Phoebe’s Press Conference

111 comments

Hi everyone! We want to give you all an update on Phoebe’s health. She gave me quite a scare this week by not eating. She was diagnosed with stage 2 kidney disease about 6 months ago and we have been monitoring her. The vet didn’t want to do fluids at home because of her heart murmur. She gets a vitamin B12 shot and an anti-nausea shot every 2 weeks. She eats pretty good for a while after that, but when she doesn’t eat, she doesn’t have much to work with and is currently 5 lbs. 5 ounces, when she was checked 2 weeks ago, she was 5 lbs. 10 ounces- you see where this is heading if she keeps refusing to eat. ( I have tried baby food, people food, etc. )

She now has an anti-nausea pill daily and the mertazapine for appetite which she will get every 3 days. I was disappointed yesterday that she didn’t perk up more after fluids ( she was very dehydrated). We are trying not to run our central air as often because I think it makes her dehydrate even faster than she would without it.

The vet called today with blood work results and her kidney values are not much different than 6 weeks ago. Her white blood count is up so we are waiting on a urine test and should know  Monday if there is an infection. If not, we need to find the cause of that.

We just want to let everyone know what is going on and ask for purrs and prayers. I won’t give up on her until she lets me know she has given up. And she really wants to have another Festivus party in December and dress up for Halloween in a couple’s costume with her purrince.

She is ready to take any questions you may have. We made this press conference photo on photofunia back in 2015.We are joining Athena’s Caturday Art Blog Hop and are very happy it is back on this week.

We are also joining Ten Things of Thankful blog hop. Here are my thankfuls-

  1. Mertazapine, a miracle pill for cats.
  2. I am thankful for the 14 years I have had with Phoebe
  3. and for every day I get with her.
  4. Joanie’s biopsy was benign. 🙂
  5. My trip to Ikea last week- I got the stuffed mice for the cats
  6. and the black cat curtains I have been wanting for over a year, glad they still carry them.
  7. Thankful that our Angel Spooky’s story is included in Black Cats Tell All.
  8. Thankful my Mom and I were able to go for pedicures Wednesday despite my bad toe which is much better.
  9. The blueberry ice cream I made came out great
  10. Friends that came over to visit and test my ice cream.

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111 comments

  1. Mummy kmows so well the anxiety and uncertainty you, Ellen, must be feeling. She went through all that when Angel Pixie got sick with kidney disease (she was already in Stage Three when she was diagnosed).
    We are purring and purraying for Phoebe with all our might and Mummy is praying too. We send love and healing energies.
    Hang on in there, Sweet Phoebe. We are with you.
    Purrs
    Trixie, Caspurr and Shimshi and Mummy (Shimona)

  2. Phoebe, sweetie, that eating is the hard part! Mom wants to know if Mom Ellen has tried Nutrical? Lily Olivia was lapping it up for a few months and now won’t touch it. We have a couple of tubes we will send to you. You know we are praying extra hard for you. Let us know if you need the medicine you sent us back. It is still good and there are one of two doses remaining. Hang in there. We know you can do it! Sending lots of purrs and POTP along with prayers. XOCK, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, angel Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth, Calista Jo and Cooper Murphy

  4. So sorry to hear the news about Phoebe’s health issues. She is strong and has lots of love in her life so we hope for the best. Everyone here sends their love and even Amarula sends a big kiss

  5. Phoebe, we are sending you lots and lots and lots of purrs and prayers. We’re sending them to your mom, too, Phoebe, because we know she loves you so much and is worried about you. I remember the anxiety that comes with having a kitty with renal disease. When Rosie was diagnosed, they considered her bordering on Stage IV. We started her on RenAvast (now called AminAvast), pepcid, and potassium because of her levels, as well as subcutaneous fluids at home, and she started to thrive. She started eating like a champ and gained almost 4 lbs. She lived for 3 years after her diagnosis, and her passing was completely unrelated to her kidneys. Phoebe, we are thinking of you!

    1. Thank you for giving me some hope, I am glad you were able to have all the extra time with your sweet Rosie. XO

  6. That is a great thankful list, Ellen. I am so sorry that Phoebe is having these problems. I pray for her complete healing and restoration. I am glad that Joanie’s biopsy was benign. Praise the Lord for that!

