Quick update to my post from a couple weeks ago about our senior girl, 16, who had been losing weight and refusing everything except licking gravy. We went ahead with the dental the vet recommended. She ended up having two bad teeth pulled and one was way worse than it looked from the outside. I was a wreck about putting her under at that age, but she did great and was awake and purring the same evening.

The first three days after surgery she barely ate and I started to freak out. What finally helped was warming her food slightly and offering tiny portions more often instead of leaving a full bowl sitting there smelling. We also switched to a smoother texture for a bit - basically pate mashed with warm water - and she actually started taking real bites instead of only licking. By day five she was eating about 80 percent of normal, and now, two weeks post-op, she is asking for breakfast again and yelling at me if I am late. She has already put a little weight back on.

Also, a small relationship update since that was adding to my stress: my partner and I were clashing over kitchen boundaries while I was managing meds and the feeding schedule. We talked it out and agreed the cat gets one dedicated corner on the counter for recovery stuff (syringes, scale, wipes) on a tray I can sanitize, and everything else stays off the counters like I prefer. Having that defined spot stopped the little resentments before they started.

If anyone is on the fence about a senior dental, I cannot say it is right for every cat, but in our case it clearly fixed something that was making her miserable. Any tips for keeping an older cat hydrated long term now that she is feeling better?

Her name is Domino, my best friend for 17 years. Sadly, she passed from complications of lymphoma despite 10 months of fighting and throwing everything we could to prolong a good life. Up until the last 2 weeks you wouldn’t have known she was as sick as she was.

I found her in the wooded backroads of a small town in Texas. She had run out in front of the car and I almost crashed my buddy’s new sports car dodging her. Running over, I saw this tiny calico kitten look at me with no fear, just a loud shrill as to say are we going or what?

Living in Austin and far from this small town, I made a deal with my friend that I would pay to get her checked up and ready for adoption, but they would have to adopt her out. Needless to say, she wasn’t having it. She wouldn’t leave my side and seemed to live on my shoulder.

Fast forward through the years, she was with me since graduating college. She took care of me through multiple surgeries. Stuck by me at my sickest, and saw me through multiple career milestones.

She lived life cranked to 11 since day one. She would run up and down the stairs when I would play music in the house, pounce on me while I was sleeping, and gave almost every vet/vet tech she met a run for their money. She was fearless.

The illness came in 2025 where I found her looking tired and not right. We took her to an er vet hospital and they concluded she had minor IBD, — they gave her metro and sent us on our way. She became more lethargic that night and after speaking with the er vet, they said give it 48hrs. We did and she got progressively worse and started showing neurological symptoms.

We brought her back to the ER only to learn she had lost 50% of her HCT within that 48hrs. IBD had now been complicated by IMHA (an immune disorder where the immune system attacks its own blood cells). This is where our fight started.

IBD+IMHA was soon complicated by lymphoma, then seizures, then toxoplasmosis. Domino had collected menagerie of specialists: an internist, an in-home vet tech, neurologist, an oncologist and an opthamogist. She was so sick, but was fierce regardless. She would hiss, spit, and bite the vets. At one point I recall seeing 5 techs circled around her carrier strategizing her removal.

Despite this, she mostly had a great team and all admired her tenacity and willpower. Some specialists were not so great, but that’s a story regarding veterinary medicine for another time.She had 2 blood transfusions, chemo, extremely high dose pred and ended up getting toxoplasmosis from one of the facilities as her immune system was suppressed from the chemo and pred. The treatment for the toxo was the final straw and she just couldn’t recover. She passed surrounded by her family and her adopted sister.

As horrible and expensive the fight was, we got
an extra 10 months with her. Most of those, good months. Complete remission, until it wasn’t. Our perspective was, if she fights, we fight. She would hold my hand with her paw every night, play with her toys and enjoy her walks in her stroller until her last day.

We miss her deeply….and now some of you know the story of Domino. And if I had to do it again, i totally would. She is that special.

I posted a week or so ago about my beloved 13-year-old kitty Charlie. He was diagnosed a month ago with squamous cell oral cancer during a dental cleaning. Apparently, this is how so many of these cancers rear their ugly faces.

Looking back, I missed so many signs. I wrestle with feelings of guilt sadness, emptiness, anger and mostly just a lot of pain at the thought of letting him go. It’s growing much faster than we’d anticipated or hoped. I thought we might have months, it’s looking like maybe another month.

