My kitty Mara has been with me for 13 1/2 years now. When I adopted him (yes, he's gender-confused -- long story), he was this scared, timid fellow who spent the first six months hiding underneath my bed. He's come a long way, to the point where now he cowers from strangers on
top of the bed, rather than beneath it. :)
He's my baby snuggle cat. He sleeps with me every night (and regarded my ex-husband as "the interloper" for ten years). We've developed our own language. He knows when to move so I can make the bed in the morning. I know when he needs me to pick him up and put him on the couch. He still purrs when he's happy (and sad, and scared and...). He's been with me through seven moves and two serious relationships.
A few weeks ago, he started having digestive problems, so I took him to the vet last week. They took X-rays and said they thought he had bladder stones (or perhaps pancreatitis), and recommended an abdominal ultrasound. So yesterday we had the ultrasound, and they found that he does, indeed, have bladder stones (which are bad in a male cat), but he also has an enlarged pancreas and lymph node, as well as thickened sections of his intestines.
So he had to have surgery today to remove the stones and biopsy everything else. No one mentioned the dreaded "C" word to me, but when you get into biopsies... well, anyway. He's at least 15, probably even older, so surgery will be hard on him anyway. I know he's had a lot of good years with me, but are you ever prepared for the possibility of losing a beloved pet?
So, I hope you will be thinking of my poor baby and hoping for the best result possible.
