Our old man has been falling asleep in stranger and stranger positions–the most current is when his head flops backwards instead of forwards when he’s getting drowsy.
He’s a silly kitty and a high-maintenance kitty, but he’s the best kitty.
Category: Toby
Happy Birthday, Toby
Toby is EIGHTEEN this month and oof, the senior pet feelings are really something: He’s been the constant of my life, before Doc or even before the house, but this year the days are feeling a little less like a given and more like a bonus.
But he’s doing pretty well for The World’s Oldest Cat–still alert, still bossing us around, plus he cured his own diabetes. He’s an old boy but he’s a good boy. He’s our boy.
It’s Monday
And we’re still moving slow over here (well, I am). I didn’t end up shaking off my head cold so I spent all weekend surrounded by tissues. Nothing major–my main symptom is mostly being extremely!! annoyed!! by my sinuses–but enough to spend a lot of time with Dr. Toby on the couch. He did his best to stay awake on duty but you can see he dropped off a few times.
How Is Toby?
We haven’t been on a hike in nearly two months but, in the ever-useful words of Doc, “there’s been a lot going on.” Toby is doing really well, though, so that’s worth any number of weekends at home. He’s even climbing stairs multiple times a day (and night)–not bad for a kitty who’s turning 18 in a month.
Weekends At Home
It’s been over a month since we’ve been in the mountains and I’m getting antsy–but it’s also nice to stay home with Toby (who’s doing great) and get some spring cleaning done.
Toby The Self-Healing Cat
How is Toby, you ask? Reader, he cured his own diabetes.
We just finished a round of him wearing a glucose monitor, like we do every six months, and–despite not having any insulin since his hypoglycemia scare–his blood sugar is absolutely normal. His vet tells us that cats can go into diabetic remission, but it’s usually sooner after diagnosis. Toby clearly just does what he wants.
He’s also acting just fine since his appetite loss/possible thyroid issues the week after the hypoglycemia scare, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he fixed his thyroid levels, too.
Come Ride The Old Kitty Roller Coaster!
Toby’s recovery after his hypoglycemia scare kind of stalled out by mid week, and by Friday he was eating and drinking less and less. He had diarrhea and vomiting Saturday night and refused to eat anything at all Sunday morning … so back to the weekend vet we went.
His overnight stay for hypoglycemia was at the 24-hour MedVet hospital in Salt Lake City. We were about to take him back there and just deal with the 2- to 4-hour wait for the ER when Matt found the MedVet “urgent care” location in Sandy. It’s not 24 hours and it’s not critical care, but you can schedule an appointment and for things like dehydration and vomiting. Highly recommend for urgent weekend care. (Well, some of us do. Others don’t recommend it at all.)
They did bloodwork and his blood sugar was fine but his thyroid levels were off, which was probably causing the intestinal issues and loss of appetite–the poor little guy was queasy. He got fluids under the skin and an anti-nausea shot and then ate an entire can of tuna the staff gave him while we waited for his results.
He’s back to eating and drinking just fine now and he has a two follow up appointments over the next two weeks with his regular vet, so HOPEFULLY we’re not going to have another dip in the thrilling Old Kitty Roller Coaster after this.
“Yeah Mom, I hope so too. You better not get that cat carrier out again.”
17 Years With Toby / A Toby Close Call
It’s Toby’s “gotcha day” anniversary today, 17 whole years ago … and I almost didn’t think we’d get any more days with him over the weekend.
He’d been getting slower and slower and using his box less and less over the last couple weeks, but in the middle of last week he got the “big sad eyes” that he had the summer he was diagnosed with diabetes. He was also not walking well, another thing that happened before we got his diabetes under control, so I thought, “Maybe he needs more insulin.” So I gave him a little higher dose than usual Thursday night and Friday morning but he still seemed so distressed and lethargic, we made a same-day vet appointment for Friday.
Reader, he was hypoglycemic. His blood sugar was at 30 (normal is 150-300). He wasn’t walking well because he HAD NO ENERGY. I feel absolutely terrible. That larger dose Thursday and Friday sent him over the edge but it’s likely he’d been getting too much long-term, which was causing the slowness and the big sad eyes. Did I mention I feel terrible?
He ended up having to be transferred from his regular vet to the 24-hour emergency vet to go on an IV drip of dextrose for a night and a day. We visited him twice in the ER and he was NOT HAPPY–this was his first night at a vet in almost 18 years, he didn’t want to eat food, he just wanted to go home. Needless to say, everybody was a wreck.
But we were able to get his blood sugar back to normal and take him home Saturday night, where he immediately had a wash and an entire can of wet food and a big nap. And now he’s like a new cat–getting on the bed with us at night, walking fast, being sassy. I am so relieved (and still feel so terrible–we’re not doing any insulin until we can consult with his regular vet and get a blood sugar monitor on him).
So Happy Adoption Day to Good Old Toby. I’m so glad we didn’t lose you.
It’s Thursday
Take it easy because you were up all night being a menace:
Sunny Days
Dr. Toby was on the case Saturday while I recovered from my covid/flu shots (get vaccinated, y’all!) but I was all better Sunday and we went out to 70-degree temps and peak fall colors.
I’m not sure who left two jack-o-lanterns at the trailhead (probably a group getting pictures?) but I can only hope some little creature recreates Mousekin’s Golden House.