The pain is deep and searing. I’ve had him since he was a baby. He is the gentlest baby ever. He doesn’t deserve this. His brother Frankie is aware something is happening and is suffering too. Every day it feels like he’s got less grip in this world and more in another. It’s like I can feel him slipping away. It hurts so much. 13 years doesn’t feel like enough time to love him.

I am shattered.

I'm trying to get him to move around more because he's quite the old-man sedentary cat... but it feels like his prey drive is dead. He isn't swayed by the flirt stick, nor the laser pointer. We tried having 3 people in our family in different rooms and calling to him, but he'd just kind of lope along until he saw one of us.

Has anyone gotten their old farts up and happily moving? I burned more calories in the 10 minutes I worked with him than he did, by a long shot. I'm thinking of going outside with him to let him romp out there (but he'll try to eat grass, and he isn't supposed to eat anything but his wet food... I'll cross that bridge if we get to it). What else can I try?

My cat is about 16, has arthritis, and is on a daily pain med. Aside from that she's about as okay as a senior cat can be. Since my dad died earlier this year we've had a lot more family coming through the house, and I think that's thrown her off.

She is usually social with me and my mom, but when certain relatives come over with louder voices and more chaotic energy she disappears under the bed and stays there for hours. If I check on her she purrs and rubs my hand, but she won't come out until everyone leaves. She is eating and using the litter box normally, but she clearly seems stressed and it's upsetting to see.

I'm trying to figure out the right balance between letting her hide because that's her coping strategy and encouraging her to come out so she does not learn to fear visitors. I would never drag her out or corner her, and I don't want to accidentally teach her that guests always mean panic.

Has anyone had success with senior cats? A few things I'm wondering about: - Do you set up a dedicated quiet room with her bed, litter, and familiar smells during visits, or is it better to let her pick a hiding spot? - Do you offer treats while guests are present, or only after they leave? - Any gentle calming routines that work for older cats who don't really play anymore?

Small unrelated note, I've been trying to keep her care supplies in one predictable spot lately, including a few things from Covered Critters (https://coveredcritters.com).

Any tips, experiences, or even just reassurance that this is normal would really help right now.

He still is very medically complex, but slowly everything is coming under control and his future is looking a whole lot brighter. He recently passed the 6lb mark from 5lbs when I got him (should be closer to 8 or 9). Just so proud!

*he is seen weekly at a vet practice with six different vets who are all on his case, so if you see something in his pictures know that he is getting extensive and heavily supervised care.

Hi

How long did it take you to see results with cosequin?

Any helpful tips you wish you knew sooner?

Thank you 💜

Two days ago, I lost my 14-year-old baby boy, a Scottish Fold who had been diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy at age 6. His condition had been stable for years—no hospitalizations, no episodes of heart failure, and normal kidney function. Other than arthritis and dental issues, he was overall a very healthy and happy cat.
In May 2026, his pro-BNP came back elevated at around 1,000, and we had an echocardiogram and cardiology appointment scheduled for this week. Unfortunately, on Tuesday, he suddenly became paralyzed in both back legs from a saddle thrombus.
At the ER, I was prepared to pay the $8,000 they quoted us for just 24 hours of hospitalization to give him a chance. But considering his age, concurrent heart failure, mildly elevated creatinine, and poor overall prognosis, my husband and I—after also speaking with a veterinarian friend—made the devastating decision to euthanize him rather than prolong his suffering.
Now I can’t stop questioning whether we made the right decision. Everything happened so suddenly, and I was too emotionally overwhelmed to think clearly. Part of me wonders whether we should have hospitalized him for 24–72 hours just to see if he could recover.
I’ve read conflicting information about cats surviving the initial period and eventually regaining function in their back legs. I also keep wondering whether starting clopidogrel (Plavix) earlier, before he ever developed a clot, could have prevented the initial saddle thrombus.
For anyone who has experienced this: Did your cat survive and regain meaningful mobility and quality of life? Was your cat with HCM on clopidogrel before their first saddle thrombus, and did it seem to prevent one? Do you think there was realistically anything else we could have done?
My heart is completely broken, and I think I am searching for some reassurance that we made the right decision for him. I would really appreciate hearing your experiences

Our valentine patriarch Ted E Weeze passed peacefully behind the veggie garden early this am

He was 16 years old born to tiny Alice a feral mom.

Swift and gentle journey Ted E