Okay! Charlotte has been to the vet. She has:
- Hyperthyroidism
- Arthritis in both hips
- Conjunctivitis in one eye
To be honest, I had noticed she wasn’t moving well and that one of her eyes was watery. I thought those things (along with the weight loss) were related and they were going to tell me she had cancer or something fatal. But! All these things are treatable. I mean, hopefully. Possibly.
Let’s start with the arthritis- all she needs is fish oil for now, and she likes taking it so that’s not an issue. For the pinkeye (seriously? how did all this happen at the same time???) I have to give her eye drops three times a day. That’s really fun.
Now. For the thyroid, she has to take two pills a day. At first I was dreading this, but it turns out if I mix it with a Churu treat, she gobbles it right down. The tricky part is- she HAS to eat the pill, and the other cats CANNOT eat it. So I have to supervise closely.
If this works, I guess it will be for the rest of her life. I have to take her back in four weeks so they can re-test her thyroid and kidney function though, because they said sometimes when you treat hyperthyroidism, it can cause kidney failure. So fingers crossed.
Yes, as you can imagine this was an expensive vet visit, but I’m SO RELIEVED we now have a treatment plan. And we’re submitting the bill to our pet insurance, so we’ll see what they do with it.
(Side note- you might remember that when we got Charlotte nine years ago, my daughter REALLY wanted to name her “Beyonce.” LUCKILY we were able to talk her out of it. I always think of that when we’re at the vet and they come out to the waiting room to call us in- I can just imagine “We’re ready for Beyonce!” Cringe.)
In other news, all week long I was looking forward to relaxing on the couch after my long run on Saturday evening to watch football. Guess what my husband decided to do? PAINT THE LIVING ROOM. Paint. The living room. SCREEEEAM!!!
This was a real lack of communication between us. I didn’t tell him I really wanted to relax on Saturday night and he didn’t tell me he wanted to paint the living room, so… this is what happens.
We had a tense moment when I snapped something like “Well I certainly hope you don’t think I’m going to help!” but then we settled down. He painted the wall behind me while I watched some football. There were things piled all around me on the couch, and the furniture was all covered in plastic, so it wasn’t exactly the cozy vibe I was hoping for. Sigh.
On Sunday, I couldn’t really clean the living room or dining room because, ahem, they were still being painted. So I cleaned my son’s room (he’ll be home Tuesday!) and cleaned out the fridge- two important Thanksgiving prep activities.
And I went shopping! Here’s my cart with SOME of the things we’ll need for Thanksgiving, and a charcuterie board on Wednesday. (I’ll do another round of shopping on Tuesday.)
Guess who has the entire week off? My husband! (Sooooo… he could have painted on Monday and Tuesday while I was at work…?) And, my daughter. That means I can sleep a little later, hooray!
Would you like it if you had a cat named Beyonce?
Would you be mad if your husband decided to paint the living room without telling you? – I mean… I guess you can look at it as a “blessing.” The walls will look really nice! (Btw he kept the same color- it just needed a refresh).
23 Responses
An impromptu wall paint would leave me feeling pretty miffed, Jenny.
So very glad Charlotte’s issues are treatable! I hope everything goes well with her various medications.,
So far, so good. The hardest thing is the eyedrops, but that’s also the least serious problem. We’re doing our best with that and not stressing too much.
Ummm, why would you have to communicated with anyone about them wanting to paint a room. Who wants to do that?! And who does not have a convo about it before they do?! I am… there are no words. Flummoxed does not suffice.
I’m so glad Charlotte is (relatively) okay. She and I can be hyperthyroid friends! I also have to take pills for the rest of my life! I feel you my feline friend!
The managing of multiple cats when one cat HAS to be eating something is not for the faint of heart. Truly.
I hope you manage to relax some this week and that your husband doesn’t surprise paint any more rooms. That is insanity.
Haha… I’m pretty sure the painting will be done for a while, at least. And- yes, you and Charlotte are thyroid buddies. I have HYPO thyroidism and also take a medication for it. Can anyone have a healthy thyroid???
