Teri & Disco NoFurNo (GA)
Member Since 2019
Yes, it is hard not to think about the 'what-if's'. I often think of the words which I read at my husband's funeral, because that is what life with cats is like, "I wish we were more like cats. They don't regret yesterday and don't worry about tomorrow. They put one paw in front of the other, and go on...'
I haven't visited the group in a while, but did enter in Disco's lab results from the ER and I did get the medical report, too. I'd like post a question to see if anyone with experience with DKA would like to see it and give me their opinion/view of it, rather than post the whole report to the group, just message me and we can continue the conversation there. I'm just not sure his values (electrolytes) were out-of-whack from dehydration or from the big doses of diuretic that continuing treatment would not be recommended, or if he initially was given too much IV fluids (I need to re-read his last Heart Ultrasound report to read what the cardiologist's recommendations were on how much IV fluids are recommended for a cat with his heart condition) and if those had been cut back, would he not have gone into congestive heart failure. His regular vet called me when she got his ER report and said that she wasn't certain he was in DKA, so it planted that seed of doubt in my mind which keeps resurfacing.
It has been just over 3 weeks since he died, and I am having trouble falling asleep at night and just today realized it may be because I miss our routine of him curling up on my shoulder and resting his face on my neck. I don't sleep well as it is, having to get up and pee often and while I was testing Disco, it didn't seem to stop me from falling back to sleep quickly, but now I almost have panic attacks, feel my throat tightening and have to listen to my sleep app with calming words and sounds, and that doesn't really help completely.
I have ordered a ring with his ashes in it from a friend who has a lovely site on Etsy. Unfortunately, the ER lost the fur clipping I asked them to get (and was also noted in his medical notes). He didn't have much fur, except behind his ears and on the bridge of his nose. The fur on his nose was a lovely cinnamon color and that's what I asked them to get, but I have a feeling if they did it, that the amount was so small that whatever they put it in and where they may have put it for safekeeping was forgotten. So I will have the ring made to be the color of his eyes, with small flecks of ash, so it will kind of look like stone or granite. I'll attach some pix. Then I found a site that makes a glass sleeping cat of any color with fine ash swirled in it, and you place the glass cat on a wood stand with a light in it, so it shines through. I think that will be comforting and may help me sleep. Hope it doesn't sound too odd, but I may put the cat on my pillow at night and see if that helps me relax...
I know, just as you do, that our beloved cats will not be with us long enough. Both Coco and Brighton are 15 now and I get sad when I think of the fact that the time I have left with them is 1/3 of the time I have already shared my life with them. I also feel sad for those who share their lives with a special companion cat when they have no other cats to comfort them when one passes. While they are not Disco, their presence helps ease my sorrow, and I am watching them closely as the dynamics and their personalities often go through changes when they lose an animal friend. At first they slept a lot, and I think that was because I talked to Disco so much and he talked back and I was always handling him for blood tests etc and of course, they would come over for attention at the same time and I think I was quieter so they were, too. Now they are more interactive with me and my brother who I share my home with (he adores the cats) and I am so fortunate to have him for a room mate as I like the companionship but don't want to get involved with a man romantically--tried that, too much work! One even told me I could only love animals, not a human being! Harummmph!
I haven't visited the group in a while, but did enter in Disco's lab results from the ER and I did get the medical report, too. I'd like post a question to see if anyone with experience with DKA would like to see it and give me their opinion/view of it, rather than post the whole report to the group, just message me and we can continue the conversation there. I'm just not sure his values (electrolytes) were out-of-whack from dehydration or from the big doses of diuretic that continuing treatment would not be recommended, or if he initially was given too much IV fluids (I need to re-read his last Heart Ultrasound report to read what the cardiologist's recommendations were on how much IV fluids are recommended for a cat with his heart condition) and if those had been cut back, would he not have gone into congestive heart failure. His regular vet called me when she got his ER report and said that she wasn't certain he was in DKA, so it planted that seed of doubt in my mind which keeps resurfacing.
It has been just over 3 weeks since he died, and I am having trouble falling asleep at night and just today realized it may be because I miss our routine of him curling up on my shoulder and resting his face on my neck. I don't sleep well as it is, having to get up and pee often and while I was testing Disco, it didn't seem to stop me from falling back to sleep quickly, but now I almost have panic attacks, feel my throat tightening and have to listen to my sleep app with calming words and sounds, and that doesn't really help completely.
I have ordered a ring with his ashes in it from a friend who has a lovely site on Etsy. Unfortunately, the ER lost the fur clipping I asked them to get (and was also noted in his medical notes). He didn't have much fur, except behind his ears and on the bridge of his nose. The fur on his nose was a lovely cinnamon color and that's what I asked them to get, but I have a feeling if they did it, that the amount was so small that whatever they put it in and where they may have put it for safekeeping was forgotten. So I will have the ring made to be the color of his eyes, with small flecks of ash, so it will kind of look like stone or granite. I'll attach some pix. Then I found a site that makes a glass sleeping cat of any color with fine ash swirled in it, and you place the glass cat on a wood stand with a light in it, so it shines through. I think that will be comforting and may help me sleep. Hope it doesn't sound too odd, but I may put the cat on my pillow at night and see if that helps me relax...
I know, just as you do, that our beloved cats will not be with us long enough. Both Coco and Brighton are 15 now and I get sad when I think of the fact that the time I have left with them is 1/3 of the time I have already shared my life with them. I also feel sad for those who share their lives with a special companion cat when they have no other cats to comfort them when one passes. While they are not Disco, their presence helps ease my sorrow, and I am watching them closely as the dynamics and their personalities often go through changes when they lose an animal friend. At first they slept a lot, and I think that was because I talked to Disco so much and he talked back and I was always handling him for blood tests etc and of course, they would come over for attention at the same time and I think I was quieter so they were, too. Now they are more interactive with me and my brother who I share my home with (he adores the cats) and I am so fortunate to have him for a room mate as I like the companionship but don't want to get involved with a man romantically--tried that, too much work! One even told me I could only love animals, not a human being! Harummmph!
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