Rainbow Update

 (Sorry, these pictures are all pre-digital so I had to scan them in, yuck!)

Rainbow is now in end-stage renal failure. She was not doing very well over the weekend, grew weaker and weaker, wobbly and spacey. Each time she ate she would have this one spot on her cheek covered with gravy and/or food that she couldn’t clean off herself so I had to help.

Lady Butterfly & Rainbow

This morning I watched her eat and realized that she had trouble manipulating the food in her mouth. Upon closer examination I found that the same spot that had been getting dirty at mealtimes now had an open wound on it. When I cleaned it off I realized that her entire cheek was swollen.

One of her veterinarians discovered that it was an abcess as I’d suspected but it had opened up on the inside of her mouth. Poor baby! It must be so sore. Even worse than that, when he took her temperature he found some black, tarry feces on the thermometer. Even though I’d been watching her closely I hadn’t seen any change in her bowel movements. I felt so bad.

Twygal & Hobby

So, now Rainbow is on antibiotics, antacids, fluids and an appetite stimulant. I’m trying to spend as much time with her as I can but her instinct right now is to hide.

Ozma as a baby

I was thinking back to Rainbow’s relatives and had to “Hmh” at the irony. Rainbow’s mom, Hobby died from complications from a pheochromocytoma, a really strange tumor. Her brother, Little Boy, and her aunt, Effie, both died of complications from diabetes. Mouse, her other aunt suffered from mesothelioma. Her cousin, Aztec died from cholangiohepatitis and her sister, Ozma died from multiple myeloma. I was beginning to think my cats could only get unusual diseases but now Rainbow has CRF, a growing epidemic in older cats.

Aztec & Mouse

It will be difficult to attend my club’s local cat show this weekend and celebrate Valentine’s Day all the time knowing what Rainbow is going through. I know I won’t be too terribly outgoing this time around. But at least I’ll be around people who know what I’m going through.

Please keep Rainbow in your thoughts this week.