Cold weather woes
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Yoyo, the stressed-out older cat with poor renal function, responds to a night time treat of his own
AS I write this column, Bangkok is enjoying unexpectedly cold temperatures. The house is populated by puddles of cats, each curled up with a tail or an arm covering a nose.
The cats sleep a bit longer than usual, but when they wake up, their energy levels are high. Manohra, the Wild Child, decides that it’s time to attack Yoyo, who is more than twice her age and size. The boy loves attacking her too, but he’s serious. He wants to kill her.
All over my house float bits of fur from two animals who are constantly locked in fierce battles.
And then, one morning, when I go to Yoyo’s bedroom to take him downstairs, I find vomit all over his floor.
This is not good. A few hairballs are okay. This time, the vomit is liquid, a bad sign.
At 12 years old, Yoyo has started to show signs of kidney disease, the same problem that killed my one-eyed Angel a few months ago. Kidney failure is a common problem in animals (and humans) approaching senior status, and I am doing my best to help the boy.
I try to keep the boy on a special low-protein diet, give him lots of attention and make sure that he receives saline injections to keep his body hydrated.
That vomiting, however, may indicate that his kidneys are shutting down faster than expected.
The next morning, I find even more vomit on the floor.
Then I think back. What’s been happening during the past days?
Yoyo is a sensitive, vocal cat. He loves talking to you, telling you about his day and even announcing when he’s going to use the kitty litter.
The cold weather hasn’t made him too happy, and he tells me so. He complains until I pick him up and hold him.
He also tells me how much he hates the special renal food. When he wanders around the house, he searches diligently for any “normal” catfood he can find.
He’s not that successful. I’ve put away all the catfood that the other cats eat, except for some dry food. He’ll take a few mouthfuls of that, but he’d rather have the tinned food, which has a much stronger, more inviting taste and smell than the dry stuff.
Finally, I figure it out.
Phantom, the elderly cat with the tumours, lives in a bedroom on the same floor as Yoyo’s bedroom.
Because Phantom has been losing weight, I’ve been giving him any food he’ll eat. His favourites are cat treats with inviting – and strong – aromas. At night, before I “tuck” the two boys in, I give Phantom some of these treats.
Imagine. From his room, which is around 10 metres away, Yoyo can smell the treats. Of course, he begins complaining, as in “I want that food!”
He can’t have those treats. Almost completely protein, they’re dangerous for a cat with renal problems.
Yoyo won’t stop yelling. There’s a dish of some dry renal food in his room, but he doesn’t want that. During the night, he’s silent, but in the morning, he wakes me up with his yells.
When I check on him, there’s more vomit. There’s also Manohra. She’s sitting outside his door, teasing him.
No wonder he’s upset. Combine weather he hates with food he hates and a cat he hates, and you have a very stressed cat.
Last night, I gave him a plate of wet renal food in his bedroom with a tiny bit of normal catfood in it.
Oh, and I carried Manohra to my bedroom. She didn’t stay long, but she was so happy with the attention that she left Yoyo alone.
This morning, I found a very contented Yoyo, and no vomit. I do hope I’ve solved the problem.
