tammy and Pookey
(Stanley 8/91 - 8/07)

He even meowed pretty crankily while he ate his treats when we got home. The fact he ate treats so soon after getting home let me know he wasn't too traumatized.
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You weren't supposed to know that- you were supposed to think that he was so upset only MORE treats would heal his broken little ego!

That is great. You go Pookey and if you want to grump a little at your Mommy, well that is your right as a geriatric gentleman of a cat. Onyx hates those visits to and she is 20 and 1/2 years old. She always hisses and shows her 3 teeth. For some reason the vet does not seem to be all that scared of her 5 lb self.

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Tessa Onyx, Foudini, Charlee, Spottie, ShyRaven, Buddy, Tuxie, Widdle Attila Sipowitz, Lizzie, Minnie, ET, Mylo,(We be house cats at last), and Salem, Wicca and Marmalade (We iz also house cats, we guess)and the 5 porch kits also Riley da goggie and Buddha da baby hamster too
Tabitha and Samantha..always in our hearts//Fly free Penny 12/12/07
A house without cats is like a garden without flowers

Good for Pookey! I love to hear about a senior kitty doing so well

I'll be taking my 18 year-old CRF cat in soon for an exam and labwork. Hoping to hear good news on her also.

Take care,
PHKitkat

I hope Tessa's fiesty little Onyx (20.5 years old!) and your 18 year old continue to do well, KitKat. It gives me hope and I too love hearing when a Senior cat is doing well.

I have Pookey on a simple routine that seems to work well. I learned a lot thru working thru Stanley's many Senior cat ailments. I know his good fortune will not last forever, but it was great to hear at 16 1/2 that he has no sign of Kidney Disease, Thyroid problems, and other common Senior cat complications...
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Tammy and Pookey
(Stanley 8/91 - 8/07)

Onyx appreciates that you know she is fiesty Right now she is in 7th heaven as the dryer has been running for most of the day with laundry. I had a bit of a back up of laundry since my pipes got plugged with roots and I had to get those fixed. So she is a happy camper.
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Tessa Onyx, Foudini, Charlee, Spottie, ShyRaven, Buddy, Tuxie, Widdle Attila Sipowitz, Lizzie, Minnie, ET, Mylo,(We be house cats at last), and Salem, Wicca and Marmalade (We iz also house cats, we guess)and the 5 porch kits also Riley da goggie and Buddha da baby hamster too
Tabitha and Samantha..always in our hearts//Fly free Penny 12/12/07
A house without cats is like a garden without flowers

Tessa -- I know I was a little intimidated when I pictured her 5 lb self giving a three toothed hiss...
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Tammy and Pookey
(Stanley 8/91 - 8/07)

I'm glad that Pookey is doing so well. He has a right to be grumpy when he's at the vet; at his age it's almost to be expected. Does he still guard the ice machine? That is one of the cutest things I've ever seen.

Ellen

Ellen -- Yes, the freezer ice machine is still of grave concern to him. I only turn it on every 2-3 months since I just don't use that much ice and forget I have it, LOL. I have some more recent pics of him taken about a month ago I have to upload, but here is his ice maker monster guarding position...

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Tammy and Pookey
(Stanley 8/91 - 8/07)

I'm glad to hear that Pookey is doing so well. It's hard when senior citizenship creeps up on the older kitties and they start feeling their age some. I don't have any very old kitties now (my oldest is 13), but I do have two with CRF, one of which also doesn't like to eat at times.

Keep up the good work, Pookey, and eat up!

Pamela
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THE MINNESNOWTAKITS
* Nikki * Bayli * Ferris * EmmaJean * Larry *
* Kelby * Russell * Ashli * Remi * Graci *

"I wish the real world would just stop hassling me ..." ~Matchbox20

Thank you Pam. I wish you well with your two CRF babies. Stanley had CRF and I am keeping a close eye on Pookey. The vet OKed Pookey staying on the Science Diet KD (after we lost Stanley in August) I had been feeding both of them since Stanley was first diagnosed with CRF. I think that has helped Pookey's kidneys in the long-run.

Have you tried an appetite stimulant for the ones that don't eat well? I have found with Pookey that a quarter of a tablet vs. the half tablet or whole tablet usually prescribed works just fine to get him eating; I do this every couple days. I can always increase the amount and frequency as time goes on, but the vet has assured that the lower dose will not hurt him long term. He seems to eat for a day or so then stop altogether on his own. The Cyproheptadine (appetite stimulant) helps keep him eating more steadily.
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Tammy and Pookey
(Stanley 8/91 - 8/07)

Thanks, Tammy, and I hope Pookey is helped by eating the k/d too. Graci used to gobble up the k/d, but now isn't so interested.

Graci's vet believes that she's in end-stage renal failure because she wouldn't eat and has lost weight (and her numbers are skyhigh), but said that appetite stimulants and even pepcid wouldn't help her. I disagree ... she's not my first CRF cat and doesn't seem end-stage to me. I do have some cyproheptadine here, and have tried 1/4 tablet on her several times ... it does seem to make a difference, and she's been doing more grazing on foods. She's also assist-fed, but I'm trying to cut back on that as she eats more on her own. She's barely 4 years old, and very special, so it's definitely good to see an improvement in her.

Pamela
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THE MINNESNOWTAKITS
* Nikki * Bayli * Ferris * EmmaJean * Larry *
* Kelby * Russell * Ashli * Remi * Graci *

"I wish the real world would just stop hassling me ..." ~Matchbox20

I am glad to hear the Cyproh is helping Graci eat more.

Do be reassured my vet assured me that long term use of Cyproh will have no long term affects on a cat, even if I (we) have to increase the dosage some as time goes on (every day or up to half a tablet or so). One side effect is they can become more "hyper". But, she said it can also have the opposite effect, more sedate. I've only seen the hyper/more animated side (which is why I give his in the morning). He's always been a highly active cat (more active then most) so this amplifies it the first half of the day I give it to him on.

Right now he is healthy, but his appetite comes and goes. It's like he forgets to eat. I think he'll be on the Cyproh for quite a while to come, if not always. Part of it is compounded by the major routine changes with the loss of his brother from the same litter four months ago.

All the very best to you and Graci.
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Tammy and Pookey
(Stanley 8/91 - 8/07)