Creaky Critter
I spent the latter part of yesterday watching Jeep and doing little tests. Her allergies are now treated, so she’s no longer got the runny nose, but she has still been hanging out under the bed, under the chair – just low to the ground. She hasn’t had that growly demeanor she has when she’s feeling bad. I kept her out in the living room with the bedroom door closed for a few hours. She’s avoided any chance to jump up on to furniture on her own. I put some little bits of food up on her favorite chair. She was interested, but it took a LOT of cajoling to get her to jump. She also was really reluctant to chase the laser pointer “bug.” Watching her get up, I noticed she seemed a little wobbly.
I think my little girly has arthritis. The doc had mentioned glucosamine for kitties (we had gone through all the possibilities), and looking it up, it seems like the right way to go. I think one reason she’s been feeling bad is that she’s had a few things bothering her (allergies AND arthritis), so when any actual bug gets her, it really knocks her out. It also explains the more frequent “accidents” just outside the litterbox.
I looked it up. A kitty cat that’s 11 years old is like a 60 year-old person. It’s hard for me to think of my girls as seniors, but the truth is, they are.
I am now spending a lot of time following Jeep around, attempting to anticipate her needs. When she looks longingly up at a chair, I pick her up. If I notice she’s been sleeping a while, I help her get down and walk with her to the litterbox. I could be making this up, but she totally seems to think I’m her hero now. She seems to be feeling better for the first time in a long while, and whenever I help her out, she purrs really loudly and gives me noogies. It’s nice to be appreciated! And it’s great to be able to finally help her out. I’ve been feeling pretty helpless to do that recently.
