A visit to the veterinarian brings confirmation.
Dr. Josh Atz from Manchester Veterinary Clinic, is a kind, gentle, very grounded person whom my cats and I respect and trust.
Yesterday, Violet, Sakhara, and I went for our usual 6-month visit. We go every 6 months because Dr. Atz can clean tartar off their teeth without tranquilizers or anesthesia.
Dr. Atz is a good listener, too, and I very much appreciate and respect that he will accept me as an Animal Communicator and what my cats communicate telepathically as something real. He’s also not opposed to raw food diets and using other alternative veterinary medicine for my animals.
It was a long visit yesterday. Both felines are over 15 years old and have health considerations that needed to be addressed. I wanted blood and urine samples taken from each cat, and that took time.
As I mentioned in a previous post called Turning Point, Violet announced recently that she is getting ready to leave the physical plane and I had sensed that her kidney function was failing. I had promised Violet that I wouldn’t take any extreme measures. I told her I want her to be comfortable, so she may need to take some things that would not be her first choice. She agreed, although I’m certain I will have to ask each and every time I want to do something for her and remind her of her agreement.
So with the veterinary appointment coming up, I requested that she be willing to have blood taken. Although Violet agreed to do this, it was very difficult for her and she resisted allowing the blood to flow for awhile. Her Siamese temperament expressed itself with sounds that were not quite growls with a wide range of intonation. I wish I had a recording, as it was quite interesting to hear.
Eventually, we got the blood sample, and today I got the results of the tests. Violet’s kidneys are well down the road to failure.
Violet doesn’t want pills and will take liquid only if it tastes good. I’m going to see if she’ll eat some potassium salt in her raw pureed chicken liver, which is, for now, about all she wants to eat.
The wonderful Standard Process Feline Renal Support supplement that has been keeping Sakhara’s kidney’s going for 2 years now doesn’t appeal to her. I might try grinding one up and mixing it with the liver, but you can’t fool a sensitive cat’s nose and palate. Still, it will be worth a try. Thankfully, liver has a strong smell and flavor.
[I can already hear Violet in my head giving me the oh-so-superior attitude of “I won’t eat that … you’re wasting your time … and the pill!”]
Well, if she won’t eat it, I suspect Sakhara will enjoy it!
[I can already hear Sakhara in my head licking her lips, although she thinks the Feline Renal Support is treat all on it’s own.]
Violet and I have a continuous telepathic connection, so there are no secrets between us. She always knows when I’m thinking about her and exactly what I’m thinking. Sakhara is good at this, too.
As for me, well, right now, I’m struggling with my personal need to “fix” things. I truly want to stop doing that, as spiritually speaking, it’s a very intrusive and invasive and disrespectful way to be with others. I want to honor Violet’s choices, but (perhaps I’m rationalizing), how does she know what her choices are if I don’t offer her something and let her decide?
[Violet is smiling as I write this, the inscrutable Siamese all-knowing smile. I think I’m doomed!]
So while I’m delighted to have external verification of my psychic insights and telepathic conversations with Violet, I’m sad, too.
Any time an animal let’s you know they are preparing to depart, it turns on the grief immediately. I’m well aware of the stages of grieving, and the more I speak to friends about this, the more it helps me get through the denial stage. I think there may be some subtle parts of me that are trying to say this isn’t happening, but overall, I know it is.
Thanks for listening.
Love you all Nedda!
Love to you and all your kitties.
Dear Nedda,
Thank you for sharing. We are all here for and with you and your dear feline companions.
Liz
Much appreciated, Liz.
Nedda,
My thoughts and prayers are with you during this transition. Having gone through it multiple times and a little over a year ago, I know the process of letting it happen and respecting another soul’s wishes is not an easy one.
Sending you love and light,
Beatrice
Many thanks, Beatrice.
Nedda, we are all here for you, Violet, and Sakhara! <3
Thank you, Mary.
I ìm thinking about this and as renal problems often bring thirst with them maybe she might accept some fluids given to her? I’ve been doing this simply at home with a very small needle under the skin and my dear friends appreciated this, it makes them a little bit less thirsty.
Affectionate thoughts for you and Violet.
Hi, Marie-Jeanne,
Thanks for your suggestion, but Violet hates needles. When I had a vet give her some fluid a few weeks ago, it took 3 people to hold her for it. So this won’t work at all.
However, she is drinking structured water, which hydrates the body much more efficiently than ordinary water. In addition, she’s on a raw food diet and gets a great deal of water from her food, all of which is also structured, as that’s the natural state of water in raw food cells.
So I’m not concerned about her hydration. I’ve seen the structured water sometimes help reverse kidney disease in some cats, and a raw food diet means she’s also getting much more water from her food than she would get from canned, “moist”, and especially dried food.
Thanks, again.
Nedda
Blessings Nedda and Violet
You may want to consider chinese Kidney Yin Herbs, as they can be a great support to make life more comfortable during this transition.
