Posts Tagged ‘Ripley’

Feline update: Ripley

The vet just called. My cat Ripley’s blood-test results look good; all her numbers are normal. The doc wants to keep Ripley on her meds, since they seem to have stabilized her.

As for the lump under her jaw, he says it might be a benign bone mass, or it might be cancer — but that there’s not much we can do. Because the cat is already on Prednisone, radiation and chemotherapy are out. And because of her advanced age (18 years) and low body weight (7.6 pounds), surgery would be extremely high risk and have a low probability of success. And even if the mass could be excised, the post-op recovery phase would not be pretty; Ripley’s quality of life would be significantly worse than it is now.

All we can do now is keep her stable and comfortable, and monitor her behavior. As long as she continues to eat well, drink fluids, and pass them (despite doing so outside the litter box, much to my chagrin), we’ll continue her diet and medicines.

On the face of it, this seems like good news, but I can’t shake the feeling that my beloved old cat might not make it to her 19th birthday.  All we can do is hope for the best.

Next: our younger cat, Mister Puck, goes to the vet for his checkup and vaccinations on Thursday. Wish me luck — he’s impossible to catch…

Good Cat News

Miss Ripley: seventeen & spry!
Miss Ripley: seventeen & spry!

At the risk of jinxing it (knock on wood), and because some of my friends have recently endured sad pet-related life events, I just thought I’d share some good news about my seventeen-year-old feline companion, Ripley.

She had her semi-annual checkup (with full blood profile, etc.) on Monday, and I’m happy to say my sweet ol’ girl is in pretty good health for a cat her age.

For the past three years or so, she has been taking a steroid called prednisone to relieve her arthritis and the pain of her hip dysplasia. The drug can sometimes cause complications with an animal’s organ functions, so its effects need to be monitored at regular intervals.

Well, so far so good (and knock on dense plant fiber again). All her blood chemistry tested as optimal; her mobility, strength, and weight are good; her teeth and gums are healthy; her appetite is good; etc.

Here’s hoping the ol’ girl has a lot of high-quality life left in her.

Today’s Birthdays

Miss Ripley: seventeen & spry!I’d like to take a moment to note three important birthdays today.

Leonard Nimoy, Star Trek‘s original Mister Spock, is 78 years old.

My father-in-law, Keith, is a year older (exact age withheld for national security reasons).

And I am thrilled to announce that my beloved cat Ripley is 17 years old.

Happy Birthday, Ripley!