
When our Tommie had his yearly wellness exam last November, including a blood test because he’s an official older dude, everything looked fine. In the Spring I noticed him drinking a LOT of water and peeing much more frequently, so we went to the vet. After a series of tests it was determined that he has the beginnings of kidney disease and had lost two pounds!
How could he have gone downhill so fast? Then I realized that while it was only 6 months in my calendar, in cat years, it was 2 years later for Tommie. Annual wellness exams are very important. Paying attention to our cats’ changes in weight or habits is equally so.
We give Tommie subcutaneous fluids twice a week. He won’t eat the prescription foods that are low in phosphorus for kidney disease, so I mix a binder into his food twice a day to prevent the phosphorus from being absorbed. In another month he’ll have a blood test to see how his innards are doing.
But, I can tell he’s a happy boy. He sleeps in the open and doesn’t hide. He delivers his favorite mouse toy to our bedroom every night announcing its arrival as he climbs the stairs. And he purrs me to sleep lying by my pillow.