    Here’s to many more happy years with your precious kitties. 🙂 Have a blessed weekend.

    1. Thank you for the prayers for Phoebe, I am so worried about her. I hope you have a blessed weekend too.

  8. Oh Phoebe……you must eat dear girl – gives you some get up and go and keeps your Mom from worrying about you so much. You’re the QUEEN there and you need to stay in good shape OK? Halloween and Christmas are coming!!! We hope that you will cooperate with your pills and treatments – we want you around for a long time!!!

    Love, Teddy

    1. Thank you Teddy, I am the Queen and want to be for a long, long time. XO and love to you.

  9. Oh, Phoebe!!! Now you gave has a big scare! We knew you had issues with your heart, but we’ve somehow missed the kidney thing – it sounds quite serious 🙁 We’re thinking of you, and looking forward to see you soon in this red-crotchet hat (wasn’t it for female cats over 15?)

    1. Yes, I have the red crocheted hat. I am trying to get better, but sometimes I am not hungry. XO

  10. It’s so hard when our precious fur family is ill, you and Phoebe will remain in my prayers.

  11. Oh Phoebe, we are so sorry you aren’t feeling very well. We sure send tons of purrs and prayers and the donks send lots of Hee Haws. We certainly send lots of good thoughts too. Hugs to the Mom. We know this is hard.

  12. I’m Sorry Phoebe isn’t feeling to much better.☹☹?? She will be in my thoughts and prayers as your bad toe will be. Hope it gets better soon too.

  13. Phoebe, we’re so sorry to hear about your battle with chronic kidney disease. Boy does it suck. We are sending purrs and prayers that you can achieve stability and hold onto the kidney function you have remaining. You must try to eat even if you don’t find your noms appealing. We are also sending huge hugs to Mom Ellen. We love you!
    Angel Normie, Angel Mika, Sasha & Grady Lewis

  15. Dear Phoebe, we are all sending our very best purrs and prayers your way sweetie, you’re super special and we all love you girl.

  16. You are in my purrayers Phoebe. Yes you are. I so know how precious each day is with our four legged family members. We went through this a couple of years ago. It was awful and it still hurts, but we do everything we can do to make our babies life as good as we can.

    Have a purrfect Thankful day. My best to your wonderful mom. ☺

  18. Phoebe, the kitties and I are sending purrs and love. We are praying for you. We hope you will feel like eating more. Our Waddles had kidney disease, so we understand your Mom’s worry.

  19. IMHO, generic responses need more options than ‘like’…. While I like knowing how dear Phoebe is, I’m very concerned over her health, weight and prospects for any complete recovery.
    Purrayers continue to go out for all of you,

    1. Thank you, I am very scared, but hope she can gain some weight and be with us for a long time. XO

  20. Phoebe, we do hope you will start eating more heartily, sweet girl. We know it’s hard, but please try, okay? We love you, and want you around for a long time to come!

  22. Poor Phoebe. She might like PetAg KMR Liquid Milk Replacer for Kittens–William loved that when he wouldn’t eat anything else. (We found that ordering online from Petsmart for store pickup was much cheaper than just going there and buying it off the shelf.) We purr things turn around for her. And our mom sends her purrs to you, too. She knows how very hard this is on humans.

  23. We are so sorry you are going through this. Must be such a stressful time.
    We will send you healing hugs, vibes and purrs xx

    Athena and Marie

  26. Phoebe, darling girl, you ARE the Queen. And you need to eat and keep up your strength sweet girl. Mommy and many other mom’s here understand what your Mommy is going through and what YOU are going through. We lost Robin who reared her human brothers, to kidney disease. NO mommy wants her fur baby to feel badly. Please take you pill and please eat. Purrs and prayers and love.

  27. I am thankful for your spirit of thankfulness, Ellen. And I can relate to your situation with Phoebe. Coolidge had chronic renal failure at the end, after nine years with diabetes and hyperthyroid the last two years along with diabetes. He was 17. CRF is terrible, but Coolidge had always been a fighter and I would not put him down. He succumbed in my arms at home before dawn, after some terrible weeks of syringe feeding and urinary bleeding. We were blessed to meet 1-year-old, healthy, active Effie at Petco that evening, and we took her home. You have a live-in crew–that’s a very good shock absorber!

