No, that's not the system of showers and thunderstorms formerly located in the East Atlantic, west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands. That system has petered out but just as it did, a new, disorganized system of showers and thunderstorms has popped up over the north-central Gulf of Mexico. The storms are associated with an area of low pressure centered just off the southern coast of Louisiana. This system is expected to drift west-southwestward and approach the Texas coast over the weekend. Locally heavy rains are possible along portions of the Texas coast this weekend ("Houston, we have a problem").
But enough about the weather (for today). This is now a cat blog, and Wednesday I had to take my friend Eliot to the vet.
He's been losing weight, and the other day I noticed that he looked absolutely emaciated, even though he's been eating. Worse, he's been losing fur, not just shedding per his usual summer pattern, but whole tufts of hair coming off in plugs easily plucked from his body (you can see a typical plug on the right side of the examination table). He's now 13 years old, and cats are considered to be elderly once they reach 11 years, with senior cats defined as those aged between 11-14 years and super-senior cats 15 years and upwards. I understand that the first two years of a cat’s life equate to 24 human years, and every year thereafter is equivalent to 4 human years, so 13-year-old Eliot is the equivalent of 68 human years old. Coincidentally, that's the same age as me, his human friend. We old men stick together.
Anyway, the news is mostly good, or at least not bad. Based on the exam and the blood work, it's not a thyroid problem as I had feared, but he apparently is dehydrated. Not that he's not drinking, but for some reason his metabolism isn't taking up the water he drinks.
The doctor recommended I give him Purina's HydroCare formula - basically, (liver) flavored water with added glycerin that helps a cat's metabolism take up water. Fortunately for everyone involved, Eliot seems to like the liver flavor and laps the formula right up, while Izzy, his feline brother, isn't as interested and doesn't try to consume Eliot's treatment. I have a box of 24 HydroCare packets, which should last for 12 days (Eliot needs two packs a day).
The challenging task will be Part 2 of his treatment. To regain the weight he's lost, the vet recommends feeding Eliot high-calorie kitten food. The challenge will be keeping Izzy from eating the kitten chow. Izzy is already obese - to be frank, he's one fat cat. He's almost to the point of requiring a visit to the vet for himself. Having him eat from the bowl of high-calorie kitten food will only make his condition even worse.
My house, this pile of bricks on a hill, is single story, and there's no practical way to keep the two cats separated all day while the food is out (they nosh on the kibble throughout the day). I could lock one or the other up in a bedroom all day, but it would feel like a punishment to that cat - and to me as he mewls and cries all through the day. I have to figure out a way to feed Eliot one brand of feed and Izzy another.
I don't have a solution yet but I'm sure I'll come up with something.
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