Djamila
Very Active Member
Here is my sweet boy looking out through the window at our snow filled sunrise. He is not impressed with the icy world in which he finds himself right now, and was a little grumpy that I left him inside to go take pictures of the yard. I, however, liked the light and shadows, so I snapped off a few pictures of him, even if he does look like a grouch.
Today is our two year anniversary of the second diagnosis with feline diabetes, and I think somewhere around year 3.5 altogether. It also happens to be my birthday. And since my whole city is snowed in right now, I’m a little grumpy too. Spending my birthday at home isn’t exactly the best way to celebrate.
But it does give me time to write a little update on how Sam is doing….
Since the New Year, he’s settled back to his “normal” dose range again, and has spent more time in healthy numbers. The bouts of pancreatitis are less often, and don’t last quite as long as they used to, so for that I am grateful.
I am planning on weighing him today, but right now he is snoring like a lumberjack and I can’t bear to wake him just to get his weight for this post, so I’ll leave you all in suspense on that one (I’m pretty sure he’s still around 11-12 pounds). A little heavier than he should be, but it’s winter, so let’s just blame it on the extra thick fur this time of year
He’s eating raw food almost completely. I do occasionally put out a can of food just to keep him willing, though he clearly prefers the raw now. For anyone who still struggles with kibble – I feel ya. It was probably two years of no kibble before I felt like he was really okay, and I think it was transitioning to raw that finally made him stop begging at the old kibble cupboard. My hunch is that when I finally got him to a healthy, species appropriate diet, he no longer felt the need for other things.
He still gets more treats than he should though – freeze dried salmon is his favorite, followed by bonito flakes, and then freeze dried chicken. And he likes to gnaw on gizzards from time to time as well. Honestly those gross me out – he has a bad habit of trying to walk around the house with them, so if I forget to watch him I’ll find gnawed gizzard bits on my bed!
His energy lately has been off the charts – he is running around and playing like a kitten – and getting into everything. I can’t go anywhere without him following along. And he’s decided that it’s his job to clear the table. And the counters. And the bookshelves. And the top of the dresser. Watching things fall down seems to give him endless delight.
He’s adapted really well to walking on the leash and insists on regular turns around the yard. Since we moved, he has a big yard to explore with a wide sunny patch of lawn surrounded with a stone wall to keep him safe, and a woodsy area off to the side. He loves exploring and using the giant trees as claw posts. They don’t seem to mind too much. I’ll be glad when the sun is a bit warmer as he sometimes wants to spend more time out there than I do.
I think that’s about it. I am so grateful for this community, the collective wisdom, the camaraderie, and the shared stories. Thank you all for being a part of our journey. Here’s to many more healthy, happy years for all of our extra sweet kitties, ourselves, and our families.
have a great birthday!!
. Happy Birthday! Mine is next week.
. Time to start cutting back on the treats....
