Looking back, I think he'd probably been sick for awhile, but in the moment, it all seemed to happen so fast. We had been noticing that he seemed to be losing weight, but weren't too worried about it since he was still eating and drinking well. We also noticed that he seemed to be lower in energy, but then again, cats nap a lot and he was still jumping up onto the couch and our beds and the counter (if there was food he wanted - like chicken!). But then there were signs that something was wrong that we couldn't ignore - like he started having accidents - which he has never done before in the 10 years we've had him. He's always faithfully used the litter box. So, on Oct. 25th, Dave and I took him into the Vet. They weighed him and he was 8.38#. This was alarming, because his normal weight is 11.5#, so he had lost over 1/4 of his body weight. The vet advised that we do extensive labwork and a urinalysis, which we did. Two days later, on Oct. 27th, the Vet called me to review the labwork. Everything looked good with his kidneys and thyroid and blood sugar levels, so they ruled out hyperthyroidism, Diabetes and other things they were thinking might be wrong. But something was definitely wrong with his liver - his liver enzymes were all really elevated. AST: 197 (normal 10-100), ALT: 786 (normal 10-100), T. Bilirubin 2.7 (normal 0.1-0.4), Cholesterol 434 (normal 75-220), Precision PSL 32 (normal 8-26) - this could be a sign of pancreatitis, an elevated WBC of 19.5 (normal 3.5-16.0) - this could be a sign of infection. And an elevated Neutrophil count of 13,845 (normal 2500-8500). The vet suggested we do an X-ray or an Ultrasound to further diagnose. Of course everything is crazy expensive and all of this was happening during the Governement shutdown when Dave wasn't getting a paycheck. And, while we were definitely concerned, Salt continued to eat and drink well and jump around and such. So part of us hoped that maybe he just had some virus that would clear on his own. But after two weeks, it was clear that wasn't happening, so we took him back to the vet on Nov. 12th. He was down to 7.86# despite the fact that he was eating well. We did x-rays but unfortunately, that didn't show much. We decided to start him on antibiotics (Clavamax and Metronidazole) so that if it was a bacterial infection causing all of this, it would resolve.
This picture was taken on Oct. 29th over the heating vent - one of his favorite places to hang out during the Fall and Winter months!
Another pic taken on that same day - Oct. 29th.
Oct. 30th - getting some snuggle time with Dave!
Salt loved to cuddle up on big soft blankets and also loved being around us! So, if he could do both at the same time, he was a happy camper!
Like I said.... one of his family members and a soft blanket is a winning combo for Salt!
This picture was taken on Nov. 12th, the day I took him back to the vet for x-rays and started him on two antibiotics.
The following day, Nov. 13th.
The following day, Nov. 14th. He was still eating and drinking well - I was monitoring him closely to see if the antibiotics were working.
I also took him outside on that day. Salty was strictly an indoor kitty, but we discovered that he LOVED going out on the porch and finding a spot where the sun was hitting the stone and warming it and he would lay down and roll around and bask in the sunshine. He love, love, loved to do this! So, we would take him out there on occasion and stay with him and indulge him in this activity. Lacey was the very best at this. Most of us were just too busy with life to stop and do this (since you needed to stay out there with him and watch him closely to make sure he didn't wander off) but Lacey did this with him on a regular basis when she was here.
Another pic on the 14th - poor Salty was enjoying his stretch on the warm porch when the next door neighbor's dog came bounding over and pounced at Salt and scared him half to death as he quickly b-lined it back into the house- you can see his tail and hair all standing up! It makes me sad that his last time basking on the warm porch ended this way. But I'm glad he got to do it for a little while.
Dave purchased some new fluffy, soft pillows for the couch and Salt was quick to take advantage of the cozy addition! (Also taken on Nov. 14th).
Where's Waldo?
This is the blanket on our bed and it perfectly camouflages him! This was also taken on Nov. 14th. He loved to sleep with us!
Nov. 15th
Dave is a collector of big soft blankets - you can never have enough as far as he is concerned! And Salty was the happy recipient of Dave's fluffy blankets everywhere!
Nov. 21st.
He also loved this red velvet bench. I think he loved it for two reasons - it's soft and it's located between the kitchen and family room - so one of his beloved family members was almost always close by!
By now, he had been on the antibiotics for over a week and it was clear, he wasn't improving. But my sister and her family of five arrived early the following morning (Nov 22nd) and stayed with us for the week. So, while we were mindful of Salt and trying to figure out what to do, we were also keeping busy entertaining Maret and her family and also working and keeping up with our other responsibilities. However, I called the vet to let them know the antibiotics weren't working and made an appt for Wednesday morning, Nov. 26th.
