Ash update...

[carole]

We took Ash for his six monthly check up yesterday, the vet was suprised at how well he is doing and that he has lasted this long with CRF,the fact i am home all day and can run around feeding him continually and making sure he is hydrated is paying off, also i think Ash is a tough ole cat as well.

He has only lost a small amount of weight since his last visit, which surprised me as he is just a bag of bones really, still i guess he is a large cat who used to weigh in at 6.7kgs and now is only 4.1,but he is holding his own.

Unfortunately his mouth is in quite a state which i already knew, and the smell is pretty bad especially to my sensitive nose,when he opens it to eat or i pill him i just about puke, i know this is the because of his CRF and the vet does not recommend another dental due to his fragile state and heart murmur, I had already decided not to put Ash through this anyhow.

It may well be the reason we have to send him to the Rainbow Bridge,as i will not let him suffer, he is declining, with his lack of appetite ,but if we get him some chicken he will always eat that,so until he turns his nose away from that he is still holding his own.

I have no idea if he will continue on and make it to Xmas, we hope so, but we are prepared that his time may well be coming soon.

Rest assured he is in good hands and he will not be allowed to suffer,anyhow just wanted to fill you all in,Ash has now gone 16mths since he was diagnosed which is a long time in a cats life,and i am happy we have been able to give him that.

[catmandu]

We are sending prayers for Your Dear Old Ash :love:
Its so hard when Our once lively Cats start to go downhill and theres nothing we can do but watch.
My Older Cats , Princess , Michael and Joseph were a bit revived by having Sheba to eat, but thats discontinued.
:(
I wish My John Hancock was still here he and Joseph were so close:(
We are sending prayers that Ash will have as good a life as his health permits!!
Its hell getting older for man or animal.:(

[Catty1]

Prayers for dear Ash.

I know there are cat treats that are supposed to help clean kitty's teeth...I wonder if the vet would approve any, what with Ash's CRF. There's also a liquid that can be put in drinking water for the same thing - removing scale and tartar.

Might be worth a try, if it makes Ash more comfortable and doesn't hurt his health.

HUGS to you and that precious boy. :love::love::love:

[Laura's Babies]

Poor baby! It is so heartbreaking when they get like that and there is noting we can do to make them better.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I hope that he'll be able to remain comfortable for quite a while and that you'll still have some good quality time left with him. It's so hard to watch our furkids get old. Lots of prayers and positive thoughts are being sent his way.

[cassiesmom]

Prayers and a candle for Ash
http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/message.cfm?l=eng&cid=9651770

[carole]

Thank you friends, you know that ole boy bounced back quite a bit today, he does that to me, gets me all worried and hello he starts eating well again,but i am realistic he cannot go on forever,he is getting really hard to pill these days, always was difficult but now he is darn right vicious, i am a little scared to tell the truth, but with hubby's help we shall soldier on, it is what is keeping him alive.

Candace nothing will help Ash now i am afraid regarding the teeth situation , we just have to keep him as comfortable as possible and not let him suffer,CRF is the reason they are so bad now,and the urea is building up,he smells pretty bad some days all over.

Anyhow he ate his beloved shaved chicken today,and drank his pet milk, and did quite well really, but i always know next day will not be quite as good.

I am still hoping he will make it to xmas and beyond, and knowing my boy he will, he has kentucky fried chicken coming up as his big treat.

When he was a stray, my son used to work part time in the school holidays as a cook at KFC, he used to bring home lots of free chicken, we soon became very sick of it and used to bin it, i think ole Ash lived on the stuff before we adopted him, and to this day chicken his is favourite meal, especially KFC.

Anyhow just letting you all know today was a better day than i thought,he is as stubborn as an old mule that cat of mine, and he will defy the vets i am sure,good on you ole fella.

[Killearn Kitties]

I hope Ash is comfortable for a while yet, Carole. His treat of KFC is sure to perk him up. :love:

[carole]

Thank you all for the kind words and support, he is still holding his own and seems to have perked up a bit again, i never can tell with him really,i know he cannot go on forever, but some days i think he will,and then he slides down again and i think it is nearly his time, a real rollercoaster ride and not a fun one either.

We will continue with his medication, a ton of love and lots of care and just hope for the best.

[Laura's Babies]

My neighbor is on this same roller coaster with her elderly Lucky boy. When I got home from the boat this last time, she called me crying, telling me how sick he was and saying Friday, they were going to have to put him to sleep so if I wanted to come say Good Bye to him, now was the time. I went over to bid him my farewells and love him while I could but I saw something in him she didn't.. I told her he wasn't ready to go to RB, he still had a lot of spark in his eyes... and he did! He hadn't eaten in days though and if he hadn't eaten by Friday he would be critical and there was probably nothing more they could do.

