My poor old cat has been ill recently, and has deteriorated rapidly.
We took her to the vet last week, and they gave her a long-lasting antibiotic shot and an anti-inflammatory. She seemed to improve for a couple of days, but started to get worse than she had been. DH took her to a different vet on Friday, and they weren't able to examine her properly because she was too scared. They gave her some painkillers, just in case, and booked her in for the whole day on Monday.
Today was her worst day yet. Instead of staggering a little, which she started doing last week, she has been falling over completely :(
DH has taken her to the out-of-hours vet, who is going to anaesthetise her now so he can examine her properly. He said there is a good chance she might not survive the anaesthetic though.
She has been with DH and I for over 15 years, ever since she was a kitten. I can't stop blubbing, because I'm pretty sure that either way, her odds aren't good. Poor DH is upset too.
I'm really posting here so that I can tell you about my funny cat. She is not a cuddly, friendly cat - never has been. She's grumpy and pushy, but she's ours and we love her. When she was younger, her favourite game was fetch. We used a Pringles lid as a tiny frisbee, and she would drop it on your knee or at your feet, then dance around waiting for you to throw it so she could chase it and bring it back. We used to describe her as a cat that acted like a dog, and thought she was a human.
She has mellowed very slightly in her old age, and is very tolerant of DS (2.5), who sometimes forgets he has to be gentle and just throws himself at her to cuddle her. When he cries, she comes and sits next to him and nudges him with her nose, even this week while she has been so ill. She has never been that nice or gentle with another human being.
Peanut is our lovely, complex, fourth family member.