    1. I am sorry you lost Coolidge, even if they live to be 17, it is never enough time. Effie is a lucky girl. XO

  29. Dear Phoebe…dear sweet friend you must eat…I know exactly what you are going through too. Has your mom tried sardines? OMCs mom adds them to my food once a day. The remainder of the day I eat like a piggy…all this since the cortisone shot a week ago this past Thursday. We don’t have scales here but I have put on at least a pound maybe more. My not eating seems to be more related to my aggravated innards than my kidney. The cortisone shot surely helped them…no more problems with them.

    Hugs and kitty kisses and madi and mom

    1. Thank you, this gives us hope. The vet thinks I have some other problem in addition to my kidneys too. XO

  30. Phoebe, we will all keep praying for you. It’s just not fun being sick. Your mom is very concerned and so are all of your friends. Keep eating. 🙂
    Stereo purrs……..Hemingway and Steinbeck

  31. I’m so sorry Phoebe is having such health problems. I’ll add on to what Kitties Blue said. We had a different problem when Zoe wasn’t eating, we gave her Nutrical which prevented her from losing more weight. Zoe has black gums which made it hard for the vet to see that she had an infected tooth. When she did, out came the tooth, and Zoe got better, but in the meantime the Nutrical was a help.
    Yael from Playing In Catnip

    1. Thank you for letting me know about that. I am glad Zoe is eating again. I did get Phoebe’s teeth checked and they are good.

  32. Oh, Phoebe, I really hope you have lots and lots and lots of time with your mom. Maybe the infection is the reason you’re not eating even after having fluids. I hope that can be treated quickly. I’ll pray for you.

  33. Purrayers and POTP for you and your Mom, dear Phoebe ! We know what a feisty girl you are ! Stay crotchety – but please est !

  35. **gulpsss**
    Mee deerest sweetest Phoebe mee not know all this. LadyMum wood not tell mee. Then shee dropped thee lappytop last nite an had a ‘seizey momint’!!
    So once shee gotted thee Pee Cee werkin an HURRAH!! it still werkss mee came rite here an red yur post. Mee luvss you with al mee heart an sendss you ALL mee POTP just fur you!
    Mee purrayss you can stay fur efurr butt mee know that iss impawsibbull…so pleeze try to stay fur thee rest of thee year OK??? PLEEEEZE…….
    All mee LUV an ***paw kissesss*** Yur Purrince, Siddhartha Henry xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

    1. I am sorry your MUm had a seizy moment. I hope she is OK. I am trying my best to stay here, but I am just not hungry.I love you so much. XO and paw kisses and nose rubs

      1. Mee sweet buttercup has Lady Ellen tried to let you eat treetss?? Even treetss wood bee better than nuthin. What about Skippyjack Tuna? You can get it inn water so it iss not icky…Cloverleaf makess a Lo-Salt tuna…. Umm has you tried Weruva wet foodss?? They are SO-O tasty…..
        Mee knowss yur Mumma has probable tried efurryfing; mee just feelss helpess an wantss to help you feel better.
        Mee darling gurl mee will say purrayerss fur you an mee sends you all thee POTP….
        May you have much more time here. An if yur time iss uppy, mee will bee there with you with mee spirit to comfort you an mee will make sure NYLABLUE an Mingflower an all yur house mates are wthere inn Pure Land to greet you an welcome you home….
        Mee will bee brave even tho’ mee heart will bee inn bitss. You have helped mee become thee mankat mee iss today with yur LUV an encouragemint an sue-pport! Mee owes mee Life to you sweet gurl…You will all wayss bee mee Purrincess……all wayss an fur efurr….
        All mee LUV an ***paw kissesss*** Siddhartha Henry xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

        1. Last week mom tried everything including tuna, baby food and all kinds of treats, but I didn’t want any. This week, I am eating like a horse- MOL! I hope I keep feeling like this so I can be here a long time. You are a sweet boy and I want to be with you for a long time, I don’t want to break your heart. XO and all my love!

          1. Mew mew mew thee Mirt iss werkin mee sweet buttercup!!!!!! YIPPEEE!!!! Woo Hoo!!!!!
            Mee iss doin a **happy dance** here Phoebe!!!
            Mee knows you not want to leeve or brake mee heart….
            Let us enjoy each day together ok????
            All mee LUV an ***paw kissesss*** yur adoorin Purrince, Siddhartha Henry xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

          2. No more mirt, I think it was the auntiebiotic. I want to be with you for a very long time my love. XO

  39. We’re sending lots of love and light to you, Phoebe. And we’re crossing our paws that your appetite will come back so you can gain some weight back. We’ll be right here celebrating Festivus with you!