Thursday, she called me all excited, he had eaten a little. Friday he had eaten more and he is still eating. I don't know if you know what I mean when I talk about that "spark" in their eyes.. but it is something I can usually see. After my step Dad died, Mama lost the spark in her eyes for a long time but she eventually got it back. Just watch for the spark in his eyes, that will tell you when it is time to let him go.

Ash has good taste in chicken! KFC is the best chicken in the world! I'd come eat some with him if I could.. LOL!

[carole]

I hear what you are saying and that ole boy of mine has bounced right back again, he is eating rolled chicken slices from the Deli at the supermarket and loving it, anything chicken and that boy perks up,he is a fighter my ole Ash and believe me i won't give up on him easily.

I just am so concerned about his mouth, but there is nothing i can do,he is still eating and in fact he ate really well yesterday and quite well today.

Ash still has plenty of life in him yet, and it saddens me to think it might be the state of his mouth rather than the kidney disease that may require his departing, a catch 22 of course it is because of the kidney disease they are so bad now.

Oh i agree KFC is delicious, but my ticky stomach cannot tolerate it, so it is on the never eat list for me ,still Ash has not had any for years and i am sure he will devour it in no time,it will be his xmas treat, so he had better keep on going to then and then some.

Thanks again everyone the support here is amazing, the advice always good and such a positive place for me to visit daily.

[phesina]

Good wishes and prayers and a candle (http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/message.cfm?l=eng&cid=9670620) for Ash and you, for good and comfortable time to continue.

Hugs and purrs,
Pat and cats

[cassiesmom]

Prayers and a candle for Ash, that he will get to Christmas and well beyond!
http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/message.cfm?l=eng&cid=9670629

[katladyd]

Sending prayers that Ash makes it to Christmas and beyond comfortably.:love:

[carole]

Ash continues to be up and down at the moment, he has gone downhill more so than before, but he is still eating well, he has begun picking his fur out. I suspected it as there was quite a lot of fur on the floor one morning ,but was not sure as they might have had a scrap between kitties, but caught him doing it twice today, any ideas about that?

He pongs really bad though, and my hyper sensitive nose is finding it hard, makes me want to puke ,apparently it is the urea build up,toxins in the body, he has been like that before but not as bad and ongoing as now, so that is why i suspect he may not have too long,but honestly i really cannot tell for sure, he continues to surprise me and prove me wrong , good ole boy.

He had his KFC, Melissa said she would drive down and get him some, and i thought yep why not, he will get some on xmas as well,he loved it.

Thanks all for the prayers, thoughts and candles, we appreciate it very much and hope they can help Ash to keep fighting, i am thinking of Slick and her Max right now too, as they appear to be going on the same rough ride right now, prayers and thoughts for them too.

[cassiesmom]

More prayers and another candle for Ash
http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/message.cfm?l=eng&cid=9684829

[carole]

I believe those wonderful prayers and lighting those candles have worked wonders, Ash has made quite a turn around today, he smells not near as bad and i have never seen him eat so much in the whole time i have had him, his steroids are making him very hungry today, which they don't normally do, PT works in mysterious ways i think lol.

Ash i guess heard me saying maybe it is your time soon, and also decided no way am i going to the RB yet,he will of course have more bad days, they are more frequent as time goes on, but i am truly amazed at how much he has picked up.

I sure hope the same can be said for Slick's Max.

[katladyd]

I am also worried about Max. I sure hope he is doing better!

[Anikaca77]

I'm sorry I missed this thread somehow. My prays are coming for Ash. It's never an easy thing but you are doing the right thing for him and my prays are with Ash, you and your family.

Melissa

[carole]

He is doing ok again today, eating well and seems to have picked up again, he never ceases to amaze me that puddy of mine, he is as strong as an ole ox i reckon, keep those positive vibes and prayers please,they seem to be working,that and Ash's strong will to survive and the best care i can possibly give him, he is all curled up on the big soft orange blankie on the couch at the moment having devoured his second breakfast and sleeping peacefully.

Thank goodness he is not as smelly either as it was really really bad,from the toxin build of urea the vet explained to me,which is why he was so sick then i guess,the medication is certainly doing it's trick as well.

Thanks again everyone,we are hoping Ash will still be here at xmas time and beyond and it is looking promising so far, but you can never tell with this type of terminal illness.

[Catty1]

I forgot, Carole, sorry - can the vet give him a regular dose of the subcutaneous fluids, or are you doing that?

I just wonder what the vet would think of giving him fluids every week or so. That might be pricey...some PT people have learned to do it with their babies.

SO glad to hear he is perkier and not such a "stinky boy" - though I know you love him no matter what!:):love:

[carole]

Yip love him despite him being a stinky boy, and a cantankerous ole fella most of the time,I have all the advice from the vet for his care and are following that so don't worry he is in great hands,with the one who loves him unconditionally.

Thanks for your concerns though.