Painting walls on a Sunday is a crime! Sunday nights are for relaxing, period! Watching TV with furniture around you covered in plastic wouldn’t be my idea of cozy either.
It’s good to hear Charlotte has something you can treat. Fingers crossed for the kidneys.
Thanks Susanne! I think he was all gung ho to paint because it’s the start of his week off… but I don’t have the week off, hence the need for a relaxing weekend… whatever.
So glad Charlotte has a manageable diagnosis! Sorry about the eye drops though- I imagine that can be a challenge even with an older cat.
Your shopping cart items intrigue me. I’ve never seen grain free crackers before. I’m completely ignoring Thanksgiving day shopping. I’m hoping to waltz into the store tomorrow and find everything. Luckily, I have no guests coming and my family just cares about rolls and pies, and so I can squeak by with minimal effort.
Yes, it’s just our family as well, so I’m not too stressed about the shopping. And, I lso got regular crackers for the rest of the family. I like the grain free though for myself.
The eye drops are the hardest part! I’m not sure we’re really getting them in her eye… oh well. The conjunctivitis was the least serious of the three problems, so hopefully it will resolve itself.
Ok I am giggling about the impromptu painting! I am picturing you with stuff piled up around you and ingesting fumes while trying to relax. I would have been very snippy about a surprise painting.
I am relieved that Charlotte’s ailments are treatable and not something like cancer. I was worried it was something very serious. But having to give her pills for the rest of her life doesn’t sound great either. But hopefully she continues to take them over. I wouldn’t love the name Beyoncé either!
Yes, pills forever seems daunting. There are a couple easier options (a liquid which goes over her food or a transdermal med that you rub on her ear) but those are more expensive. We’ll see how this goes!
I’m trying to picture a world in which my husband would paint a room in our house. It would NEVER happen. We would kick over cans of paint, and probably need 5 gallons for 1 wall. We have painted a few things and it always ended horribly. But the PUNCHLINE being he is off all week and could have painted another time. HOW RUDE! I can see why you were snippy. But glad it looks great.
I’m so glad they were able to diagnose the issues for Charlotte. Of course you hope nothing is wrong, but the next best thing is to have a specific diagnosis and a plan for moving forward. I’m so glad things are all treatable. Sending hugs your way. I’m sure this is so very stressful 🙁
I’m glad Charlotte’s issues are treatable, and hopefully the insurance will cover some of it! My dog has had arthritis for a few years now and she takes medication for it — she can’t really run around as much anymore and she gets stiff sometimes but she can still go for her walks.
Growing up I always had the full week off for Thanksgiving which was really nice but now I only have Thursday and Friday which is ok but I’m not excited about having to work Monday – Wednesday!
Your husband just randomly decided to paint the living room? I’m stuck on this detail. I cannot imagine such a thing happening in my house without HOURS of discussion and prep. That said, Rob did just get his buddy to fix up some of the drywall nicks around here so maybe he will be painting the living room soon.
I’m so glad Charlotte’s ailments are treatable!!! And I have said it before and I’ll say it again – I think Beyonce would be a great name for a cat. If they called “Beyonce” at the vet I would just swish through the waiting room.
I’m glad Charlotte is (relatively) OK. Our last cat was called Morgan, he came called that as an adult so we didn’t change it. Our surname is Dexter. So that got some laughs in the vet waiting room (Dexter Morgan off the TV serial-killer programme). Our current two were called Samwell and Gilly who are off Game of Thrones and married, while ours are siblings, so we changed to Percy and Willa. They were only young, though.
Oh thank goodness there is a plan moving forward for Charlotte! I came here yesterday hoping for good news. I hope she tolerates the thyroid medication well and it doesn’t give her any kidney issues. I’m glad that she is taking her medication well also. That can be SUCH a struggle, especially with cats. My poor dog Genevieve had to take some pills 2 times a day, and GAH we struggled. I would figure out a way to trick her that would work for a day or two, and then she would figure it out and suddenly it would not work anymore. Mulder was much easier, cover his in peanut butter and down it would go.
