I don't know how to say this folks......so I shall just say it.....

Squirrel is ALIVE!

I didn't want to post anything this morning, because I had no idea what I might come home to tonight after work.

But she is still alive.

I know this sounds impossibly hard to believe. I know that some of you may think my cheese has slid off my cracker, but I'll try to explain as best I can....

Some time in the early hours this last Friday, she was sitting here next to me, but acting very strangely. She would not eat her special kibble treat, which she normally gobbled up ferociously. She was looking at me so strangely and sadly. A number of hours later she started making the most frightening noises, then she put her paws on my lap and I was sure she had breathed her last. I could not see her breathing anymore in the least. She just went limp and did not respond to anything. I held her for almost an hour or so and started to post here.
After another long while, I got up to pet the other kitties back in the bedroom, and when I returned, she was not on the couch anymore!!!

I started to toss the house in a panic looking for her, and finally found she had crawled into a little kitten hole way back behind some large speakers, which are too big and heavy for me to move by myself. I could see her, but I couldn't reach her. I saw no breathing again, and she wouldn't respond, even when I tossed a little ball at her to get her attention.

At some point I got a little sleep, and later on Saturday, went to look at her again. She had still not moved, and showed no signs of life. In my sorrow and conviction that she had passed, I just did not have it in me to try to retrieve her body just then.

I slept in very late on Sunday, and mid afternoon or so, got up and started to put fresh kibble and water out for the other kitties. You cannot imagine how Squirrel frightened me when she dragged herself out of the bottom of the kitty tower and gave me a weak meow. She was looking very disheveled and weak, and having trouble using her hind legs. She quickly turned and went back into the kitty tower.

I got a bowl with a bit of her kibble treat in it, and she actually stuck her head out and nibbled just a teeny bit of it before retreating again. That was about all I saw of her Sunday, and I left her alone thinking it was the best thing to do.

When I went to bed Sunday night, she was still hiding in the kitty tower, but I could reach in and pet her and knew she was still with me.

This morning, she came out, so I picked her up and brought her onto the couch, where she always sat by me. I got some fresh kibble, and this time she ate a good portion of it before I had to leave for work. I was very scared of what I might find tonight, but she came out from wherever she had spent the day, and sat down with me, meowing for some more kibble. She ate well tonight. She also seems to have regained some strength, and is not struggling to use her hind legs as much.

I absolutely don't have a clue what happened to her, but she must have had a half or so of one of her 9 lives left. Or maybe it was the outpouring of prayer and thoughts that so many of you here showed for me in my sorrow.
I don't have any idea how long my little gurl will still be with me, but I shall be happy for whatever it is.

Thank you for all the love and caring you all showed for me here.

I am crying right now, but they are tears of joy.

God Bless you all.

Mark

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"Time is simply the mechanism that keeps everything from happening all at once."

Yes... I shall post even with the pain...

Wow. Absolutely Wow.
God bless you Mark. You truly have a wonderful cat there - that is an incredible story. Take her to the vets if you can just to make sure something isn't up...

God bless you all.

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- Luke.

Amazing Mark! Miracles DO happen :)

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Good to hear that Squirrel is still with Ya Mark, I think It's Vet time for Squirrel though.

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Savoir-Faire is everywhere!
The T1 Trust, T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, America's First HST

So you posted on the 23rd that your cat had died. Now you post on the 26th that your cat is still alive. Is it normal for you to keep what you believe to be your dead animals for 3 days?

[Edit]The cat dies and is risen three days later. It's the Jesus kitty! I can has resurrection?

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So you posted on the 23rd that your cat had died. Now you post on the 26th that your cat is still alive. Is it normal for you to keep what you believe to be your dead animals for 3 days?

[Edit]The cat dies and is risen three days later. It's the Jesus kitty! I can has resurrection?

I tried to explain the timeline of what happened in my first post of this thread.
It was Friday night into Saturday morning that I was convinced she had passed. It was Sunday afternoon that she showed herself again, very weak.
I did not post this until Monday night when I got home from work, as I did not know if she would still be OK.

She seems to be gaining a bit more ground, and I plan on a vet visit for her soon to see if they can detect any problems other than simple old age.

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"Time is simply the mechanism that keeps everything from happening all at once."

Glad to know she's doing OK Mark.

Glad to know she's doing OK Mark.

