In our home Michelle is the chief health care provider for our assortment of six inside cats and two outside cats, I guess you might as well toss me into the group as well since she organizes my doctor appointments and manages my meds that help to keep me going.
Our now 18 year old cat, Bluebell has developed a number of aliments as she has aged. Several years ago she became lactose intolerant, so Michelle found that they were now making milk with the lactose removed for humans, so she tried it out on Bluebell. Bluebell, nor Miss Kitty for that matter didn’t seem to notice any difference between it and the real thing so now she was able to get her twice a day milk treat again.
About two years ago we noticed that Bluebell was becoming listless and was losing weight, a sure sign of feline kidney problems which has taken Bailey, Rosebud and Gizmo from us over the years. Luckily this time we noticed it in time to get her to the vet before it was too late. The vet prescribed a medication that stimulate the kidneys and was able to get them functioning again. The medicine is a powder that Michelle mixes in with a small can of wet cat food that Bluebell gets 1st thing in the morning. Up until we started giving her the wet food with the medicine in it, she had not had wet food before. Of course she quickly developed a strong liking for the wet food every AM. During the week we normally get up around 5:30 or so that we can get to the gym before it gets too crowded. The 1st that Michelle does in the AM is to go into our powder room with Bluebell, closes the door to keep the rest of the mob out and then mixes up Bluebell’s wet food and kidney medicine. The problem comes on the weekend when we don’t go to the gym and try to sleep in a bit. Some how or the other Bluebell has learned how to tell time, because if Michelle is not up and headed toward the powder room by 6:00 AM, she climbs up on our bed and sits in front of Michelle’s face and begins to caterwaul until Michelle gets up and takes care of business. Somehow or the other I can manage to sleep through it all! 🙂
Earlier this year we again noticed that Bluebell was behaving differently again, so off to the vet they went. This time she was diagnosed with the feline version of type II diabetes. This requires that her blood sugar levels be checked once a day about an hour after she eats. Since cats dont have fingers or thumbs, Michelle has to prick one of Bluebells ears for a blood sample to run through a tester not unlike the ones that humans use. If her sugar is above 300 she needs to have a small amount of insulin injected into the nape of her neck. It has been working out that around 50% of the time she needs a shot, which she doesnt seem to mind. Sometimes it takes a few tries to find a blood vessel that will give enough blood for the tester. Through all of it, Bluebell sits quietly and waits until it is all over, so that she can get her morning bowl of milk as a treat after the testing and so forth. Well, after a couple of months if Michelle isn’t headed to the kitchen by 6:45 AM, Bluebell is standing in front of her caterwalling again, reminding us that it time for her sugar check and bowl of milk.
One morning I was fussing with my camera and took a series of photos of the testing, injecting and milk treat operation that goes on every AM at 6:45.
Doctor Mom at Work!
So another day in the life of Doctor Mom. She really did miss her calling as a vet, she would have made a hell of a good one! We are so lucky to have her!