  40. We are sending so many Noodle hugs to you Phoebe and your mommy too that they will never all fit in this comment box even if we squish them real hard.
    Purrs and prayers…

    Noodle and crew

  41. Phoebe, you gotta eat. Does the mirtazapine make you a little crazy? The first time Wally took it, the mom gave him the dose the vet said to give and it made him crazy cat! Very vocal. Now whenever he gets it, the mom cuts the dose in half. Kidney cats are prone to urinary infections…maybe that’s what you have. We send you a ton of purrs, Phoebe.

    1. I am praying it is an infection and nothing more. Yes, she scared the heck out of us being hyper and vocal. I will cut the dose too, thanks for the tip. XO

  42. I’m sending healing purrz for my furrend Phoebe. I hope she’s not going to give up. Does that appetite pill make her loud? I took it once and yowled all afternoon.

  43. We are purring for Phoebe!

    This may sound strange, but have considered buying a feeder mouse (sold at some pet stores for snakies to eat) closing the bathtub plug, droppinh the mouse in and then putting Phoebe in? The thrill of the chase might stimulate her to eat it.

    1. Thank you. I have actually thought of getting a mouse for the cats to play with, but that would be too mean. I am thankful she is eating now.

  44. This is an awful disease, no matter the age. Critters do not live long enough, ever.

    Phoebe is blessed by you, your love, and your diligence. Persevere, Mom. You have our love and support. Hugs. ❤

  46. What are black cat curtains? My thoughts are with you while you take care of your cat. Kidney problems are serious and I hope everything will be okay.

    1. Thank you for your kind thoughts for my Phoebe. The black cat curtains are just curtains from IKEA that are white with black cats printed on them.

  47. Excellent TToT! Good news on the feline health front.

    You make your own ice cream?cool! (Some people laugh, but crushed potato chips with ice cream can be tasty. Thinking that blueberry might be an interesting contrast (in texture and saltiness).

  48. We never tried any of those pills with sissy. But ya’ might try to get some protein powder in her to help with dat weight, and just overall energy. You can get a big jar of plain egg whites on amazon fur fairly cheap, and they’re well tolerated by kidney kitties. Da Primal freeze dried raw has also been helpful fur a few kitties dat didn’t wanna eat. Ifin ya’ need us, we’re here. Mommy says just holler and we’re there fur ya’. Sendin’ lots of hugs and purrayers.

    Luv ya’

    Dezi and Raena

    1. Thank you, I appreciate the suggestions, hugs and prayers. XO and love to you all.

  50. Sending lots of love and purrs. This is a hard situation but we know you love her and will do only the best for her. It’s so stressful when they don’t want to eat.

  52. Oh, dear. I am so behind, and I missed this…
    Sorry you are not feeling at your best, Phoebe.
    I am purring hard for you and petcretary is pawyering too. Even dog-guy who likes kitties is wagging his tail on your behalf.

    Please try to eat, it will help you.

  53. Prayers for Phoebe, and for you! My Sophie will be fourteen in just a couple months and watching them age is so very hard, but you are doing everything you can to make her time with you comfortable and she is certainly so very loved and knows it. Who could ask for a better life than that?! I am glad your got out for pedicures, I’m sure your heart needed some relaxation time. I sure would have loved to sample your blueberry icecream, it sounds delicious! XOXO

    1. Thank you, prayers are appreciated. I hope your Sophie is doing well. I wish you lived near me so you could have some ice cream, I made another batch and this one is even better. :)XO

  54. So sorry Phoebe is not doing very well. Illness in animals and people is never good, but I’m glad Joanie’s biopsy was benign.
    Fabrics in fun patterns are delightful. I’m glad you were able to get the curtains you wanted.
    I’ve never had blueberry ice cream, but I like blueberries and I like ice cream, so I imagine it was delicious!
    A sore toe on the mend is a good thing too. Pain in a weight bearing spot can be miserable.

    1. Thank you, thankfully she is doing better.
      I never had blueberry ice cream until I made some 🙂

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