Sad times

On Monday, my good friend and fellow Aussiecat Gypsy had to he helped to the Bridge. We can be thankful that he lived a great life with his mum Karen and his sister Tasha, but it's always so hard to say goodbye to friends. Gypsy and Tasha were my first Secret Paws buddies... our mums have even had dinner together in Melbourne!

If you haven't done so already, please go visit Gypsy and Tasha's blog and leave some kind words, hugs and purrs.

Gypsy, mate, we will miss you.

Cheers,
--Pabs

Kate ain't no Annie Leibovitz...

Kate likes this picture of me, even though it was an outtake. I'm not sure why she likes it. You can see the bit of fur that they shaved off my front leg when I had my IV fluids a few weeks ago. It's growing back... slowly.

Lots of you have asked how I'm feeling. Thanks so much for caring! I'm kind of ok, but I'm still not eating enough.I have appetite stimulants that I can take every 3-4 days, but we've noticed that about a day after I take a tablet (and I'm only taking 1/8 of one tablet), I have a vom. We don't know if it's the tablet that makes me sick, or the fact that I have more food in my tummy that makes me sick. So, once again, Kate's 'keeping an eye on me' and will take me back to the v-e-t if need be.

But I am getting out and enjoying the summer sun in my garden. And snuggling with Kate in bed at night. So life's pretty good.

Kate likes this picture too. I can't for the life of me work out why.

Cheers,
--Pabs

That's more like it!

After days of wet, dismal weather, and floods across the country, it's been great to get a few gloriously sunny and warm days down here at the bottom of the world. (That's the view from my backyard.)

Aaah. Dappled shade on a warm day. It doesn't get better than this!

Cheers,
--Pabs

Sending our thoughts north

While I'm resting in the l-o-n-g grass in our backyard, I'm thinking about the people and animals of Queensland. Three-quarters of the state, in north-eastern Australia, has been declared a disaster zone due to devastating floods. Many people, and no doubt animals, have lost their homes, and even their lives. It's a sad time.

I'm still doing ok, although I had a bit of a vom at 3.30am a few mornings ago. Nick gave me another dose of appetite stimulant today, to make sure that I continue to eat my renal diet. Here's hoping it continues to work! Thanks again for your good wishes, purrs and thoughts.

Cheers,
--Pabs

Pablo's progress

Hi everycat,

No photo today, sorry, but I thought I'd let you all know that I came home yesterday afternoon. It's so great to be home, hanging out in the yard in all my favourite hiding spots.

I can't believe how many lovely comments I've had from my blogging buddies, old and new. Thanks so much for all your support.

The IV flushout went well; I came home feeling pretty good. And the renal diet food is pretty tasty... although I'm not sure how much I'll like it when Kate stops giving me the appetite stimulants.

So now we've just gotta wait and see if the renal diet is enough to save my kidneys. And hope, hope, hope that going off my urinary health diet doesn't mean that I get another blockage.

Oh, boy...

Cheers,
--Pabs

In treatment

Well, guess where I am.

Yep. In THERE.

They took some bloods from me the other day to do a 'wellness profile', and they detected a high level of toxicity in my kidneys. So I'm in overnight you-know-where having my kidneys flushed out with IV fluids.

The v-e-t is switching me to a kidney-friendly diet, so I can't be on my urinary diet anymore. Apparently we have to take a chance with that, because if I don't switch to a kidney diet, I might not make it.

One day, I'll get to blog about something other than my health.

One day...

Cheers,
--Pabs

Cat. Mat.

Call me a traditionalist...

Long time no blog, everycat! Sorry.

Things have been pretty good around here. Even though it hasn't been a very warm summer (yet), I've been spending most of my time in the garden, in my usual sweet hiding spots. Christmas was great... Nick, Kate and Alex went away to visit their family and left me with Fiona, who is an AWESOME house-sitter because she lets me sleep on her bed WHENEVER I WANT.

Healthwise, I'm still not 100%. I'm not eating heaps, and I'm pretty skinny. I think I'm in for a checkup you-know-where this week. Uh-oh.

I really hope that everyone's had a great Christmas holiday. Here's to an awesome 2011 for all of us!

Cheers,
--Pabs

Birthday boy

No, no, not me.

The blurpy boy.

It was his first birthday today. They had a birthday barbecue for him at a local park. (Thank goodness they didn't have it at home... can you imagine how many sticky little people would have invaded my space?)

Even though Alex was the guest of honour, I was given a prime position in the celebrations.

What do you think?

Cheers,
--Pabs

Confused and confusing

In other news... they finally put my bed together. Am I doing it right?

Hi again,

It's been a confusing week.

