Since the sun has been shining more, we are seeing a lot more of our cat Samantha.
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Sam spent a lot of her winter huddled in her little “fort” – her Smiling Paws Pets Cube*, and that is still where she sleeps, but we are noticing her coming out of there to sit or sleep in the sun a lot more often, or to nibble at her food more. The truth is, Sam gave us a bit of a scare about a month ago. She wasn’t eating much, refusing to take her pills half the time, and it was all we could do to get at least some of them into her. She seemed to be peeing more, and some of her stools were soft. We feared her age was finally really catching up to her, or that she was starting with kidney problems, which could be likely considering her hyperthyroidism and high blood pressure. This all happened at the same time my sister was going in for surgery, so it was a stressful time to say the least. We were just getting ready to make a vet appointment when she started to eat a little better.
I did what we always do every so often, and gradually started changing her foods to see if she would eat more. Miraculously, it worked once again, and over the last weeks she has gotten better and better. We switched her to Halo dry food* (finally, cat food that comes in a small bag! 3 lbs. is perfect for our petite girl) and Tiny Tiger wet food. She is now taking her pills almost every time (we use Greenies pill pockets* for that), and she is eating much better, plus doing all that sitting out in the sun.
Sam will be 17 this year in June, and she is really showing her age. Her fur is rather unkempt, though I do on occasion actually see her grooming herself! I try to brush her, but she seems fragile and I fear it makes her uncomfortable, so I try to limit it. She still gets around OK….she has no trouble walking in circles when I’m trying to brush her (which has always been her routine), and she gets up onto her shelf for her food and sunshine with little problem (she doesn’t have to jump, she can walk from the futon where her bed is to the shelf). She is due for her next vet visit soon anyway, so we will see what the doctor thinks. I feel hopeful that she is eating so much better, taking her medicine, and has become more vocal again. When she wasn’t feeling well, she was very quiet and that was another thing that worried us.
It’s tough for all of us to get old…but it seems Sam still has some fight left in her. Our hope and prayer is that she will indeed make it to help raise our next round of chicks and to her next birthday. ♥
Thank you to our friends at Comedy Plus for hosting the Feline Friday blog hop. This is another first for us and we’re happy to finally join in! Please visit them and other blogs through the links below.
Awe, hi sam!
♥
I’m so glad that your most precious girl is feeling better. The warmth of the sun, and those familiar sounds and other things woven into the fabric of the life our 4-legged family members like Sam know, provide that comfort for the soul and spirit – As it does for yours and mine too. I hope it continues for her for a long time! ♥
Thank you so much, Kim! We hope that the spring sunshine can help rejuvenate us all around here! 🙂
I love Sam so much. I am sorry to hear you went through a scary time with her recently with everything else going on too. So glad to hear she has been improving and hope that continues for sure.
Thank you, Auntie Lynn! Maybe a visit from her auntie will help her too. 🙂
Just let me know when your road is drier!
Judging by the amount of snow still in the yard to melt, it might be a while. 🙂
Aw, I’m glad Samantha seems to be feeling better now that Spring has officially sprung and the sun has been making more appearances!! I know you’re all happy to see more of the sun after the winter you had!
We sure are!!
I am so glad that the sun is shining for your sweet Samantha. It must brighten her days and your days too. I’m so glad that she’s eating more…. and I hope that she keeps on enjoying the spring sunshine!
Thank you! I think we all needed more sunshine to get us feeling better! I’m just so happy it’s helped Sam too.
What a sweet little lady Sam is, we are so happy to see she is feeling a bit better!
Thank you!! ♥
Oh, sweet Samantha. I am glad that she is feeling better and the sunshine has to feel good after your long and snowy winter!
Yup, I think she’s with all of us on that. I’m sure the sun feels really good on her old bones!
So nice to see Samantha today. We’re glad to hear she’s eating better again. We know how scary and frustrating it can be when us kitties go off our food.
She’s already too thin, and then to have her not eating just worries us so much!
Keep on keep on on,Samantha.
Thank you, Mary!! xo
Wow, 17…that’s amazing! Clearly you guys are doing just what she needs to be aging so well. Heck, I’m not in as good of shape as Samantha! 😃
Honestly, considering her health issues, we are amazed she is still with us. She is our 3rd oldest cat. We had one who made it to 18, and one to 17 (as best we know since he was a rescue).
Yeah, I think she’s in better shape than me too. 🙂
Sweet Sam, it is soooo hard as they get older……….went through that with my Angel Bobo and now Cody is almost 12!!!
On the other hand, we’ve had many that we’ve lost at much younger ages, and it’s a blessing that they are still with us as they age; even if it is tough to see them showing their age. ♥
we hope you come back from your dogtor with great news Samanta… we love the titele Sunny Samantha… it could be a song maybe the next summer hit?
We’ll have to write some lyrics for that! 🙂
Samantha is a pretty girl. She is on my prayer list. I am glad she is eating, that is most important when they are older. I like the photo of her next to the toys I made her 🙂 Have a nice weekend!
We’re so glad you saw your toys!! Thank you for your prayers. We always feel as long as she is eating, Sam is up to fighting on for a while longer. ♥
It’s so hard to watch them get old. I can so relate. We do what we can for them and make sure they are as comfortable as we can make them. Then we just let them know how much we love them.
Thank you for joining the Feline Friday Blog Hop.
Have a purrfect Feline Friday and weekend, Samantha. My best to your wonderful mom. ♥
Thank you so much, Sandee. Sam is the last of a group of 4 dogs and 4 cats we had in 2004. It’s going to feel like the end of an era when we lose her. 🙁 She must know and wants to hang in with us as long as she can. ♥
I am glad Samantha is doing better. She has a lovely spot there to sit in the sun.
It really is perfect for her, and will be even better when we can open the windows and let some fresh air in!
I love your spot on the windowsill, Sam, and you look so happy looking out at your beautiful yard and all of its nature. We are sending you lots of positive vibes and AireZen!
Thank you, Molly!!
I’m glad Samantha is doing better.
Thank you so much, Edie!
We always love to see the beautiful Sam and we’re so glad she is eating better once again.
Thank you, Brian! ♥
We didn’t think our pet cube was something the cats really liked, but Bert was in there A LOT over the winter. He still sits in there now and then, but I think it is his cozy winter hideout. Mom’s first cat lived to be 19 and was a lot like Samantha. Got thin, couldn’t see when, even started to walk funny. Getting old stinks, but Samantha has a great home to be thankful for.
The cube seems to be such a cozy place for them in the winter! 19 – that’s impressive!! We had one cat who lived to 18 and she was quite skinny as well; though she seemed to get around OK. Sam does walk a little funny too. Thank you, we’re just glad we can give her as much comfiness as possible in her senior years.
We’re so glad Sam’s hanging in there. I’ve been trying everything to get Bear to eat more – though the vet didn’t seem to think I needed to. He said he’d be happy if we could get Bear to stop vomiting from the pancreatitis.
We sure hope that Bear is feeling better! ♥