Willy's outdoor adventure

Chris said something that got me to thinking, it was about enjoyment, doing the things you enjoy.  So, I decided that all Willy's life, he has tried to escape to the outdoors - he would get as far as the nearest patch of grass and stop to eat.  We have a big dog pen in the back yard that does not have a dog - so I picked him up, and Willy, Chris and I walked out to the pen.

Chris thoughtfully brought the camera.  We let Willy down for a little while.

He started chewing on the nearest grass right away.

He got up and explored a little, I was nervous that he would climb up one of the trees and we'd be in a mess then, so I was 1 step behind him.

It came time to pick him up and head back inside, Chris said for me to be still.  I didn't know why until I saw this photo:

Yeah, so Willy had an outdoor adventure today, and I think he really enjoyed it.

All sorts of things suck this week

As if chondrosarcoma wasn't enough, we finally got good news on Willy's PCV so we could schedule his toe amputation. That was a Saturday, by the time Monday rolled around, I was getting ready for work and could tell something was wrong. I thought it was the hemobart again. I could see him going downhill fast.

I had to be at work for something I couldn't get out of, so we scooped him up and Chris took him to the vet, which thank goodness is only 5 minutes away. The vet called me and told me that when he arrived, he was open mouth breathing which apparently signals that cats are minutes from dying. I asked her to repeat that sentence, I couldn't have heart it correctly. But, I did. His blood sugar was 609 and he was hypothermic with a body temp of 95. Willy had quickly slipped into critical condition. The body temp could cause him to go into shock and his body systems could start shutting down.

I worked as long as I could and went to visit him and held him. His body temp had fallen to 93. I like to think my body heat helped. Finally, at 7:45, I got a call from the vet that his temp was up to 98.9.

She told me that the next 24 - 48 hours would be critical for him. He made it. I brought him home Thursday afternoon with insulin and instructions and new food and urine tests and a stomach full of nerves.

Giving the shot was easy, I'd given many to humans. A short time later, he was crashing again. We rubbed maple syrup on his gums as instructed. He peed on the rug, which he has never done in 12 years. A call to the vet, and more instructions and a diagnosis of what she thinks is a UTI.

I went to pick up new antibiotics and pain medication, and was happy to report that he was playful when I left. Shortly after getting home, I could tell he was crashing again.

Scoop and run again after another maple syrup gum rub. Upon arrival, his blood sugar was 26. (150 for a cat is normal). Insulin dose needs to come down from 3 units to 2. I can handle that.

The really sucky part? In the course of tests for the UTI, it was discovered that he has a plum sized bladder tumor. Talk about a punch in the stomach! Options, we're talking options now. I called Chris, who dropped everything and rushed to be with us. I needed him to hear the options, I didn't know if I was going to be able to talk, much less relay the information that was swimming in my head. I could see the devastation on Chris's face, it was palpable in that room.

If we decided by 4 pm that day, we could get a referral to the veterinary oncology department at UGA was one of the options. We decided we would take him home because he was so much better and would consider all of the options and let her know on Monday.

Chondrosarcoma still sucks.
Hemobartonellis still sucks.
Diabetes you suck.
Bladder tumor, you really suck.

Willy has the distinction of being the first cat in 9 years of the vet's practice to have a bladder tumor, and the first cat to have 4 concurrent deadly problems. That's a distinction we could live without.

We decided that we are going to take him to UGA for a non-invasive consult and see what they tell us. I can barely stand the pain in my heart.

With riding, comes camping

With riding, camping is almost a given. Something about freedom. Now, I get the concept, but those who know me know that I like my comforts. I'm getting a tad nervous, because apparently Chris is serious about the camping.

We made a trip to Wal-Mart, and he found the tent he wanted. I walked over to the air mattresses. He asked me if I was serious. I said, yes, if I'm going to camp, then there will be an air mattress involved.

I asked about the handy dandy pump that they were selling so conveniently next to the mattresses, and I was told that the Ural came with a bicycle pump. I asked how long it would take to get it pumped up with that. I received a vague answer, but okay - he knows what's what.

So, after we get back from the ride, he decides to pitch the tent. An hour and a half later, he comes back inside. He said "Tent, 10 minutes, air mattress an hour, plus". He was planning to camp in the backyard. He asked if I was going to join him. I told him, nope, it still wasn't warm enough in my book for camping.

This morning, he was grateful for the air mattress, is planning on buying that pump we discussed and thoroughly enjoyed sleeping outside.

He's been researching state parks and campgrounds. Did my life just change?

The Simple Life

Chris was bound, bent and determined that we were going to take a ride on the Ural. It was a beautiful day and he wasn't going to just sit at home. Mind you, I could if I wanted to, but he was striking out. After pouring over possible routes and places to visit on a day trip. He finally decided on Mennonite Country in Montezuma, GA.

His route included dirt roads, and twisted and turned and eventually, we wound up at our destination - 4 hours after we headed out. It was worth the drive. It is beautiful country. We were planning on eating at the restaurant, but arrived 15 minutes too late. It was 2:15 and they didn't open back up until 4:30 and we were starving. One of the ladies pointed us several restaurants - they all closed at 2:30 though... So, a 4 hour drive and we ate at Huddle House. It was the only place we could find open. We were so hungry though, that we thoroughly enjoyed it.

These are some random photos from the trip.

Martha the Goat

Our ride (the motorcycle, not Martha)

Beautiful day in a beautiful place.

Cherry Blossoms

I almost waited too long to get a picture of the cherry blossoms in the front yard.

The pollen is as bad as I can remember seeing it in a long, long time. Last weekend, I heard the wind really pick up and Chris came in off the back porch and shut the door behind him. We'd had it open all morning to enjoy the beautiful day. I asked him why he closed the door and he said there was a yellow cloud coming. Boy, was he right. In just a few minutes, everything was coated with pollen.

After taking this photo, I had to wipe my shoes off and throw my pants in the washing machine because they were dusted with pollen from just walking in the yard. They say it's going to be like this most of the summer.

Luckily, it doesn't bother either of us too badly.

Holding pattern

So, Monday rolled around, after a bad day on Sunday. As soon as I opened my eyes, I knew something was wrong. I didn't see Willy, but still, I knew. I found him on the floor at the end of the bed. One glance and I knew he'd had a relapse. So, the entire day was spent with me hovering and trying to maintain a balance between trying to get him to eat and drink and to let him rest.

He would eat some, he drank some. He'd get up and go to his water bowl and just sort of tip it and end up kinda lying in it. His breathing was labored, and his eyes showed just how crappy he was feeling.

Finally, in the evening, he started to perk up a little.

I fed him at 11, and we picked up all of the food at midnight.

We loaded him up and I dropped him off at the vet at 7:30 for his surgery. A couple of hours later, I got a call from the vet's office. I was expecting the "he did great" speech, but got the "we couldn't do his surgery because his PCV level was too low" speech.

So, we're in a holding pattern. He's on Doxycycline and Prednisone for two weeks. He gets a blood level drawn on the 19th and if it's good then we will schedule the surgery for a few days later. He has to be off the Prednisone a few days before he can have anesthesia.

He's responded great to the medications. One more week and we see where we stand.

Happy Birthday Ella

Happy Birthday to my Goddaughter Ella.