Simone got two full doses of mirtazapine (appetite enhancer) in the previous week. Although she started to eat small amounts of food in the morning and evening, she became zombie-like after the second dose, which was given 3 days after the first one. She wasn't craving human flesh, but she was slightly wobbly on her feet, laid on the floor in an odd configuration, stopped talking and purring, looked catatonic (no pun intended), and was just not her old self. That drug was messing with her brain chemistry! I decided to stop administering the drug; it took 3 to 4 days for it to clear her body. If I go back to it, I will have to greatly reduce the dosage. In the mean time, she returned to not eating any food set out for her, and I continued to assist feed her 2 to 3 times per day. But, fortunately, her old behaviors returned -- now she walks around more, talks, and, although weak, is more balanced on her feet.
Simone is a disappearing cat ... not in a Cheshire kind of way, but due to continued weight loss. I took her to the vet's office last Friday, and she had lost another 2.0 oz in a week's time. That's a 25% weight loss since mid-December. Not good! The assisted feeding is not counterbalancing the weight loss ... not sure what to do at this point. Ugh!!!
A few days ago, after eating a substantial amount of dark chocolate late at night, I was wired at bedtime and couldn't get to sleep. Around 3:00am I finally gave up, went into the living room, and laid down on the sofa to read a book. A few minutes later, Simone lopes slowly into the living room, heads over to me, jumps on the couch, and proceeds to lie on my chest, just as she has always done. In a few minutes, she was purring, which she had not done for at least a week. I had begun to wonder if the loss of purring was the sign. She dispelled that idea. For the time being, Simone was back to her old self, albeit a much smaller version. What an amazing cat!
Hang onto life as long as you can purr. So, purr on, cat lovers.
"If you are worthy of its affection, a cat will be your friend, but never your slave." (Theophile Gautier)
Way to hang in there Simone!
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