Drained

Grady is going to Dr. K to be drained today. How he can be engorged with fluid and still be dehydrated to the point where he gorges himself on water is a mystery to me. Most of the major vomiting episodes over the last week have been due to him overdoing it with water. His last one was in a place that was much easier to clean up -- all water.

His appetite is improving. He has this odd tendency to only eat if one of us is nearby eating, and if he's feeling ornery he'll ignore the food we've put out for him and come begging. I hate that. This morning was the first morning in a long time he hopped up on the bed to beg for breakfast. Ken got up to feed him while I tried to wake up. When served, Grady just stared at the plate. "You gonna eat that?" Ken asked. «Yeah... I guess.» And then he ate. By the time I was ready for coffee it was gone, and that was good.

The Christmas tree came down yesterday along with all the other holiday decor. As I packed everything up I wondered how much of my ornaments and other stuff wound up with Garret. I'm missing a lot of garland and my childhood stocking. I'd be willing to trade him if he did. I'm pretty sure I have at least one major holiday decoration he wishes he hadn't left behind.

Working from home today, but not a lot is crossing my desk and my to-do list was pretty much covered by 9 this morning. I'm in "waiting for email" mode.

Grady in Hospice

I originally posted this as a note on FB:

I posted a status last month that Grady's days were numbered. The vet confirmed this tonight, declaring Grady officially "in hospice" until the time comes when he either decides to go on his own or he is no longer comfortable. For now, he is comfortable and friendly if not terribly active. He spends most of his days on a heated throw on my sofa.

Everyone who has had a pet has had a Grady. That one special animal companion who knows you well, is there when you're sad but don't want to talk about it, and knows just what buttons on you to push to get a snack out of you. Grady saw me through the most stressful times in my life and was there to keep me company when I wasn't fit for the company of other people. That's a true friend.

If my Grady holds a special place in your heart, even if it's been a while, please come by New Year's weekend and visit. He's a good boy, yes he is, my itty bitty kitty wumpus boo-boo. Thank you for all your support and thoughts for my little buddy over the years. He is truly an amazing cat.

I don't know how long he really has. Could be a couple of weeks, could be a month. He's wrapping things up for now. The vet said that animals decide on their own when they're going to go. I heard the same from my mother many years ago. I got a lot of reassurances that I wasn't a bad pet owner, but I still feel like I failed my best friend on a deeper level. He was my familiar and deserved better. Maybe I'm reading too much into this, I don't know. It's just now hitting me.

For now I'm just going to go sit on the sofa with him. Now that his belly is drained he's curled up in a ball, full of tuna and sleeping.