Sorry I haven't posted for a while. Baby Alex has started crawling FAST, which means that Kate spends all her time running after him, and I spend all my time running AWAY from him!

And we've kind of been waiting until we had some concrete news on my health. But we don't, yet. So I went back to the v-e-t last Monday (15 November) for more tests. They had to keep me in overnight because they got blood in my #1 sample (they had to try and get it with a needle, and I moved at just the wrong time).

Anyway, they finally got a clean sample (makes me sound like Lance Armstrong!), and all my indicators that they were worried about were in the 'normal' zone, and I had no urine crystals.

So they sent me home to see how I went, and it's been over a week and I'm kind of ok, but still NQR (not quite right). I'll still only eat dry food (at least it's the urinary diet stuff), and I'm not eating as much as normal, but I'm in pretty good spirits.

I still have to give Kate another #1 sample to take in to the V-E-T, but I'm kind of holding out on that.

Thanks so much to all of you for your thoughts, prayers and purrs. I know I haven't posted much, but we've been reading the comments and feeling really loved. As you Americats prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, I can join in and say how thankful I am to have such AWESOME friends.

Cheers,
--Pabs

No Good

Well, my bloods were No Good.

The weekend v-e-t told us yesterday that I have 'some level of kidney failure' as well as my bladder issues.

So tomorrow, it's back to you-know-where for me, for a day of tests to confirm my health problems. It's not looking totally dismal; the kidney issues may be able to be controlled by diet. They just have to work out whether I need to be on a kidney diet or a bladder diet - which is the priority.

Feeling sick is No Fun. When I'm feeling sick or sad or angry, I sit on my chair like this.

Think I might be here for a while.

Cheers,
--Pabs

You've got to be #$@%ing kidding me

No WAY.

So I had to go the the v-e-t again today.

Because I'm not eating again.

And when I ate yesterday, I threw up.

When Kate called the v-e-t and told him, he asked her to bring me back in TO STEAL SOME OF MY BLOOD. He's worried that my #1 sample from the other day was a bit dilute, which may suggest a kidney problem.

Great.

So I got jabbed by needles and prodded by human hands and he put the you-know-what up you-know-where.

And I'm on extra anti-vomiting meds now.

Hope your Friday doesn't suck as much as mine does.

Cheers,
--Pabs

Lest We Forget

Today, as we remember the fallen, we remember Rupert Cosmo Johnston. Private Rupert Cosmo Johnston was baby Alex Cosmo's Great, Great, Great Uncle. He was a member of the 21st Battalion of the Australian Army, and was killed in action in northern France in September 1918.

We remember the fallen, and those currently serving, with pride.

Cheers,
--Pabs

She did it!!

Yes everycat, that is mine.

The v-e-t wanted Kate to get a sample from me to take to my appointment today. He said to put some plastic over my litter tray and get me to pee on it, then collect the pee in a syringe.

She was very dubious. I was very dubious.

But when a mancat's gotta go, he's gotta go.

Dr Geoff was so proud of Kate for bringing in a sample. It made my checkup much easier.

And guess what? My crystals are gone! There were no other bad things in my pee either, and I've lost 200g. I don't have to take any more Valium (unless I start refusing food again), but I do have to stay on my special diet. Dr Geoff felt my bladder and my kidneys and looked in my eyes and checked me out all over. He said that I seem in good shape.

Dr Geoff said that I was a gorgeous cat.

Tell me something I don't know, Dr Geoff!

Cheers,
--Pabs

I'm still here

Kate promised to set this awesome cat bed up outside for me to help me relax while I'm recovering. I couldn't wait for her to finish.

Hi everycat.

Pablo here. Thanks so much to y'all for your care and concern and advice while I've been sick. We really appreciate it.

I've been home from my last trip to the v-e-t for a week now. Sorry I haven't blogged until now.

I'm still feeling pretty delicate. I'm not doing a whole lot, just resting, just catching some of our awesome spring rays.

My last blockage was crystals, not protein. So the v-e-t said I need to be on an all-wet-food diet (prescription diet) to help me stay unblocked.

I miss my crunchy food.

I miss it so much that I wouldn't eat the wet stuff to begin with... until they gave me Valium to calm me down and stimulate my appetite. I hafta say, that stuff makes me feel... strange. Floppy. Clingy.

But I seem to be eating ok (not heaps though) and peeing ok. Got a checkup on Wednesday. Kate's supposed to try and collect a #1 sample from me before then.

Yeah, good luck with that, Kate.

Cheers,
--Pabs

Thanks, everycat!

Message from Kate: Me again. Thanks so much, everycat, for your good thoughts and prayers for my dear Pabsy's health. And thanks so much to dear Huffle for spreading the word about Pablo's latest health scare. It means a lot to know that there's a whole world of kitties and woofies and their families thinking of us all the way down here.

