A Very Fine Cat Indeed

This is a sad post, but I want to write it anyway.

 

Today our dear, beloved cat Sherlock fell peacefully asleep, after struggling with health problems for some weeks.

We will miss him sorely.  He was beautiful, gentle, soppy, sweet, friendly, curious, happy, demanding, grateful, good company, soft, fluffy, cuddly, funny, sometimes grumpy or sulky, always a real Cat.  He was our pet, our friend.  He was a paid-up member of our Family and we all loved him very much.

Sherlock had been receiving treatment from the vet for kidney problems, for a couple of years.  He also had high blood pressure, so there were tablets for this.  Recently he began to have daily painkillers to help him with arthritic pain in his back legs.  But otherwise, once the medicines were working effectively, Sherlock was a healthy, happy, normal cat of 15 years old. 

However, in October we noticed that he had started to chew at his tongue and/or stick it out sometimes, as if there was something bothering him.  When this didn't improve, I mentioned it to the vet at his routine blood test appointment.  She said that perhaps he had a small ulcer on his tongue and we should keep an eye on him, but return to the vets' if it didn't improve after a few weeks.  He also seemed to have conjunctivitis, as his right eye was watery and sticky, so she gave us drops for this.

The tongue chewing never really stopped, but it did improve, so that he did this quite rarely.  The eye problem cleared up at first, but then seemed to come back again.  I used the remainder of the eye drops, which did help.  However, Sherlock then began to sneeze, sniff, lick his nose, groom his face and the eye flared up again, becoming runny and sore-looking.  So we went back to the vets' in mid-December.  The vet thought he might have cat flu, but was a bit concerned because the side of his face seemed to be swollen, although it was not painful. She gave him an injection of long-acting antibiotics, more eye drops and said that if he didn't improve, we should bring him back again.

Over Christmas, Sherlock seemed happy enough, though not too keen on a lot of company at once.  He hid himself upstairs when all the family were here - but that wasn't too unusual, since he often did this when the small children were around (he was never fond of babies).  He was eating well, playing his "morning game" (James giving him his meds, by rolling the tablets along the floor for him to chase and eat), exploring outside, drinking water - generally being "Sherlock", except that he was perhaps a bit more sleepy than usual. 

But his face didn't improve. His eye didn't get better.  If anything, the swelling was a bit bigger.  Perhaps he had an abcess in his mouth or sinuses?  We made another vet appointment after Christmas, to see the "eye expert" at the vets', who knows the most about eyes, faces etc.   He had as good a look at Sherlock as he could, considering that Sherlock - our gentle, soft, silly old cat - was swearing and hissing at him before his carry-box was even placed on the examining table, for us to open it.   It was agreed that, although the facial swelling didn't seem to hurt, it did need examination under anaesthetic.

Last Wednesday evening we dropped off Sherlock for an overnight stay in the vetinary hospital.  He was given extra fluids, to support his kidneys (as happened when he had his teeth done in March), then on Thursday he was sedated and examined. 

The vet called me, while Sherlock was under the anaesthetic, to say that it was a tumour.  The tumour was in the side of his face, had grown behind his eye - which was causing the eye problems.  It was also growing into the roof of his mouth.  It was inoperable and Sherlock would die from it sooner, or later. 

The decision was to bring him round and take him home to be nursed.  He hadn't been showing symptoms of pain or unhappiness before the vets' visit, so I thought it best to give him the chance to live as long as he could; so long as he was able to still enjoy a good enough quality of life to make being with us worthwhile.  We all discussed it and felt that, as long as Sherlock was not in pain, unhappy, suffering, we would care for him and nurse him. 

That was last Thursday.  He came home, seemed glad to be here and pottered about for a couple of days.  However, he didn't seem to want to eat very much and didn't really bounce back from the anaesthetic (the vet said today, that he would have felt so much better in March, after painful teeth had been removed, that he picked up quickly and ate well because it no longer hurt; this time eating wasn't so attractive, he felt tired and unwell, so he didn't recover well). 

By Saturday Sherlock was rather subdued.  He started spending more time sleeping and less time in our company.  He was less keen to go out.  On Saturday he ate almost nothing, except a little tuna and drank very little, except for his morning "shower" - where he would drink the water from the shower tray - and some spring water from the tuna can. 

On Sunday he was more subdued still and in the evening it became obvious he was suffering from serious constipation and pain in his abdomen, pacing around, crying etc.  We did what we could to make him comfortable.  Eventually he settled down to sleep and we left him in peace for the night.

