lisaviolet's diary

Thursday, June 29, 2006

catstuff
08:06 PM - 06/29/2006

The topic: Barring a miracle
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We’ll be saying goodbye to Ciara tomorrow.

I had such hope. Even made the appointment for the MRI, for Saturday.

But I just gave her the night meds and she started crashing. For the first time she peed herself and then pooped. She’s so tired. She can’t even hold her head up right now. This is no life for a cat. Whatever is wrong has progressed and it’s not good.

I don’t want to prolong the inevitable. She has zero quality of life right now.

*sigh*

*tears*

Update:

She’s gone. Shortly after I’d written the above, I checked on her. She just looked at me and cried. She tried to get up and couldn’t. She only looked at me with those eyes and cried.

Brian went in and petted her for a while and he said we’d go.

We took her down to the same place we took her that set up the MRI for Saturday. We were taken right into a room and they took her into the back, still in her half carrier, put a catheter in her leg, sedated her, then brought her back to us.

Shortly after, the vet came in and we said goodbye and Ciara was finally pain free, after so many months of hurting.

Farewell, sweet Ciara. I’ll miss you “being cute” just for me. Like you did one last time today. I can’t even imagine the effort it took for you to do that, but I thank you.

Goodbye, sweetie. We’ll miss you lots and lots.

Ciara Vista (June 10, 2006)
December 1999 - June 29, 2006
Oh, and Ciara? If you can hear me, and I think you can, give old Acidman hell for me.

Okay? Thanks, honey.

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Check out today's Friday Ark #93.

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It would seem she’s getting feeling back into that leg. And it hurts!

Last night, after I’d given her the nightly dose of meds, I shut the door. About a half hour later I checked on her and she was laying in the litterbox. She’d pooped. She wasn’t there long, I picked her up and put her back in the carrier and cleaned up the stool. The night before she didn’t make it to the litterbox, she went on the towel. They’ve all been nice firm stools so they’re easy to clean up, no mess.

But the fact was she made it to the litterbox.

This morning, I thought I’d do something nice for her. I was thinking about getting the big crate cleaned out and putting some towels in it, then putting it at the side of the house, in the shade, so she could spend some time outdoors. I also thought maybe I could put the baby gate across the door to my bathroom, where Ciara’s been living since the 20th, so that she could get some fresh air and watch out the door.

The door was open, the baby gate up when I gave her the morning meds. Brian came along and was talking to her and she started to get restless. She doesn’t like the meds and I have to wrap her in a towel to keep her from getting stuff all over her fur. I thought that was the problem and I took the towel away as soon as I was finished admining the meds. She was still restless, twisting this way and that. I picked her up and put her in the litterbox. She wanted to go the other way. It dawned on both Brian and me at the same time that she wanted out of the bathroom. He quickly removed the baby gate and shut the door. I put her back in the carrier and placed the lid on the top (with the carrier door removed).

I think because she’s not feeling so funky and depressed, she’s getting restless. And we can’t take a chance with her reinjuring herself. So, in the bathroom she stays, with the door shut.

*sigh*

Maybe she’ll be ready next week.

One thing I noticed is that when she settled back into the carrier after I put her there, she was holding her bad leg’s paw at the proper angle, with the toes on the bottom, not dragging it with the top of the paw on the bottom. Just a fluke? Or is she actually starting to get some muscle and nerve action back?

I’m cautiously optimistic.

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June 2006