It's Sunday evening here. Early this afternoon, the v-e-t called us and said that Pabs was doing well, his blockage has been cleared and his urine output is good. But he still has a catheter in and his appetite has been poor. The v-e-t wants him to eat wet food (the special diet kind that dissolves urinary crystals), and I know that it's best, but he just won't eat it. We've tried him on it; the best that we could do was get him to eat the special urinary diet biscuits. Anyway, the v-e-t gave him some valium today to stimulate his appetite; let's hope that works.

All things being well, we'll be able to bring Pabs home some time tomorrow. We'll keep everyone posted. Thanks again for being so caring; it really does mean a lot.

Cheers,
--Kate

Here we go again...

Message from Kate:
*sigh*

It's 7.56pm on Saturday evening, and we've just taken Pablo to the emergency vet again for another urethra blockage. He should be ok, I was just hoping that this problem had been resolved. Please send good thoughts and prayers Pabsy's way. He was so sad and uncomfortable when he left home.

Cheers,
--Kate

I'm ok

Hey everycat,

My good friend (and Awesome Footy Finals Fever Competition winner) Huffle Mawson stopped by the other day and asked me how I was going. Thanks Huffle.

You know what? I'm doing ok. I'm still taking the anti-inflammatory meds for my bladder, but I'm tapering off those now. I'm still taking things pretty easy, and I have a checkup with Dr Gareth on Friday, but I'm eating and drinking well... and my *ahem* number ones seem to be coming out ok.

But you know what else? Baby Alex couldn't handle the fact that I was getting all the attention, so he arranged for one of his little sticky baby friends to give him bronchiolitis. He's on the mend too, but he's had a nasty cough and wheeze. Kate said that she needs a holiday.

I can't think why.

Cheers,
--Pabs

A Pablo health update

Hey everycat.

So I've been home for a week now.

And although I'm getting better, I'm still not feeling the best.

I've really been off my food; both the new urinary diet and my old crunchies.

Kate took me back to the V-E-T today. Dr Gareth is awesome. He's the one who unblocked my... um, man parts... in the middle of the night a week or so ago. He looked after me so well. Today, he gave me some more meds to make sure that my bladder continues to improve. He weighed me... I've lost 700g in a week, which is too much too fast.

So they're just gonna keep an eye on me and see how I go over the weekend. I guess I'll just take it easy.

Hope you have a good weekend, wherever you are.

Cheers,
--Pabs

Pablo is home!

Message from Kate: After a day of good #1 output, Pablo was allowed to come home this afternoon... a day sooner than the v-e-t thought! I've tried to maintain Pabsy's dignity in these photos of him resting by the heater (not too much of a view of his shaved bits). Check out his purple smiley face bandage on his front leg. Very un-Pabs.

He has to be closely monitored for a few days to make sure he doesn't have another blockage, he's now on a special urinary diet and we have to help him lose a kilo, encourage him to drink more water and exercise more. This is going to be tough... it's hard to make Pablo do anything he doesn't want to do. But we'll try!

It's great to have him home. Thanks, everycat, for your good wishes and support!

Cheers,
--Kate :)

Pablo is sick!

Pabsy in happier times (that's his leopard tail toy in the foreground)

Message from Kate: Hi blogging buddies. Our dear friend Pablo is in hospital today, recovering from emergency surgery for a life-threatening urethral blockage.

Just before bedtime last night (10pm-ish) I noticed him taking a long time to do his business in his litter tray, then leaving before he'd done anything. Then he wandered around the house, meowing and hissing, before flopping on his side in an armchair. He was meowing and growling low, obviously in pain. So while I stayed at home with baby Alex, Nick rushed him to the emergency vet, and they assessed him and decided to perform surgery there and then (at midnight!) to unblock his urethra. The vet said that we did the right thing to bring him, that the blockage could have been fatal if left untreated. Pabs came through the surgery well, it seems like it was a protein blockage.

Today, they did an ultrasound on his bladder, because he wasn't producing as much urine as they would have liked. Thankfully, it was all clear, so they're now just keeping him under observation for the next few days. We miss him around the house... every little noise, every movement I see from the corner of my eye, I think they're all him. Please join with me in praying for his speedy recovery. I know we haven't been able to blog or visit blogs much since baby Alex's arrival, but we still feel like we're part of the CB family... and we could use your support!

With thanks,
--Kate
(PS The Collingwood Magpies won last weekend's AFL Grand Final rematch by 50-something points! Which, I believe, makes Huffle Mawson the winner of Pablo's AWESOME Footy Finals Competition. But I'll let Pabs announce that when he's back on deck.)