The first part of August was pretty sucky for us. Mai-lyn had been having a few days where she was not at all happy – not eating, not grooming, not, well, moving really. She got through that and seemed to be feeling a lot better, but the tumors on her belly were getting still bigger, and beginning to ulcerate. She wasn’t going to get better. It was only a matter of time, probably only months, before the cancer in her lungs killed her, and before that she’d have more and more bad days. I just didn’t want her to suffer. So, two weeks ago I let her go. Dammit, I put off posting about this because I knew it’d make me cry. Guess I didn’t wait long enough.

At the end of that week we got her ashes back, in a pretty cat shaped ceramic container. It’s really nice. Now I just need to find a safe place for her.

Naturally, at the same time Pandora seems to have developed IBD and decided to quit eating for a few days. This led to the beginnings of hepatic lipidosis, which almost required a feeding tube. Thankfully, after some subq fluids, and juggling some meds, she started eating again. She’s been eating like a little piglet, in fact, so now we have to make sure her diabetes doesn’t flare up again. Still, that’s much easier to deal with than a feeding tube.

As if that wasn’t enough, Max had to get in on the act with a sinus infection. He’s more forgiving than Mai-Lyn, so it was much easier to give him his meds.

So now, everyone seems pretty much fine (knock wood), although we still have to keep a close eye on Pandora. All I can say is they’d better be, because I start school next week, and I have spent more than enough time at the vets.

Well.

I’ve been meaning to write about some of the stuff I’ve been doing lately, but I see something shiny, and never get back to it. Then time passes and time passes and time passes and then I can’t even remember whatever it was I was going to say.

And now, instead of the happy fun stuff post I’ve got half finished, I get to post bad news – Mai-Lyn, my 18 year old Siamese has been diagnosed with mammary cancer. Unfortunately, it is showing in her lungs as well, so surgery won’t help.

I’m in a cross between denial and resigned right now. I mean, she’s pretty old for a cat, so it’s not like the prospect of losing her is new. Still.

I’ve got a good vet, and we’ll be giving her a drug that’s supposed to (when it works) slow down the growth, and possibly shrink it some in the process. It’s funny, I just realized that the one question I didn’t ask her is “how long”. My subsequent reading hasn’t reassured me at all.