The Orange One is not well.

[pointythings]

Stage 2 CKD and gingivostomatitis. He's not even 3 yet. He's a rescue, former stray from Egypt and they do have problems but we're sad. His life will be short. We will make it lovely.

Oh, that's sad. And such a gorgeous cat too.

What a beautiful boy, so sad, yet amazing that you rescued him and can make his remaining time special 💐

I lost my little ginger Tom at 18 months earlier this year, also a rescue and sick. Heartbreaking. I think Gingers have such great personalities,

So sorry to hear that spoil him rotten

Beautiful boy. What very sad news at such a young age.

But his remaining days will be filled with love, warmth and security. They could so easily not have been. I wish there were more people like you.

Oh my goodness @pointythings we are going through something very similar with our rescue from Dubai who is FIV and stage 3 CKD. He's also very young. It's so difficult as he is such a loving and lovable boy that it's hard to accept we won't have him for long. We have just come back from a failed lesson in how to give him subcutaneous fluids. The procedure could really help prolong his life but he just won't tolerate it 😞. I am trying to be zen about the whole thing but it's so hard. Your orange one is so beautiful as well - solidarity!

@Puppylucky mine is FIV negative but also won't tolerate a lot. He has very painful gums so any touching his mouth is out. And he has now completely stopped eating so I think Tuesday's vet checkup m8ght be his last.

And here was me hoping the human Irange One had taken a turn for the worse.

What a shame x

Oh I am so sorry @pointythings - wishing you all the best

Well, we have new meds - Gabapentin for pain and Mirtazepine to stimulate his appetite. He will be on renal food tomorrow but for tonight he happily scoffed the meds, all his food and then some dry. So maybe we can keep slow things down a bit and give him some more best life.

It's amazing how much relief of ongoing pain can help a cat. Ours has a paw deformity and painful joints which made him so sad and listless but with pain relief he has recovered his appetite and his enthusiasm for life. It won't be a long life but he's loving it at the moment!

I do hope so. He's beautiful.

He likes the kidney food!
Getting meds into him is still very hit and miss, he's canny and trying to hold him and make him distresses him so much that he then does not eat.

But today he has scoffed all his food including the renal dry food, he has tried to climb out of the catio because there was a pigeon on top of it and he has had zoomies.

Just seen this - so pleased he's perked up. Elton is full of vinegar and piss at the moment as he actually caught a bird! I waver between being horrified and happy for him that against all the odds he fulfilled his genetic destiny at least once.

That’s brilliant news! Zoomies. Happy for you and your lovely cat.

Thanks everyone for the support. Things are still going relatively well - urine sample confirmed kidney damage, but he has a range of kidney food to choose from and Pill Assist means getting meds into him is a doddle. He thinks they're the best treats ever. He's stopped drinking excessively, which is a good sign - he's just drinking normally now.

Out of interest @pointythings what is a normal amount of drinking for a cat? Elton is our first and I'm not sure how much over the average he is actually drinking

@Puppylucky it isn't an exact science - I went by what was normal for Las, so when it changed it was pretty clear. He used to come in for a drink 3-4 times a day. When he was at his worst 3-ish weeks ago, he was literally drinking every hour. Now he's back to normal and drinking the same as the others.

If you're worried about Elton, you can get either blood or urine tests done, but obviously vet bills...

Thanks @pointythings I know Elton has CKD so no need for more proof of that sadly, but his drinking does vary, so I was just wondering if there was a "norm" we should be trying to get him closer to.