Hi, Justin,
Where would I get these? Do you know which brand is best? I’ll definitely look into it, but Violet is generally resisting any help, although yesterday I put some potassium salt in her food and she really liked that. I guess her body took over and said, “Electrolytes! Yum!”
I’d just google “TCVM Connecticut” OR “TCVM YOUR TOWN” for a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner in your area. A practitioner connected with http://www.tcvmherbal.com/ is the best bet. Having just passed through winter, the kidneys have a lot of work to do 🙂 If you can help her transition to be as balanced as possible, she will feel much better 🙂 Western medicine thinks the kidneys are just for processing urine, but there is far more to it than that…I feel she would benefit from some Kidney Yin support (rather than western renal meds or herbs).
Good luck to both of you!:)
Thanks, Justin. How logical – contact a veterinarian who does Chinese Medicine. And actually, I have a really good friend who is an expert in this! How ironic that I didn’t think of this myself!
Thanks so much!
Dearest Nedda,
I’ve never commented here before, but my heart was hugely compelled, given what you’re all facing.
If Violet stops liking the salt, another form you might offer her (after checking with Dr. Atz of course) is liquid “Thera-K,” a potassium gluconate supplement. Along with many other supportive aids in my own furdaughter’s gradual kidney “insufficiency,” I used this for a time on the advice of her integrative vet. Tastes rather “bacon”-like, so was well tolerated and is thick, so can be licked off a finger as a gentler means of administering. I also wonder if you ground up, then mixed the glandular with some structured water, if such a paste, or even soup, might strike her as more appealing than the dry format? My girl was also pretty averse to sub-cu fluids, too, so on occasion, I would also offer “Pedialyte” liquid in her water instead. Yet despite this aversion and her dislike of needles too, as her condition worsened, she actually changed her mind and WOULD allow us to give the occasional sub-cu treatment at home in her last couple of months. So always worth re-checking with them to find out.
For food, while I fully concur with raw food diets, and had my girl on a good portion of that (homemade), too, whenever her appetite waned, I was rather forced into using mainly high-quality canned instead – her staple, Wellness brand, blended smooth (immersion blender) with high-quality water…and various supplements/vit’s I’d sneak in in one small section of food only (so the “yuckies” were “over with” fast!). Small bits of thin, bonito fish flakes were also a fairly successful means of masking disliked flavours. Finger feeding was also a huge hit with her, and gave us even more quality bonding time together as a bonus. 🙂 Perhaps some of these ideas might help(?), since my girl, and her sibling brother who predeceased her, also had a high proportion of Siamese in them, so I’m familiar with that (glorious!) personality type. 😉
For the Anticipatory Grief period, yes indeed it’s hugely difficult, so I can highly empathize. And like you, I too tend to “hang on” to things, making it all the worse. But if you’re respecting your furkids’ desires as much as humanly possible, and sharing with them how you honestly feel all along (like you could hide it from them anyway, right?), that’s still GOLD, and all we can expect from ourselves. After all, who EVER wants to ‘lose’ an irreplaceable, precious beloved? Never is the practice of self-compassion more called for, nor more difficult to augment, than in times like these.
My heart is gently holding you all.
Debra
Hi, Debra,
Thanks for all you have shared. I appreciate knowing what has worked for you in the past. Violet and I have discussed things and will continue to do so. She does not want me to do anything to prolong her life, but just wants to have a comfortable and smooth transition. There are many different ways to achieve this. We go forward one step a time, guided by her choices, to make this possible. She’s the boss here, as I feel it should be.
Namaste.
Nedda, sending you, Violet and all the family Love and Light during this time. You are all being so courageous and loving to each other, thank you for sharing your journey.
Nedda, know that I’m thinking of you and Violet and sending you much light and many caring thoughts. I know this will be a difficult passage for you and all your darling felines.
Thanks for your message, Ellen. Right now the greatest difficulty seems to be making sure that all the cats are getting what they need and not eating food designed for a different feline. 🙂 It can be quite a challenge, as Sakhara believes that every bowl is really hers, if only to be taste-tested, and Starlight doesn’t want to be left out of anything. And since Violet is eating a random times during the day, chaos reigns! 😉
Nedda, wishing pace and comfort for Violet. You’re both in my thoughts, as well as Sakhara.
Thanks, Yvonne.
Hi Nedda,
Hi Nedda,
Having just been through this myself I understand some of the dilemma’s and nagging doubts that can go through the human mind. Our cat chose her own agenda and timing. She was gently offered options of various sorts and despite how I may have felt about this at times, her wishes were honoured. The entire experience and after effects for all involved were less traumatic and painful. In some ways I’d have to describe the process as beautiful. Perhaps the greatest thing we can ever do for another is to let them just be themselves, in every respect.
With love to you all. xx
Hi, Ali,
Thanks for your comments. Your description fits exactly where I’m coming from with Violet. It’s a bit of a balancing act, but I’m allowing her to lead the way in all things. Sometimes she seems willing to try something I’d like to her do, but then rejects it totally after just once. This is all fine with me. I’m not going to push anything or try to fix anything.
Love to all of you.