I love this cat. We've had her since 1990 or 1991 when we lived in a basement flat at the Lord Baron's Apartment complex in Burlington, MA. When she was a kitten she would sleep on my lap, and took great delight in stalking and killing my sweatsocks, which she would then pick up in her mouth and drag awkwardly about, the sock running under her belly and out between her hind legs. Maya has been a good cat for a long time, but lately she's been having trouble getting by. Today we had to take her to the vet. There's a chance she may not come home…
 Maya relaxes on the sofabed… |
As Maya has gotten older, the various systems in her body have begun to deteriorate. She occasionally can't deffecate and has to go into the vet to be cleared out, but that doesn't happen very often. About a year ago though the vet indicated that Maya's kidneys appeared to be going, and that eventually she would experience kidney failure.
About 8 months ago Maya refused to eat any more of the special diet food the vet prescribed. It was hard food, and we found that while on it, Maya got impacted more often. So we had to switch to a soft food that Maya can eat, and she takes laxatives in her food every day now to help her do her catbox business, and lately this seems to have helped a lot.
Maya remains affectionate with us as long as we don't mess with her. She loves to cuddle with us, and nuzzle our chins, and give us kisses. But if we start poking and prodding at her (for example to clean her ears, or clip her claws) she gets very pissy. In her old age, she's not as patient as she once was. At the vet she is a holy terror, and they have to wear special protective gear to handle her.
Last week we noted some spots of blood on the floor near Maya's water dish, but the cat seemed to be in good spirits. Then we noted that her front claws appeared to be digging into the pads on her paws. She won't let us clip them, and therefore they had become ingrown. So we planned to take her to the vet. The paws were uncomfortable, but not life threatening, so we decided to wait until after the weekend, as we had a lot coming up.
This morning, Maya had a new problem. She didn't appear to be able to urinate… this was one of the warning signs the vet told us to be on the lookout for. She still had a good appetite, ate her breakfast, drank her water, but just could not pee.
So after getting Lynnea off to school, we tearfully bundled up Maya and took her to the vet to have them check her out. Once there of course, she was very upset, and hissed so vehemently she got herself into a coughing fit. I know you are probably saying “It's just a cat, how scary can she be?”
The vet's assistants are terrified of her. 
At one point the vet stepped out of the room today and asked the assistant to stay with Maya. Her response was “Gee thanks.”
 Unhappy Maya waits for the vet… |
The doctor said that Maya's paws have to be addressed, and they were not going to be able to clip the claws and clean her pads without giving her some amount of a sedative. She said once they did that they would be able to draw some blood to test how Maya's kidneys are functioning.
But she warned us, if Maya was in kidney failure, she would have a bad reaction to the sedative (administering any drugs tends to stress the kidneys). At this point, the vet felt, we didn't have a choice. She wanted us to keep in mind that if Maya kidneys were indeed that far gone, the most humane thing to do would be to euthanize her.
Which of course, was what we had figured was coming all along. So now we're at home, waiting for the vet to call us, and trying not to think about it. Poor Maya. She's such a good cat.
 Good luck, puss. |
Saying goodbye to my cat wasn't easy today. Of course she was in no mood for affection anyway, and if I had tried to cuddle her or pet her she probably would have lashed out in her fear. I hope she pulls through. It's hard to imagine my house without her. Many days the first words out of my mouth when I shamble to the bathroom in the morning are spoken to her. “Poos, poos, poos, who's a good poos, poos?” 
I hope she makes it.
EDIT: (12:20 PM) The vet called a few minutes ago. They've managed to clip Maya's claws and clean her paws. They said her heart sounds good, her bowels were clear, and her bladder was full, so her kidneys are producing urine. The doctor theorized that Maya may not have been able to urinate because her front paws were hurting. Most importantly, she appears to be waking up from the sedation. We're supposed to call back around 3 PM for an update. “So far, so good.” the vet says. Phew.
EDIT: (4:00 PM) My wife called to let me know that Maya has come home. The old cat is definitely taking a long time to recover from the sedation, but she *is* recovering. Looks like she'll be with us for at least a little bit longer. Because she's so logey, the vet has asked us to keep her in her carrier for a couple more hours, and lock her in the bathroom overnight (to keep her from trying to go up or down the stairs).