This morning, Davey was up at 5am, for a business trip.  He messaged me to say that Sherlock had not stirred from his bed - which he would normally do, so he could sit next to Dave while he drank his morning coffee.   When I went down, he was still on his bed and didn't want to get up. 

I warmed some skimmed milk and syringe-fed it to him.  After that, he got up and stretched, took a bit of a walk around, had a short trip out the back door, then drank some tuna-water, before returning to his bed.  He was obviously ill and very dehydrated.  I rang the vet as soon as they opened for the day, then took him down to see the same vet as last week.

I had hoped that they could help him; that the constipation could be solved with a tablet or injection and that they could perhaps put him back on a drip for a day or so.  I hoped to bring him home and keep him well cared for, while he recuperated.  After all, he was fairly chipper when he went to the vet last week, so he could probably pick up okay and be with us for a while yet.

The vet was very kind, but explained that Sherlock's kidneys were failing.  He would be feeling horribly ill - which was borne out by him growling and moaning if we touched him too much.  In order to sort him out, they would have to give him more anaesthetic, which would kill him, as his kidneys couldn't take it.

I had to make the heart-breaking decision to let him be put to sleep this morning.  We decided on an injection, rather than using a catheter in his arm, as that would be distressing and undignified for him.  It would take longer, but I wanted him to die with dignity intact, with someone who loved him close by, to stroke him, talk to him, tell him how much he was loved, what a special and wonderful cat he was, how we would miss him. 

So that is what happened.  He had an injection and drifted into a gradually deepening sleep.  I stayed with him until he was gone, then covered him with his soft blanket and left the vets by the back door.  They were so kind; the bill will be sent on later, they will arrange a cremation and we will receive his ashes, so we can scatter them in his favourite part of the garden.

 

I miss him already.  At lunch time I looked for him, to give him his food - no Sherlock.  When I sat down to work, I looked to see if he was in his favourite spot on the back of the sofa - no Sherlock.
Those who've lost a person or pet who they loved, will know what I mean (Sherlock was a Person to us, not "just a cat").  There's a hole in the family now. 

The comforting thing is that we have lovely memories, photos and stories about Sherlock, that we can look at, read, talk about.  He'll never be forgotten and I hope that he'll be glad to see us again some day.

* * *

In Memory of Sherlock Gillum

 

who peacefully fell asleep

10am, Monday 7th January 2013,

aged almost 16 years

 

Much loved, much missed.

 

"A Very Fine Cat Indeed"

 

* * *

Out for "A Bit of a Blow" by the Lake!

The weather here was very nice, until the middle of last week, when it turned really chilly and quite rainy.  Some parts of UK have even had quite a bit of snow (we are lucky to have avoided this).   In any case, the sudden change in temperature and drop in light levels had a bad effect on me and James. We were both feeling dull and "tired" - listless, no energy, little enthusiasm.  James was looking pale, wan and a bit miserable - unusual for our cheerful young man. 

So, this morning I decided we would do something about this.  The sun was out first thing, with just a few fluffy clouds, so it seemed a good day for a Walk to Somewhere Nice - or in the more graphic speech of the area "a bit of a blow", to clear our heads and wake us up. 

I discussed with with Davey, over my nice breakfast in bed (he is so kind... I overslept and he brought me my breakfast).  We decided to head for a local Country Park, where there is a lovely man-made lake, with plenty of trees and wildlife, paths to walk on, grassy areas and, best of all, a very nice cafe that serves great little meals!

The weather did turn rather dull mid-morning and we were afraid our walk might be spoiled by heavy rain; we decided to risk it and were lucky enough to avoid the rain - it started raining as we were driving home, after a lovely walk, an equally enjoyable lunch and another "blow" by the lake, before we headed back to the car. 

A little photo album:

The lake at the Country Park.  Even on a dull day, it looks quite lovely.

The river flows past the country park also and you can walk along its banks.

Dave and James rambling about on the lake shore.  James found a stick - as usual! (he put it back where he found it, on the way back)

The Country Park office sells bags of grain, that you can feed to the water birds.  James still enjoys doing this and found quite a few "friends" today!

Father and Son - see how big James is getting?

We also saw quite a lot of wildlife and plant life on our walk:

The bee looked as if he'd rather have stayed in bed today - too cold.  This robin had a beak full of insects - we could hear his babies in the nearby hedges, squeaking for their food.

