Dear fans and friends and family of Bitey:
I am SO SORRY that I haven't written lately. Bitey is doing very well. In fact he has been mostly the same since the last time I wrote, which is why I haven't updated.
But I understand and appreciate the scorn and frustration associated with sporadically updated blog, so I am checking in from the Jury Assembly Room at Superior Court to update you on Bitey's condition.
Bitey is still reliant on me for bladder expression. I have been very lucky in that I have not had to travel a lot lately (knock on wood). Bitey only goes to the vet for chemo and if I am not around to squeeze his parts. I have been trying to teach the boyfriend the fine art of bladder expression, and he is willing, but it is a hard skill to learn, especially when you can't stand hearing the cat squeal in discomfort at your hand. Also I think boyfriend is somewhat afraid that he's going to squeeze too hard and pop Bitey's colon out his backside. So it's a work in progress.
While Bitey's back leg strength has improved, his coordination is still minimal. In the interim he has become a professional slitherer. He uses his freakishly strong front legs to pull his body forward while his limp back legs have enough life in them to push back and forth against the floor...kind of like rowing a boat, or paddling in a canoe. He can really move!
We have now made it to almost exactly two months out of the four he has been tentatively allotted. Bitey has also made it to the next cycle of chemo in which he will be treated every three weeks instead of every week. This is helpful for the wallet to say the least. Hopefully we can begin to pay down the national kitty debt.
A funny story: Yesterday I let Bitey out in the yard and he sat for a while in the long green grass. I sat on the patio steps, watching Bitey radiate kitty contentment. I looked in his eyes, he looked in mine....
...and then the sprinklers went off. Boy, if you want to see a partially paralyzed cat hustle, just turn on the water!
Best wishes and many posts to come...
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Special Guest Post 4/9/05: Thoughts from Mom
Bitey is my grandcat.
I came to visit and am very relieved for a bunch of reasons. Although his mobility is greatly reduced, he gets around and seems to have lost little of his zeal for life. My kid is also handling this like a trooper. We all have an inordinate amount of feeling for Bitey and his ways.
Bitey loves being out in the backyard providing all kinds of photo ops for anyone interested in his story. Despite his current handicap, he has twice,
using upper body strength alone, pushed open the back door. This is not easy as the door is a bit sticky and swollen from recent rains. He then proceeds to drag his back half over the grass and bricks to get to a sunny spot in the grass where he hunkers down for a salad. He has two modes of dealing with his powerless back legs, either dragging them straight out in the “froggy” position or curled together to the left. Dragging this load is a bit easier in the house on the polished wood floors, however, one must also consider that getting a grip on these floors isn’t easy. Grass and dirt are much preferred.
J and The Boyfriend are keeping strong. J is doing yeoman service keeping Bites clean, fed and “expressed”. Cats pretty much take care of business when doing their business but he now needs lots of assistance. She “expresses” his pee and tries to coax out any other elements of waste. Surely Bitey has seen the trash compactor scene in Star Wars and it must remind him of that.
Sunday a.m., after his second escape, I returned him from an especially muddy area of the yard and it clearly was bath time. With un-catlike forbearance, he let J soap and suds his back half, peeking out from under her arm. I coached him in some deep breathing and he made it through like a champ. I got the drying detail and we were even able to use a hairdryer.
His reward was snuggling up with The Boyfriend under the covers. It didn’t take long for him to achieve Purrdom and he spent the day with various members of the household watching the Red Sox game and snoozing.
The atmosphere in Bitey’s house is realistic, we all know that he may never make it out of the woods but there isn’t a lot of hand wringing. J and The BF are dealing with his problems, pouring a huge amount of money and effort into his care. Bitey isn’t in pain and is still able to meet most of his cat needs—birdwatching, grass grazing, rolling in the mud and snuggling and seeking out all sources of heat. It’s a good life! Roll on, Bitey, roll on!
Eds Note: It's worth mentioning that both of my parents have made extremely generous donations towards the cost of Bitey's treatment, despite the fact that their daughter is almost, like, thirty.
I came to visit and am very relieved for a bunch of reasons. Although his mobility is greatly reduced, he gets around and seems to have lost little of his zeal for life. My kid is also handling this like a trooper. We all have an inordinate amount of feeling for Bitey and his ways.
Bitey loves being out in the backyard providing all kinds of photo ops for anyone interested in his story. Despite his current handicap, he has twice,
using upper body strength alone, pushed open the back door. This is not easy as the door is a bit sticky and swollen from recent rains. He then proceeds to drag his back half over the grass and bricks to get to a sunny spot in the grass where he hunkers down for a salad. He has two modes of dealing with his powerless back legs, either dragging them straight out in the “froggy” position or curled together to the left. Dragging this load is a bit easier in the house on the polished wood floors, however, one must also consider that getting a grip on these floors isn’t easy. Grass and dirt are much preferred.
J and The Boyfriend are keeping strong. J is doing yeoman service keeping Bites clean, fed and “expressed”. Cats pretty much take care of business when doing their business but he now needs lots of assistance. She “expresses” his pee and tries to coax out any other elements of waste. Surely Bitey has seen the trash compactor scene in Star Wars and it must remind him of that.
Sunday a.m., after his second escape, I returned him from an especially muddy area of the yard and it clearly was bath time. With un-catlike forbearance, he let J soap and suds his back half, peeking out from under her arm. I coached him in some deep breathing and he made it through like a champ. I got the drying detail and we were even able to use a hairdryer.
His reward was snuggling up with The Boyfriend under the covers. It didn’t take long for him to achieve Purrdom and he spent the day with various members of the household watching the Red Sox game and snoozing.
The atmosphere in Bitey’s house is realistic, we all know that he may never make it out of the woods but there isn’t a lot of hand wringing. J and The BF are dealing with his problems, pouring a huge amount of money and effort into his care. Bitey isn’t in pain and is still able to meet most of his cat needs—birdwatching, grass grazing, rolling in the mud and snuggling and seeking out all sources of heat. It’s a good life! Roll on, Bitey, roll on!
Eds Note: It's worth mentioning that both of my parents have made extremely generous donations towards the cost of Bitey's treatment, despite the fact that their daughter is almost, like, thirty.
Bitey Update: Sunday April 9th, 2006
Bitey's condition this week has been stable. No major changes between one visit to the vet and the last.
We cuddle with him in the bed, squeeze his bladder, wipe his bum, feed him tuna, give him meds, wrap him in blankets, prop him up by the heater, let him sit in the yard, wash his back legs which are black after being dragged through the dirt, torture him with the blowdryer, feed him more tuna, squeeze his bladder, wipe his bum, and cuddle with him in the bed.
My mom is here this weekend visiting and it is lovely to have someone else mothering the cat. I get to read the paper, a book, write in the blog, and just take it easy.
Now, off to manicure pedicure, because my nails and toes are starting to look like inviting to Digger the Dermatiphite.
We cuddle with him in the bed, squeeze his bladder, wipe his bum, feed him tuna, give him meds, wrap him in blankets, prop him up by the heater, let him sit in the yard, wash his back legs which are black after being dragged through the dirt, torture him with the blowdryer, feed him more tuna, squeeze his bladder, wipe his bum, and cuddle with him in the bed.
My mom is here this weekend visiting and it is lovely to have someone else mothering the cat. I get to read the paper, a book, write in the blog, and just take it easy.
Now, off to manicure pedicure, because my nails and toes are starting to look like inviting to Digger the Dermatiphite.
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