Hope for Liver Shunt Cats

It’s that time of year again, the crisp autumn air, the beer, the lederhosen, and the Chicken Dance – all staples of  America’s version of Munich’s famous Oktoberfest. (My preference: dem Brezels, dem Bundhosen – ooh la la! – und das Fliegerlied)

I froze in frightened confusion, certain that the trauma of dealing with my own rabid chicken
was coming home to roost.

They had her tied with a leash on one leg and offered her up to be
admired. I, of course, held and admired her. She is a pretty thing (Rhode Island Red, as near as I can tell), and very well
behaved.  Alas, no signs of a chicken coop, so I told them to ask their parents if they want me to build Ariana
a chicken house to help protect her from less-than tolerant eyes and hungry neighborhood wildlife.

As far as Newt? We haven’t told him yet, lest he decide to invite himself over to the neighbor’s house for “dinner.”

Just a quick hello. This pic made me giggle, and wanted to share.

It seems that little Pookie is taking inspiration from the Olympics. He just gave a medal-worthy performance in the Vomit Toss.

Blarg.

My own fault for forgetting to pull the other cat food after supper (I usually pull food before letting Newt out of his lunch room). The crafty little devil mesmerized me with his King of Yarnia routine, and I was so busy adding Romano and tuna flakes to entice him to eat his leftovers, that I completely forgot the other bowl in the top of the bay window.

Until I heard the unmistakable clang slurp gulp noise of his notorious forbidden food feeding frenzy.

Muttering an expletive, I sprang to my feet and raced across the kitchen to grab the now-empty bowl. I was mentally kicking myself for the oversight, and trying to figure out how much of the premium, high-protein food he might have ingested, and whether or not I should direct dose some Lactulose stat.

Happily, Newt saved me the mental gymnastics, as I had no sooner sat back down at my desk, where he, still perched in the top of the bay window, began to lurch and heave and launch the most impressive demonstration of projectile vomiting I have ever witnessed.

Once again, I sprang to my feet and raced back across the distance.

In languorous, slow-motion, it arced gracefully across the kitchen, suspended in mid-air for a one, two, three count, until it dispersed with a fat, wet splat! On the just-washed kitchen floor, the just-washed rug, just-refreshed water bowl  …

The Dog and I may, or may not, have also been splashed by the spatter pattern – I’ll never tell!

Hope everyone is doing well!

“King of Yarnia” is what we’ve taken to calling it when he rolls, writhes,
preens, flirts and begs for head butts and belly rubs from on top of the
yarn bins, located on top of the bookshelf next to the bed in his
room. I’d *just* been telling his vet about his terror-inducing King of Yarnia act. Since I caught him in the act, decided to grab a quick camera pic to send her.

This picture was taken seconds before he:

• Rolled off the edge of the bin;
• Slid down the wall;
• Wiped out the scarf rack on the wall; and then,
• Landed on the bed.

I think I aged another ten years!

But, I suppose it’s comforting to know that he WILL land on the bed?

Newt’s been doing well. I, on the other hand, seem to have succumbed
to some nasty little bug – ahhhhh CHOO! Not sure if it is a cold, a
weird sort of flu, work-site-locations-are-filled-with-germs-itis, or
what. 

So, trying to continue my pro-active efforts at self care, I took the night off right after work, and went straight to bed to try and sleeeeeeeeeeep. In my quest for comfort, I
was migrating from sleeping spot to sleeping spot, accompanied by my
ever-present guardian Pookie Bear.

At first I was touched by his seeming
concern for my well-being.  I kept dozing off as he was circling round
and round me on the bed, like some sort of feline shark – stopping to
stare at me quizzically, nose-to-nose. This was of course, after we had to play a gentle round of Pouncy Fingers each and every time.  I was then repeatedly awoken to the
sound of his little meeps and trills while he was walking on my head – again, circling slowly – round and round and round, stopping to pat my face and meep in my ear.

It was only after I finally migrated to The Newt Nest that he grunted happily and immediately settled down to sleep. 

Harrumph! It wasn’t concern for MY well-being that was causing his behavior; it was his annoyance at having to try to get comfortable in a place not of his choosing.  Brat!

Like several of the liver shunt kitties we know, Newt does seem particularly set in his ways, and has definite routines.  Was interesting to see how something as seemingly simple as where to nap upset his delicate sensibilities.

What a sweet, silly boy, no?

Eeek, had not realized it had been so long since posting an update! My apologies.

All is well here in Newtopia, and like so many owners of cats with liver shunts, we have been celebrating the good days as they come.

We had some concerns about six weeks ago, where he had a moderate episode, followed by a couple of mini episodes. Primary concern was that for a brief time he was not interested in food or water – always a bit disconcerting, but even more so now that we have been supplementing his food with soup, to help address the prior issue of urinary obstructions. We are quite lucky in that most of the time, Newt has no problems
eating. He doesn’t go on extended food strikes like a few other shunt
cats we know, and he’s never refused food for a long enough time that it
became truly worrisome.

He made it through just fine. I, on the other hand, may have aged another couple of years!

He is still enjoying his kitty cocktails, taking his herbal medicine on his snacks, and doing wonderfully well. In fact, we do think he’s gaining a bit of weight – Fat Boy Newt is FAT!  Due to take him for another urinalysis to see if the pH levels have adjusted back to normal.

He’s adjusted better than I have to my new schedule. Cat Daddy is doing his customary amazing job of taking care of my little Pookie Bear (and of me, too!). Things were pretty hectic for the last couple of months, but finally seem to have settled down to a dull roar – for now.  In fact, be proud of me! I actually took my own advice for a change hahaha and have been implementing some changes to minimize stress and engage in self care activities. Yay, me!

I actually took an entire day to go shopping with friends at the wool festival last week. I didn’t buy any sheep wool (why would I, when I have all that lovely chiengora to spin?) but I did indulge in some stunning copper-colored mohair.  Newt was doing rude things to it while helping me examine my purchases.  I’ll see if I can get you a picture.

Any guesses why I selected a copper color?

So, that’s why I haven’t written anything. Nothing really to report. Boring is GOOD, when owned by a liver shunt cat.  I haven’t forgotten the request to post the “recipes” for his kitty cocktails, and will also try to get you a current pic soon – as soon as I can figure out how to do so in a manner that is not “boring!”

Newt remains stable and adorable. He’s doing great, no episodes, acting normal, and being monitored closely. His latest urinalysis shows minor improvement. Struvite remains unchanged, and pH is till 7.5, also unchanged. Blood in urine has lessened, and appearance is clear, no longer cloudy. So, we are moving in the right direction, albeit slowly.

Vet has ordered Chinese Herbs to try, and we will discontinue the cranberry concentrate at that time. He’s still slurping his sardine soup like a fiend.

Still, our efforts to get Newt to drink more are not exactly what the vet had in mind …