The nest is a left-over from last year - it would have been well covered by leaves and greenery, which are only just returning now.  I should think its erstwhile owners are busy building a new one just now!

There was a lot of fungus growing all over the tree, in these sort of overlapping scales. 

The willow trees are beginning to sprout leaves and there are catkins everywhere.  Quite a lot of teazels, bullrushes and reeds are left over from the winter, but the new ones will be growing soon.

I found a patch of primroses, nestling under some trees and a cowslip coming into bloom.  There will soon be a big variety of wildflowers blooming, but it's quite exposed by the lake, so only the very brave and hardy are out just yet!  The hedges are also beginning to flower - the May Blossom (Blackthorn) is out, but I forgot to photograph it!

We had been admiring various pieces of wood sculpture, dotted around the lake and car park area.  We came upon the wood carver's yard, with the carver himself, hard at work.

A Giant Tortoise, an Owl...

...a squirrel, a badger...

...hedgehog, barn owl...

a leveret (or rabbit?), a grass snake...

and a dog named Danny - presumably someone's pet.

We had a lovely time today and I do think it's blown away most of the cobwebs.  It's still rather dull and rainy, but I certainly feel more awake than I have for days - James seems more lively too.  It was definitely worth making the effort to get out into the fresh air and countryside.

But this is what Sherlock did while we were out!

Wishing everyone a Happy and Blessed Easter!  We have the family coming over tomorrow, so it will be a busy day.

The Further Adventures of a Little Cat...

This is my April contribution to Sian's Storytelling Sunday 2012.  A short tale about the continuing adventures of the small cat we all know and love:

Sherlock's Vetinary Adventure

Sherlock hasn't been so fit over the winter.  He had his regular check-up, just before Christmas, to make sure his kidneys weren't causing any problems for him.  The vet was happy with kidney function and his blood pressure, but said his teeth were in a bad state and she felt that he really must have something done about them soon, despite the risks of an anaesthetic for a cat with renal problems. 

He must have been uncomfortable with them, as they were covered in tartar and some were going bad.  Of course, bad teeth are known to cause lots of other health problems - both in animals and human beings - including heart problems, so it was definitely important that it was dealt with fairly soon.

He doesn't like winter time and tends to lose weight.  At that point, he was a bit under the weight we like him to be and we decided to make sure he was eating well and a bit fitter overall, before attempting any operations, so he had the best chance possible of making a good recovery. 

I thought it would be better to wait for warmer weather, as he loves to lie in the sunshine and always picks up health-wise, once the warmth of Spring gets into his old bones.  So, we set about feeding him up and encouraging him to get a little exercise etc.  Then I made an appointment, a couple of weeks ago, for Sherlock to have an overhaul, prior to booking him in for his dental work. 

The vet gave him a checkup, then put him on a 10 day course of antibiotics, as a precaution, and booked him in for last Tuesday.

So, Tuesday morning dawned and Sherlock made his journey to the Vet, shut in his box, rather fed up, accompanied by me and Davey.  We had to leave him there overnight, so they could check his blood pressure, give him blood-tests for kidney function and general health, then put him on a hydrating drip overnight, to make sure everything was working well before he had an anaesthetic. 

It was strange at home, without our little cat.  As soon as we got back, I was opening the door and calling "Sherlock, we're home!", as I always do... :-( no Sherlock, of course. 
It was sort-of empty - no cat round our feet in the kitchen; no cat lying on the back of the sofa; no cat following me round the house.  It didn't make the little nagging voice, that suggested he might not come through the operation, feel any easier to bear. 

The vet very kindly called us, around tea-time, to confirm that his blood test results were better than she had hoped, his blood pressure was normal and she would therefore put him on the drip and operate in the morning.  We were to call at the end of the morning, or early afternoon, to see how he was and whether he would be able to come home, or would have to stay in their special care unit overnight.

Wednesday was a tricky day - I was supposed to be working on a batch of commission books, but really, I wasn't getting on very well.  It's hard to be inspired by your work, when you have a little niggling worry on your mind... I did my best and tried to get on with my day, but it was a relief to be able to call the vet at 1pm, to ask for a progress report.

He was fine.  In fact, he'd come round quickly and was, at that point, sitting up and nibbling on tuna, fed to him by a kind vetinary nurse!  Would we come and pick him up - say, around 2:30?  

