Hi everyone,

I'm not really sure what I'm looking for in writing this. Maybe just
some support. I don't know what to do about Pukka. I've written a few
times in the past couple of months about her incontinence and other
problems, and she just seems to be declining. The best answer the vet
could give for the incontinence was she sleeps so much she lets her
bladder get too full, and it's losing its tone and letting urine just
dribble out. I've been expressing her bladder if it feels big, but I'm
not sure how much it's helping. The vet and I agreed all we can do at
this point is geriatric management. It's getting harder and harder.
She doesn't use the litter box at all anymore (she used to be 100%,
even finding cat litter boxes if she wasn't near her own); she'll be
tottering along and poop and pee will just be running out of her. If
she exerts herself at all, she pees. The saddest thing is she's lost
who she used to be. She was my little spitfire, my little Pukka-dile
who would hide behind the couch to ambush me. Now she eats and sleeps,
she's tiny and frail. I think losing half her tail last year has
affected her balance; she seems to topple over a lot. People have
asked me the obvious question, but the thing is I don't know if she's
actually unhappy. She seems content, and she's not in any pain as far
as I can tell. Her buddy, one-year-old Eddie, just loves her to pieces.
He's twice her size easily, and has no concept of "sick" or "old." I
try to make sure he's not too rough with her, as the only way he knows
to express his affection is to lie on top of her and nibble on her.
She grooms him, too, climbing all over him like a big fat mountain.

It's a little like what I went through with Lola near the end, when
she had the huge growth under her tail. Part of me is disgusted with
myself for even considering the options, but I have to make myself be
realistic. I guess I'm not looking for answers so much as knowledge
that other people have gone through this. I'm sorry to be such a
downer, I really hope everyone and their fuzzies are doing well.

Thanks so much for listening.

Rachel, Pukka, and Eddie

[Posted in FML 5960]