Monday, September 9th
Humphrey had not been eating well Friday or Saturday, and then he stopped eating entirely on Sunday. Very much not a good sign, so mom made a vet appointment for him at 3 PM today. Everyone showed up at noon and Mom fed me lunch while M distracted Humphrey. Then they ate and we watched more SNL Jeopardy sketches. We were at the bottom of the barrel as they got progressively less funny. They took Humphrey to the vet and I joined them with FaceTime.
They did a blood test and we found out he had a fever and an infection. His kidney tested fine. He got an antibiotic and an appetite stimulant. After Mom brought him home, she went to the grocery store to get her COVID shot and bought a bunch of different small cans of cat food to see if he would eat any of them. We were a long way past the kidney diet at this point. We just wanted him to eat something. He gobbled down two cans of Fancy Feast immediately, which was great. It would be nice if he kept that up.
Tuesday, September 10th
I was good and got in my chair before J arrived. As it was the last time she would be here because she was going to the mainland for at least six weeks, I had her help me with a couple chores since my sister was busy on Maui for a while. We checked my wheelchair cushion with the nifty little device that makes sure the cushion is properly inflated. As it turned out, it took a while to get things set up, and then when we checked it, it was fine and we were done. The other important thing was to take a photo of the front and back of the mattress controller so we would know the manufacturer and the serial number of the mattress. Then we could see if it could be repaired. Since insurance companies require that you have active, open pressure sores in order to be eligible, I was very sure that they would not cover the cost of the mattress. No one wanted it to get to that point.
Wednesday, September 11th
I had talked to A about coming by today at 1:30 p.m. She showed up just five minutes late, but what I had neglected to mention was that I wanted her to bring Humphrey with her when she came. When she got here and did not see H already here, she immediately realized what I had wanted her to do and she turned around and left to get him. So he showed up around 2:30 and I knew he would be very warm and thirsty.
We gave him a dosage cup of water, which he rapidly drank. Then 15 minutes later we gave him another one. Then, a while after that, I felt under him and it was wet. Another not good sign. I did not make a big deal about it; I just had my CNA, who liked H, wipe him up a bit and lay down some new towels. We sat together and I told him how much I had enjoyed our time together on Maui and that if he needed to go, he should. I really wanted him to know that I was OK if he needed leave.
I was surprisingly calm saying that but I felt it very strongly. After witnessing my last two cats pass away, I understood that a cat can look like it is at death’s door and yet still move around and act frisky. This does not mean he is doing well. Cats are excellent at hiding how they feel so their owner will not get worried or whatever. The dreaded feeling I had been having for a month or so was finally coming true.
Thursday, September 12th
I'm sorry I had to push mom a bit, but now she could start to see how he was getting near the end. I think he never really recovered from having a fever and infection for three days before getting treated. That's the danger of waiting until Monday, but who knew? I talked to Mom about me coming to her place on Saturday as I knew A would not be available. I assumed he would be very weak and I could lay him on me and cuddle with little resistance. I assumed that might be the end of everything. You know what they say about assuming.
Friday, September 13th
I talked to mom in the morning and she and a friend of hers had attempted to give Humphrey pills that the vet had prescribed him with no success. She finally understood and said he was just resting comfortably. There's no point to giving medicine to a dying animal. Then things really hit me hard. I wrote my sister a long text explaining everything. I didn't want to call her if she was in court. She texted back immediately and we ended up talking because court was done for the day. She was devastated as well, having let my cousin know. My cousin called to express her sadness and let me know they would be visiting next week as her son was going off to college. That will be fun to see them both.
Saturday, September 14th
I had imagined that Humphrey would be so far gone that he could lay in the box he favored and be put on my torso so we could be close to each other. Nope! Even as rail thin as he was and barely eating, he walked around just fine, meowed for treats and jumped up to sit on the comfortable chair under mom's dining room table, just like always. Mom was starting to get used to him like this, while I was alarmed at his condition. I reminded her he would not last long like this, and she got it. She found a company, Arms of Aloha, that goes to your house to give your pet the final shot. Now we just needed to clear it with the hospital. I would call Monday morning.
I really don't mean to seem callous, but I had already had experience with Kula in 2013. I had talked to him through my friend and he had said that if he was still here Saturday, give him the shot. A different friend had taken Kula and I to the vets and K had been very frisky at the end. We got set up in the room and I had taken the cover off his carrier so he was sitting straight up when the vet came in the room. K took one look at the vet and lay down. It was total acceptance. That taught me a lot.
Sunday, September 15th
Today was a waiting game—a day to get through before I get to see Humphrey again. My sister called and hopefully there will just be one more week that ends with closing arguments. Then it's liberations and a verdict. And then she can spill all the details that everyone is dying to hear. I can't wait till I get my sister back. My sisters good friend A called me! We have both heard about each other for a long time and now that I am not on Maui anymore, she and the family have been meaning to visit me. But it hasn't happened yet, so she thought she would call. We had a very nice chat and I look forward to talking to her again sometime soonish.
Mom and I spoke. At first we thought she should call the head nurse to see if we could have the vet come and give Humphrey his final shot here. But she didn't think she would be able to get through what she had to say without crying, so I volunteered. I had first thought we should just have the doctor come, give H the shot, and leave with his body, and nobody would be the wiser. M thought that was risky, and there might be severe consequences if I wasn't straightforward with them. Fine, I thought, but I really hope that we don't get bogged down with hospital red tape. I guess we'll see.
The cover photo was taken at Mom's on Saturday. Humphrey still looks pretty good but there is just not the mass there should be. If the story was done on Monday, I promise I would have made this an eight-day week. It will be finished next week. If I could end this week with the f-word, I would. That summarizes how I feel.
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