Sasha has been exceeding the Vet's expectations beyond even my belief! She is still playful and eats and runs about like normal-indeed if you didn't know what was wrong with her you wouldn't even suspect she was terminally ill. There are occassional bouts of behaviour that set me wondering but she seems to keep bouncing back and I'm both amazed and dumbfounded at this. She has started to like Milk again -which for quite some time she wouldn't touch. And has to have the occassional licks whenever I leave a glass about. She has not been able to stomach any moist cat food no matter the brand so I have given up trying to give her even the juice since she does toss her cookies every time. The only thing she still eats with a passion is her dry Meow Mix (Original formula-she hates that sea food variety they have out these days) and her Treats-those she'll woof a whole bag if I dare to let her. As it is I still try to restrict somewhat her treats since I don't want her to over do it and toss those up -especially since after she eats anything she takes off running like a mad cat and plays around (go figure). She does still love her fresh water tuna and I do give her some a few times a week-problem is Crystal loves that too and she'll starve herself for it, not eating the dry food so I have to ration it out even if I'd like to spoil Sasha rotton!
I do notice she is having a harder time bending over to clean her belly when she's sitting up and can't really clean her tail area as well as she'd like. Often I see her crunching up and flopping over because it either pains her or the tumors are getting just too big to make bending over easier. But overall she manages good and if I try to help her out with a quick wipe she gets rather pissed at me so I've stopped trying to baby her that way. She also seems to have more of a labored breathing lately. It's not like she is panting but you can tell her breathing is hard unless she is stretched out laying down. Which is also another difference. She used to stretch out even her back legs and lay sprawled from front to back resting on her belly and she cannot seem to sit like that anymore-she usually stretches out on her side and I've only seen her sitting her old favorite way a handful of times and that for only a short while. Upon careful examination of her belly (which for wonders upon wonders she let me without fighting and bitching too much) her tumors are all still under her skin though larger. None have leaked or broken through so I would surmise they are getting to a size that they are probably beginning to push upon her tummy and lungs which would make her unable to take too deep of breaths or make her tummy more sensitive to what she eats. If she wasn't so playful and loving most of the time I would have screwed myself up to take her into the vet and have her put to rest but... whether it's my own cowardice or my own denial she is still acting rather normal and having fun with her sister-so much so I cannot do it.. God help me I just cannot take Sasha away from our family until it's apparent with out a doubt she is suffering too greatly. Crystal has become a bit different too. She is far more needy and attention yelling than she used to be -especially with me. She will wake me up at all hours to hold her and calm her -which I don't know why, seems an odd behaviour to me. She also is glued to Sasha's side and will often try to help clean her and she even changed her laying habits to lay more curled up so as to not squish Sasha's belly. Maybe it's my imagination but it seems to me Crystal knows, or is getting it that Sasha isn't in the best of health and her saddness and excessive caring behaviour towards Sasha these days is both a relief -that she may possibley know and I hope understand what will be coming- and a concern, since it wrenches my heart to see little Crystal in such demise over Sasha -what will she do when Sasha is gone? That alone often keeps me up nights lately.
Kit
November 18, 2001 |
