A Spark of Sacred Fire

Punkin, napping at the edge of a stray sunbeam, glowed like an ember against the dark bedspread.



Her kidney disease is slowly eroding her down to a tired, old cat. I notice that she perks up considerably on the days that I give her sub-cutaneous fluids but she hasn't come to terms with that yet and still fights me.

It will be a sad day when she is too weak to do so.



For now, I treasure each day I can share with her.

Comments

Maggie May said…
Bless her heart. She looks just like my Maya. Sounds like she has a very loving caretaker!
Anonymous said…
Oh my, what lovely and moving pictures. We too had a Pumpkin - very similar looking to your Punkin. My thoughts are with you.
She is a beauty and looks like our Napoleon.

~ The Bunch
MmeBenaut said…
Dear little Punkin. Can she cope with brushing? Her fur looks a little matted.
My Snuffly hasn't been seen for two days now. I do worry about him but at least the weather is warmer for a little boy who sleeps "rough".
Laura said…
Thank you, dears...

I guess as long as she feels like fighting me, she is herself. Yes, she is more than a little matted but has very strong opinions about what she will allow to be done to her. I comb her with a wide-toothed comb when she lets me but her tolerance for discomfort is nil and any tugs bring out her claws.

Gotta love my hard-headed kitty...

Since she came to live with us at a very young age, she didn't pick up the grooming tips mothers pass on to their kittens, so she typically looks a bit ragged around the edges but only when she is sendentary does she clump up.
MmeBenaut said…
Laura, Snuffly has been coming for dinner the last couple of nights. He "talks" to me - a chirrup when he 's on his way and a "grr" if I overdo the patting while he is eating. He is walking quite slowly so I think he's a little bit weak. I'm trying to build him up but he needs antibiotics. What could I put in his food?
Laura said…
I wish I had good advice for you but all my experience with the feral and stray cats has involved trapping them and getting them in to our vet. I know you haven't had good luck trying to trap Snuffly so that probably isn't an option.

I know that garlic has good antibiotic qualities and that most cats will tolerate some minced garlic mixed in their food--I would make it a strongly-flaovred food like sardines or other fish. Your vet might be able to suggest a way to mask the flavor of more conventional antibiotics.

I am glad he is showing up to eat again but worry about him as well. If you decide to try the trap again, may I suggest using catnip instead of food as a bait? I have had luck with that approach for cats that normally wouldn't fall for the trap baited with food.

Maybe someone else here will have other suggestions for you. Poor Snuffly!
MmeBenaut said…
Thank you so much Laura. Snuffly has been back every night at the same time and he is eating very well. I'm still thinking of giving the wrap him in a blanket a try but I don't want to aggravate the wound. I'll try the minced garlic - he has fish and I give him a sardine and tuna mix (whiskas) and a big bowl of dried food (chicken, turkey, vegetable and cheese) and a big bowl of warm whiskas kitty milk too. He is gaining weight and grooming too. I managed to cut off a piece of matted fur from his belly while he was eating; he gave me a half hearted growl and kept on eating. Tonight I tried the same thing and he growled so I'll have to wait a few days before I tackle the next one. I'd like to get him free of matted fur as I know it must hurt his neck so much to groom himself.
Laura, Meggie lost one of her cats, Casper. She is sad.

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