Passages

[deborahjross]

I'm suspecting that my favorite cat, Cleo, has gone deaf or mostly-deaf. She's 17, hyperthyroid and arthritic (both nicely controlled with meds). I can't wake her by speaking, only by touch, and she doesn't respond to "here kitty" or her name, which she always used to do. But she's active and perky, so that's what counts.

Here she is on my shoulder, supervising my writing. She's a tiny girl, barely 5 lbs.

Comments

[equesgal.livejournal.com]

glad to hear she's hanging in there!

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

She enjoys being matriarch of the pride!

Also, I discovered she loves cat treats, so I'm teaching her tricks, which helps with maintaining muscle mass as well as alertness.

[meirwen.livejournal.com]

That was how I knew my spaniel Penelope had gone deaf. And she'd gone mostly blind by the time she died. But she was charming, and loving, and appreciative of every gentle touch and stroke to the last day of her life.

In your care, Cleo is as loved and as safe as a 17 year old cat can be--I'm certain of that.

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

It's wonderful how animals adapt to blindness or deafness. Dave's "Rosie" went blind from hypertension and managed to find her way around a new house, using her whiskers to tell where the walls were. (How do you take a cat's blood pressure? With a tiny cuff -- and you need only the systolic.)

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

I'm sure she feels safe and loved with you.

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

Safe, check. Loved, double check. Opinionated, you wouldn't believe!