2474 Cats

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Any couples therapist will tell you that
the minute the initial contract of the relationship is breached,
all bets are off.

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My cats are now on on two different prescription cat foods, and each one's food is bad for the other. Bleck.

When Jasper was prescribed C/D two months ago for his bladder infections, I asked if I could put both cats on it, because they do raid each other's dishes. The C/D is high protein and high acid. The vet said yes, it would be ok. Since then, Jasper has gained weight, but Miss Thunderfoot has lost a lot.

I bought another case of Jasper's food on Monday, and mentioned to the vet's receptionist that Miss Thunderfoot has not only lost a lot more weight since she's been eating it, but she has started begging whenever she sees me eating. She even begs for and eats broccoli. She's telling me she's starving. So we made an appointment for a blood test.

Tuesday I took her to the vet for the blood test ($120!). The vet suspected a thyroid problem. We got the results today, and it isn't thyroid, it's chronic renal failure. And Jasper's food is very bad for her. She needs a low protein, low potassium food, K/D.

The two cannot have the same food. Since both are used to having food available and nibbling all day, there's no easy way to prevent sharing.

Mother is not happy.

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This vet is starting to worry me. I've been taking animals to him for fifteen years, and the first ten were fine. But the last few years, I'm losing faith and trust.

When he saw Miss Thunderfoot two months ago, I pointed out that she had lost a lot of weight. He said that it might be just that she's getting a workout from Jasper (she still hates him, and he thinks it's fun to tease and chase her), and a lower weight is more healthy for her anyway.

I didn't really accept that, there's not that big a change in activity all of a sudden, Jasper's been with us two years now and Miss Thunderfoot's weight loss was just over the past three or four months, but I shrugged and said ok, thinking I'd wait a bit and see. And that was it.

Yesterday, he looked at his records, and read from the April visit that he had been concerned about her weight loss, had mentioned to me that she might have a thyroid problem, but that I had brushed it off saying that it probably was Jasper-generated activity doing it.

I'm sorry! That was NOT how it went! Thyroid was never mentioned at that visit, and I didn't suggest it might be increased activity - he did!

I didn't say anything to him, didn't correct him, because there was no point. It's possible he "corrected" his notes at some point after the visit, after thinking about it a bit, reminding himself what to check on Thunder's next visit, and now, looking at those notes, he thinks that's what he said.

This vet is halfway between my house and the village, and he will board animals on short notice and a low price, so I find him very convenient. But I may have to give him up anyway. I don't know.
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