If I thought my weekend was an emotional rollercoaster, it was nothing compared to my last two days.
On Tuesday it seemed like our cat’s health had hit rock bottom. He continued to be unresponsive to the treatments for his ailments and he’d lost so much weight from not eating for days on end that he was literally wasting away before our eyes. My wife and I came to the devastating conclusion that it was time to say goodbye to our beloved Scamp. We began to research at-home euthanasia services and by the end of the night we were complete emotional wrecks.
Wednesday morning we were prepared to contact the euthanasia services. And then we saw Scamp drinking more water in one sitting than we’d seen him consume in the last several days. And then looked at me. He’d been looking in my general direction these past rough days, but I never felt like I was looking at my cat. This had been a different, sick animal who needed help, not my years-long pal. But yesterday I saw him again, and we knew he hadn’t given up. And we weren’t ready to say goodbye after all.
Yesterday saw baby steps on the possible road to recovery. Scamp showed more interest in food than he had since his ordeal started, and though he didn’t begin inhaling everything in sight he was actively sniffing at enticing smells. He nibbled on cat treats and took a few curious licks at some turkey-flavored baby food. He continued to begin to exhibit more of his old behavior, albeit a little bit at a time. Around nighttime he’d lost interest in the cat treats again, but he continued to show cautious interest in other offerings.
We’re not ready to proclaim he’s done with the worst of it and is on a steady upswing, but he’s taken the first steps on that road to recovery.
We just have to hope we can keep him on that path.