Thanks....
Squirrel has a kitty doctor appointment tomorrow morning.

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"Time is simply the mechanism that keeps everything from happening all at once."

Well, Squirrel went to her kitty doctor appointment this morning.
She didn't like the carrier box....they never do.
Shot out of it like a cannon when we got home and I opened the door. She was happy to be back home.

The doctor is concerned....
She is down to 6-1/2 pounds. Her breathing is somewhat labored. She has a heart murmur. And her heart rate was sky high. Doctor said even a scared kitty might have a heart rate of 180bpm or so. Squirrel's was around 300!
She thinks that might have had something to do with the episode kitty had last weekend. Might have actually gone into arrhythmia or such.

I was wondering about overactive thyroid, and she said that might be a possibility....Squirrel did have one thyroid she said felt a little enlarged. And it would explain the weight loss.

So, we wait for the blood tests tomorrow and hope for the best.

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"Time is simply the mechanism that keeps everything from happening all at once."

Good to hear Mark - keep us updated. Feline Hyperthyroidism is treatable.
No cat ever likes the carrier box...

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- Luke.

[Edit]The cat dies and is risen three days later. It's the Jesus kitty! I can has resurrection?

No, upon further reflection, I think she was a Mark Twain kitty.......
"The rumors of her death have been highly exaggerated....."

Actually, the vet's thoughts that she may have gone into some kind of heart condition fit with what I saw that day....
It is a 'kitty miracle' that she is still with me.

I hope that the test results tomorrow give some hope of possible treatment, but in a kitty of her age (almost 15 years), there can be overlapping health problems. We wait and hope.

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"Time is simply the mechanism that keeps everything from happening all at once."

As well you know Mark, life and death are an intertwined cycle. One begets the other. As one cat passes another takes her place. And so go the sands of time. Enjoy your cats as they enjoy you. Live, love, laugh and die as each day brings its own new horizon.

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Greg in Phoenix

As well you know Mark, life and death are an intertwined cycle. One begets the other. As one cat passes another takes her place. And so go the sands of time. Enjoy your cats as they enjoy you. Live, love, laugh and die as each day brings its own new horizon.

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
We are born from what others have left behind.
I know this.......it's all by God's hand.

But that eases the pain only a little bit when someone you love is called away.

It does help more when you reflect upon those thoughts after time passes and lifts a little of the burden from your soul.

But the immediacy of the pain can be almost unbearable......
Last Friday when I was sure in my heart that she was gone, I was absolutely devastated. She is right now sleeping here on the couch by my side, where she is the happiest.

I know that kitties individually cannot last forever.......
But kitties as man's companions will be here for eternity.

Like you said, as one passes, another will take their place.

It's called the Circle of Life.......

Life cannot exist without pain. It makes us who we are...mortal.
A group I am thankful that God chose to make me part of.
But it also can bring much joy............

So forgive me if sometimes the pain overwhelms me and I have to express it.....if not for you all here, I don't know how else I would.

Thanks Greg.

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"Time is simply the mechanism that keeps everything from happening all at once."

From one moon to another.

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Greg in Phoenix

Well.......here is the vet's report.......

Squirrel is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
hyperthyroid......
Like way offa the charts........

About 5-20 times normal at least.......
No wonder she was wanting to wind herself about my feet all the time......and prowled the house all night. She was in 4th gear all the time, and just wound out tight.

And it was driving her little heart bonkers......
That's why she had the seizure the I thought had killed her last weekend......her little kitty heart just could not take it anymore and shut down.......
Thankfully, it started back up again.

So, now I have to try giving her some meds......methimazole....WTF is that?

1/4 tablet twice a day.....really......how am I gonna make 1/4 of a freakin' tablet that is only 1/4 of an inch to begin with???? Why don't they just make it in liquid form at this point? Sometimes pharmecologists just don't connect with the dosage and application......but I suppose, these things were not originally formulated for kitty-type dosages. A 6.4 pound cat isn't going to need as much as a 150 pound caregiver.

And she was really snarky when I tried to give her the first dose.......I mean mewwwwwwwwwwrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrssssssssssssssss.. With the accent on the hiss.......not nice......she never ever did that to me before. But, I guess I never tried to pry open her mouth and stuff anything down her throat before either...LOL.