Well, what do you think? Of course we would ... we could hardly wait for it to be 2pm, so we could get in the car and drive to the vet, without seeming to be in too much of a hurry... (after all, we are British - we don't indulge in unseemly public displays of anxiety, distress or over-excitedness...it's just not done!)

So there we were, sitting in the vet's waiting room, at 2.20pm.  Adele, the vet, came out to fetch us, went over the operation and told us that he had done very well.  Aparently, she'd only had to remove five teeth, as the others, once cleaned up, were in good condition (made me feel very pleased that we try to take care of him!).   He had more antibiotics and some painkiller, that we should use only if he was in pain. 

He came out to see us, looking a bit dopey and bewildered, but so obviously happy to see us, that we both felt a bit choked up, I think!  And we brought him home, made a fuss of him, settled him comfortably on his bed. 

The little shaved spots, where he had blood tests and a drip...

Of course, he didn't stay there. He's fine. He has been carrying on as if nothing had happened.  He seemed a bit uncomfortable that first evening, after the painkilling injection from the vet had worn off.  So we gave him his half-dose of Metacam (yes... I wasn't happy about Metacam, but the vet assured us that a half-dose could safely be given to him - and he was fine).  After that, he hasn't needed more help, other than being given soft foods only for a few days, to let his mouth heal up (none of his "dental" treats in the mornings, only his small tablets, that he can swallow easily, with the antibiotics in a little bit of cheese to mask the taste.

He's doing well.  We hope he will begin to improve now, health-wise, and to get fitter - and fatter.  Today the sun is shining, so he is alternating between sunning sessions and lying inside, to cool off, ready for the next spell in the sun!

We're so lucky to have Sherlock. He's a fabulous little cat and we all love him.  It was so hard to make that decision, for him to have his teeth done, as the risk of losing him was very real.  But he has bounced back, with no apparent ill effects.  I was even able to call the vet on Friday morning, to tell her he didn't need the follow-up appointment to check his painkillers etc, but could wait for his final follow-up in the next few days.   It's a relief to have him home and well.  We hope he'll have many more happy years ahead of him now, with a more comfortable mouth and better health as a result!

"Love that Old Cat" - an old page, but so appropriate!

Blissed Out Boys...

Davey has just finished a contract and is taking a few days off. He spent the weekend helping in the house, helping James find some new shoes (that boy's feet just won't stop growing!), shopping for the garden, making a nice lunch on Mother's Day, for me and my mum... Then this morning he planted the rose bush we bought my mum for her Mothers' Day present and painted her new bird table with wood preserver. After lunch (which he made, while I did laundry!), he planted out the new plants we bought for our own garden. 

I think he deserved a rest this afternoon!  

Of course, Sherlock considered it his duty to help.  He always approves of any plan that allows him to be near his Favourite Human.  

Both thoroughly blissed out!

Busy In the Garden!

We've all been busy here over the last week - lots going on. 

DS went back to school last Wednesday - or rather, he went to school, but not "back", since he started at his new Upper School.  When I get organised and catch him a) awake and b) still in uniform, I'll take a photo!

Then at the weekend, D and J were very busy in the garden:

A couple of weeks ago, DH and my niece's husband set up this garden arch, which we had bought (as our "Anniversary Present"). 

There used to be a shrub in that gap, but it got ideas above its station and made a bid to take over the border, so it had to come out - leaving a big space, just right for an arch. 

The archway looked a bit bare and we planned a path through it, to the play area on the other side, plus plants climbing up its sides and over the top. 

We bought some round, flat stones, to lay across the lawn and through the archway.  On Saturday morning, Mr LizzieMade and J. started planning the path.

Several ideas were tried, until we found something we all liked.

Mr LizzieMade removed the turf and dug out the holes for the stones...

He worked very hard to lay the stepping stones...

...under strict supervision, of course.

By mid-afternoon, he had laid the stones and started to dig out the large rectangle for the path under the arch.  It started raining - I think he was probably relieved to have a rest!

 Meanwhile, J worked hard to measure out the area of the path and plan the layout...

The edges were defined with cobble stones and the gaps filled with pebbles...

... of course, J. needed supervision also.

So, by the end of Saturday, we had a great little stepping-stone path across the grass and a Plan for under the archway.

On Sunday, I went out for the day, to Scrap Club.

This is what it looked like when I left...

...and this is what I saw when I got home at 4pm!

I think it's great! Well done to D. and J. for a job really well done!

Of course, they had a lot of help...