I could have brought him in and left him there first thing in the morning, but he’s upset enough right now, I don’t want to do that to him. He would be awfully confused.
He’s not exhibiting symptoms that our other cats who were in kidney failure did. His fur is shiny, not at all dull. The fluids are keeping him from becoming dehydrated, but they’re not giving him the boost that I’ve come to expect from experience. He’s not sleeping much. His breath isn’t abnormally funky.
Doing some research for cats who had a hard time balancing, though…I came up with vestibular disease. And it sure fits. He’s had ongoing ear problems for years now, so I wouldn’t doubt this as a diagnosis one little bit. And unlike the kidney cats (Rusty, DeeJay, Bart), what Mickey seems to like most right now is for me to just hold him. To walk around in my arms and be close to me. I think because it might feel more secure. He’ll follow me down the hallway, looking up at me and staggering. His eyes are bright, not dull at all. He’s talking to me, he’s not really acting sick. He’s just having a hard time walking straight or putting his head down. And the vestibular problem would cover that. He’s dizzy.
By this time tomorrow night, I should have a better idea of what we’re dealing with.
Still, I won’t really be surprised at kidney problems. I actually expect some degree of loss of kidney function at this point in his life. After all, he’ll be seventeen next month.
He’s a good kitty cat. I told him I’d get off the interwebs early tonight and spend time with him on my lap. He likes that.
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