The Downward Spiral Continues

On Friday, I took Simone to the vet's office to get a weighing, hoping against my darkest thoughts, that Simone's weight had stabilized since the last visit about one-and-a-half weeks ago.  But she lost even more weight ... about 4 ounces.  She was looking more and more emaciated and frail.  The vet's assistant looked inside her mouth since I was wondering if she might have mouth ulcers, which would cause her to stop eating.  There were no obvious problems inside her mouth.  I listened to the vet's assistant describe the ravages of old age --- the loss of muscle tissue, the inability to chew, the depletion of energy, and so on and so on.  Shit!  I know she was hinting about giving up the struggle, but Simone was still alert, still purring, still talking, still climbing, still jumping, and still sleeping paw-to-paw with me at night.  Simone and I had had the "talk" on several occasions in the last month; I asked her to let me know when she was ready to depart.  Since she had not revealed that to me yet, I remained intent on getting her to eat again and gain some weight.

On Friday, Simone was given the first full dose of mirtazapine.  I had mixed feelings about giving her this medicine since it has been reported in CRF discussion groups that some cats react badly to it and some die from it.  I started her on a half-dose and she seemed to take it okay.  This drug, also used in humans, is a tetracyclic anti-depressant, but the side effects include a reduction in nausea and an increase in appetite.  Also, it can adversely affect heart rate and blood pressure.  On Friday, Simone certainly reacted to the medication as evidenced by her increased energy, dilated eyes, and restlessness, but there was nothing alarming in her reactions.  On the plus side, she followed me around the house, purred excessively, and generally demanded attention.  The drug seemed to elevate her mood.  At the evening meal, she ate about one-third of the food that was set out ... a positive sign.  Of course, that amount of food would not sustain her, so I continued with assisted feeding.

Simone has been getting food by syringe for a few weeks now.  I'm trying to pack as many calories in her as possible at each feeding.  I've experimented with several formulas, but have settled on a combination of Purina NF (very high calorie), tuna with oil, and Gerber chicken or beef baby food.  Using an immersion blender, I combine 8 T. of the Purina NF, 8 T. of tuna, 1 bottle of baby food, and 4 T. of water.  The resultant pudding makes a good mixture for syringing and lasts 3 to 4 days in the fridge.  I estimate that I'm getting about 115 calories in Simone per day, which is a combination of the food blend and Hill's a/d, used to administer the supplements.   Now she's getting a few more calories, maybe 10 to 20, eating food on her own.  That's not bad if she is truly getting about 135 calories per day.  Based on her original weight, Simone should be getting around 180 to 190 calories per day, so I'm hoping with this regimen that Simone's weight loss can be stymied and reversed.

Stay with me cat lovers ... the story continues.  Purr on!!!

"I have studied many philosophers and many cats. The wisdom of cats is infinitely superior."
(Hippolyte Taine)