Seamus Has Problems

Hello to anyone who reads this blog entry.  I hope you'll leave a comment  even if it's critical.  It's always good to hear the critics and then get on with the blog and maybe make some changes.  It's been a busy and worrisome time for me.  One of my cats has been diagnosed as  diabetic and CHF (congestive heart failure), but the other 3 are not so that makes feeding a little difficult. Right now   3 are sleeping and look pretty sweet and cute, and the diabetic one, Seamus is at the vets waiting for me to pick him up.  I miss him when he's gone.  Weight loss is hard for anyone, but for me to help my cat lose some weight is near impossible.  I guess I'll be giving him insulin injections which can be expensive and tedious.  And on that note I must go pick the kitty up because they just called to remind me.  This may be continued a bit later.

Later:   So Seamus is home and right back to his sleeping schedule. He has been here for several days and I'm giving him the insulin and he just watches with a look of curiosity. He gets the insulin twice a day  5 units and it's expensive.  The shot doesn't seem to hurt him although the first one seemed to startle him a bit.  I also have 4 different meds in pill form to give him and that sometimes presents a problem. I have to chart the doses just like I did with patients when I was employed as a registered nurse.  He clamps his mouth tightly and pulls away, but he never scratches or bites so I guess I can't complain.  Of all the cats I've had over 30+ years he's the most gentle and laid-back kitty I have ever known.  I think he's about 12 years old now so in cats age that is elderly and having diabetes is not unusual for a cat his age.  I hope he'll be with me and feeling good for several more years, but
of course I don't know what will happen as he ages.  I may have to make the sad choice when I think he is in pain or unable to eat, etc.  I imagine my vets will provide some guidance at that point.  Choosing to euthanize a beloved pet is not an easy thing to do, but for me it has to be about his quality of life, and not because I can't afford his medicine or vet bills or because I don't want to
deal with the difficulties etc.  One problem is that I can't go away over night, one night maybe, but more requires a sitter who can administer the meds and observe for a negative reaction.  So I'm home bound.  I don't like traveling much these days so that's not a problem, but it also means that I don't get to see my daughter and grandchildren either.  I wonder how things will work out in the next 12 months.  I have hope that all will be ok, but experience tells me that if it can go wrong it will. And on that note I'll end this blog note.