LOL about your wall and your reaction. Been there, sister, been there.
Normally it’s tough to take sides in a marital issue, but this one is clear cut. HE IS IN THE WRONG. I have never once told my husband that I wanted to relax on a Saturday night, so I am guilty of the same “communication failure”. But hey, we’ve had plenty of other issues where he’s taken a notion to do an odd thing at an odd time and swears that he told me about it but didn’t, so I can relate.
Yay Beyonce! Sorry, I mean yay Charlotte. She may not have the name, but she is still the Queen. Pink eye is treatable, fish oil is yummy medicine, and the thyroid is, well, annoying since obviously you need an extra chore to do twice a day like a hole in the head, but at least it’s treatable. Long live Queen Charlotte!
Oh, no! Charlotte! Zelda had a thyroid thing and she was such a pill about the treatment (we did the transdermal thing on her ear) that we did the radioactive thing. I’m not sure we’d make the same choice if she had been even a year or two older, to be honest. It was expensive and then she was diagnosed with some stomach thing that will inevitably kill her, so…not sure if that was a wise investment. Although, we were TERRIBLE about keeping track of right versus left and maybe it was a wise investment in our mental health. I don’t know. There are never clear answers when it comes to pet healthcare.
Painting is a major thing. We plan it for ages in advance. This would be a marital tiff for sure!
When you mentioned the significant weight loss I was hoping for hyperthyroidism as it’s often quite manageable compared to some other ailments of older cats (Vet here). I’m in Canada so not sure of the options there for medication availability but here there is a transdermal gel option (applied to inside of ear). If you end up having issues with getting her to take pills on a long term basis you could ask your vet about that.
Beyonce would be a hilarious name but I can see why you wouldn’t want to be the one being called in the clinic 🙂
What a relief that Charlotte’s issues are treatable. Coach is not the best communicator, but I cannot imagine him deciding to paint a room and not mention it. Of course in our situation, I’d need to know as I have babies in there 4 days, and on top of that I have a ton of baby related gear that he wouldn’t want to deal with moving, so he would’ve asked for help. Coach knows I’ve about had it with the state of our home. No need for it to ALL fall to me, so he dusted the entire first floor – including cobwebs and light fixtures that are up high – which happens to be in his ‘neck of the woods’ since he’s so tall. Progress.
The thought of a waiting room announcement to invite Beyonce back totally killed me. I wouldn’t have been on board with that as a name.
I’m feeling for you Jenny, having your Saturday night plans interrupted with painting. I hate when G and I have communication breakdowns. We share 1 car, so there are lots of opportunities for that to happen. Although if G has booked something and not told me, he will offer to take an UBER, so we usually avoid a full-blown row. That’s a shame about Charlotte, but good that her health issues can be treated. Riley takes fish oil as a preventive because he’s 11 years old, which is a good age for a bigger dog and our previous dog lost strength in his back legs at 11.
Charlotte is a beauty!!!! Glad to hear you have a plan for her. And hope she feels better soon!
My husband gets hung up on some things( example: an extra router to make internet faster), then drills a hole in the wall, dust everywhere, six months later- hole closed, walls painted, new molding. Internet- same speed :/
I’m so glad Charlotte is okay! And I hope the medicine helps and she doesn’t go into kidney failure. Ugh. Poor bebe. I have NO IDEA how I would give either of my cats eye drops. Especially Lila! And three times a day!!
So, when we were in London, my stepdad decided to paint their living room unbeknownst to my mom! And he painted it four different colors. I… really hate it, lol. One wall has two different shades of purple and then a section of silver/gray. And then the far wall is DARK RED. It’s wild! He “surprised” my mom with it when we got home, and she apparently loves it but it would give me a headache, lol.
OMG, I laughed so hard at ” “We’re ready for Beyonce!” Cringe.” I used to work at a vet office during college and remember that we always called the patience up with their pet’s name. This would have been hilarious!
Oh, I would have been so mad if my husband decided to paint the living room without telling me/consulting me…. but then again, I guess it would rather be me who decides such things in our house anyway LOL