Hi all,
I am starting to get a little better now, but my dear sweet Trudy (Miss Trudy Prinklebot, when she liked to be formal, and Trudy-Bear when she was being playful) passed away on New Year's Eve. It was just awful!
My husband and I picked her and Missy, her sister, up from the Kitty Hotel on Monday morning before New Year's and they told us she had been throwing up on Sunday, but it didn't seem to be a problem after they gave her a kitty Pepcid AC. She didnt' seen to be herself on Monday afternoon though and by Tuesday we noticed she was not eating, grooming or drinking out of the sink (her favorite thing), so I took her back to the vet on Wednesday morning only to discover she was in advanced renal failure and her kidneys were shutting down.
They don't have an explanation for it, besides she might have eaten some of that tainted pet food a neighbor might have left out a year ago or maybe she drank from a puddle that had poison in it or rolled in fertilizer that had chemicals in it (another of her favorite activities in the summer). She also had numerous kidney stones which they found after they did an x-ray. There was basically no hope at this point.
Joel and I went down to say goodbye and tell her we loved her and the cried ourselves to sleep New Year's Eve. Looking back, I can see now that she probably had diabetes. She was constantly drinking water out of the sink and emptying all the bowls of water that we kept around the house. I know that's a sign for humans who might have it, uncontrollable thirst, and I am assuming it would be similar for pets. She also threw up about once a month, but I always assumed it was over something she ate. I can't believe I didn't recognize it now and feel like a bad mommy.
We still have Missy and she seems fine with no signs of bad health. We are going to probably get her a baby kitty sister this weekend at the local shelter, where we got her and Trudy. She seems lonely and is looking for her friend and sister.
My husband and I are a bit sad and lonely too still. I was getting ready for work this morning and no one came in to "help" me make the bed or dress, or "wave goodbye" at me from the window as we drove to work.
I hope Trudy will get to become friends with all of the your other kitties on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge. ~lara