Monday, Nov 24th. He started getting sicker.
Monday, Nov. 24th.
On Tuesday, Nov. 25th, Dave came home from work early because he was worried about him. He took him outside and instead of rolling around on the warm stone, he ventured into the bushes and went to the bathroom and seemed to want to hide. It was clear he was declining, so when I got home from work, we made the decision to take him to the Animal ER/hospital about 25 minutes away in Annapolis that is open 24/7. Ella stayed home with my sister and her family, but Tanner and Riley both came with us. We were there for several hours. The Vet suggested we admit him and went over a plethora of tests they could do to figure out what was going on. Before we consented to this, I asked the vet point blank if he was already past the point of no return and she said No. She said he was very sick, but still a decent chance he was treatable. We were all so relieved to hear this. The plan she proposed would cost thousands of dollars and would require us leaving him there overnight and possibly up to a few days. It was hard to justify spending that kind of money without any assurance that it would heal him and I couldn't stand the thought of leaving him there when he was so sick, especially since they don't let you be with or even see your pet. I was so worried that he might die in a strange place with a bunch of strange people. So we compromised. We left him there for a couple hours, while Dave and I drove home the kids and then went back to get him. In the meantime, they gave him fluids, an appetite stimulant, a dose of prednisone and a new antibiotic and gave me two weeks worth of prednisone and the antibiotic and told me to follow up with my vet.
Here he is on the way home from the hospital late Tuesday night. He seemed to perk up! I sat in the back seat with him and right after taking this picture, I took him out of his carrier and snuggled him all the way home. He ate well when we got home and had energy and we were hopeful that these new meds might work.
But as Wednesday progressed, it was clear that Salty was not. Instead of waiting for the evening to give him his next dose of steroid (prednisone) and antibiotic, I gave him the prednisone at 1pm. No improvement. I gave him the antibiotic at 3pm. No improvement. He stopped drinking. I started putting syringes of water in his mouth. Nothing. Then he stopped eating. And we realized he was dying. I can't put into words how sad this was for all of us. We spent the whole afternoon crying and holding him and face-timing Lacey who made us promise we wouldn't leave him alone. So we all took turns and held vigil.
Tanner with Salty in the Dining Room before we brought him upstairs.
Riley giving him one last triip outside.
Since I'm usually the one behind the camera, I realized I didn't have many pictures of me with my Salty boy. So I asked Riley to take some.
And then we brought him upstairs in Ella's room and made him comfortable with lots of cozy blankets and one us petting him and Lacey on Face-time close by watching him and talking to him.
He went downhill so fast, that I thought for sure he would pass before we went to bed. But that sweet boy held on. So, all the kids gave him one last hug as they said goodnight to him, which they knew was actually good-bye. And poor Lacey, who loved this kitty more than anyone and ached so badly to hold him, said good-bye over video through sobs.
Then Dave and I brought him into bed with us. We tucked him in between us, where he stayed until he passed peacefully away at 2am on Thursday, Nov 27th, Thanksgiving Day.
I find it poetic in a way that we got this sweet boy on Christmas Day and then he left us on Thanksgiving Day.
While expected, it was still so hard to break the news to the kids the next morning, especially Lacey. I felt so bad that she was across the country and not with us and her beloved kitty. She told us we couldn't have the funeral without her. But we also knew that we couldn't wait three weeks to bury him. So, we found the perfect place for him in our yard and facetimed Lacey while we buried him. We wrapped him up in a blanket and I put in the hat Lacey had him wear when we celebrated finally getting rid of the fleas he got from one of the foster kitties. Riley added a plastic beaded necklace he liked to play with and tissue paper - he absolutely loved playing with wrapping and tissue paper which is why Christmas was his favorite holiday! And Ella added a piece of her favorite blanket. Then we buried him and covered him up under a little stone bench where we can go and visit him. But we didn't say much because we are going to do the official funeral where we go out there and say our favorite memories and such when Lacey is home, as we promised to do.
Dave's IG post.
And Lacey's post.
Nobody ever loved a cat as much as Lacey loved her Salty!
Here are a few fun memories of our cherished family pet of the last decade.
Lacey dressing him up for Christmas - he was not amused 🤣
Christmas was his favorite - this was just last year. He couldn't wait to open the gifts and start playing with all the paper!
In heaven!
Christmas Day, 11 months ago. Celebrating 9 years since we got him. And appropriate that Lacey is the one holding him.
Thanks for a decade of love and laughs and memories, Salty. We love you so much!! We miss you like crazy and I have bawled my way through making this post. I hope you've found a warm patch of sunshine and a cozy blanket and all your favorite treats in heaven. And we hope you come running to us when we meet you up there one day. 🐱🩷