Bandit had urinary problems, and I had to dose her twice a day......but she was very docile compared to the ol' Squirrly gurl.
She 'bout took my fingers off......guess she has some spunk left in her at 15 years......which is maybe a good thing...LOL.
I can still do the keyboard thingy........if you notice a lotta errors, it's either because I drank a lot to hide the pain, or Squirrel got a couple of my digits......
No more origami puppets for me......

Maybe I'll get lucky and she'll like her foodsie treats enough that I can sneak it to her that way. Otherwise, it's gonna be a fight, I can see that now.

Gonna have to read up on her meds........

Meow.

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"Time is simply the mechanism that keeps everything from happening all at once."

Well.......here is the vet's report.......

Squirrel is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
hyperthyroid......
Like way offa the charts........

About 5-20 times normal at least.......
No wonder she was wanting to wind herself about my feet all the time......and prowled the house all night. She was in 4th gear all the time, and just wound out tight.

And it was driving her little heart bonkers......
That's why she had the seizure the I thought had killed her last weekend......her little kitty heart just could not take it anymore and shut down.......
Thankfully, it started back up again.

So, now I have to try giving her some meds......methimazole....WTF is that?

1/4 tablet twice a day.....really......how am I gonna make 1/4 of a freakin' tablet that is only 1/4 of an inch to begin with???? Why don't they just make it in liquid form at this point? Sometimes pharmecologists just don't connect with the dosage and application......but I suppose, these things were not originally formulated for kitty-type dosages. A 6.4 pound cat isn't going to need as much as a 150 pound caregiver.

And she was really snarky when I tried to give her the first dose.......I mean mewwwwwwwwwwrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrssssssssssssssss.. With the accent on the hiss.......not nice......she never ever did that to me before. But, I guess I never tried to pry open her mouth and stuff anything down her throat before either...LOL.

Bandit had urinary problems, and I had to dose her twice a day......but she was very docile compared to the ol' Squirrly gurl.
She 'bout took my fingers off......guess she has some spunk left in her at 15 years......which is maybe a good thing...LOL.
I can still do the keyboard thingy........if you notice a lotta errors, it's either because I drank a lot to hide the pain, or Squirrel got a couple of my digits......
No more origami puppets for me......

Maybe I'll get lucky and she'll like her foodsie treats enough that I can sneak it to her that way. Otherwise, it's gonna be a fight, I can see that now.

Gonna have to read up on her meds........

Meow.

Here's an idea, Get a screwdriver, the quarter tablet, a feeding bowl for squirrel and only squirrel(You'll have to figure out how to keep the other kitties away from Her bowl), crush 1/4 tablet in the bowl with the butt of the screwdriver(phillips or flat, yer choice) and then mix the powder with canned cat food that squirrel likes, problem solved. That's what the vet here said to do with Angel, It worked, But I only had one cat, Here's how to give a cat a pill and not get bitten(the link has small pics to illustrate), Especially If You can't do the crush the pill method). :D

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Savoir-Faire is everywhere!
The T1 Trust, T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, America's First HST

Here[/url]'s how to give a cat a pill and not get bitten(the link has small pics to illustrate), Especially If You can't do the crush the pill method). :D

LOL.......I know how to give a cat a pill.......

HERE are the instructions.......

You must follow them exactly, or mayhem might ensue.......

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"Time is simply the mechanism that keeps everything from happening all at once."

I don't know if they make them for cats, but Greenies (www.greenies.com) makes hollow soft treats that my Cocker loves. You can squish them up enough that there is no pill showing, and apparently they taste good to dogs. I say apparently because I'll never try one. They look like .. well, they are soft and brown.

My cocker takes two treats a day, each with 2 pills hidden away. We stick with a routine of him "earning" them, to keep his interest up. He has to come in, or go out, or something, before he gets one.

Before that we tried all the standard vet tricks: liver pate, cheeze whiz, peanut butter, etc. Each was good for a few days or a week at the most, then the dog would spit them out. The Greenies have been working for a couple of months now - touch wood.

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I'm pleased to hear of Squirrel's 'fight back' - cats usually 'hide' when they feel very unwell or feel close to death. I guess its instinct. One of my cats, Harry, died on Tuesday evening...he was coming upto 9 years old. No more 'flying head-butts with arched back' when I get in the door, now. My stats have gone up since then, though.

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Don't take life too seriously, as you'll never come out of it alive!