We had a great Thanksgiving. I admit I was a little down on the holidays this year and frankly couldn't wait for them to be over. With it looking like I'll be working every weekend between now and January and Toonces' condition, I'd had it. But then something terrific happened.
When Toonces' vet came over about ten days ago to examine him, she determined that he had detached retinas from his renal failure (a condition he's had for a couple of years) and that his blindness was permanent. But she also diagnosed him with one of the worst cases of high blood pressure she'd ever seen in a cat. She prescribed something for it and that was that. We watched him over the next week-and-a-half as he learned to deal with no vision and very little hearing. He bumped into things a lot, missed his litter box several times spent a lot of time sleeping in one spot, usually on the heating pad Suzanne set up for him. But he was getting around. We started him on his hypertension meds and the weird thing with his eyes being completely black stopped. The pupils contracted and we could see the amber-green color return around the edges.
Then, on Black Friday, I got the weird feeling that Toonces could see me. He was following me around the room with his eyes. We'd already determined he could tell when the lights were on or off and that the positions of various lights throughout the house were helping him navigate. We took to leaving them all on for him. (Not looking forward to the power bill this month.) But this was different. I walked up to him and waved my hand slowly in front of his face and he followed it. And suddenly we realized he wasn't bumping into things anymore. His vision had returned!
I don't think he can see as well as before but he can see enough to run up and down the stairs now and not bounce around like a billiard ball from wall to wall. It must have been the hypertension. Suze and I are so relieved we don't know what to do. He really is our little miracle cat. Every time we think the little guy is down and out, he rebounds. It's given me a new outlook on the holidays and I don't think I'll be such a grinch this year after all. And for that, I am truly thankful.
I hope your Thanksgiving was just as wonderful.
Later.
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6 comments:
OTHER SUZANNE HERE
Thanks for the fab holiday story. What about a kids comic called the Adventures of Toonces...the cat who really had 9 lives? My two would read it (and I'd buy it for us and the library...)
Great to hear about Ts eyes. My boss has a blind dog who does all the normal stuff, including swimming. Though even without vision hanging on a heating pad all day sounds pretty good--do you accept people in your assisted living facility?
That's awesome Matt!!
Wonderful! :)
oh wow! that is so awesome to hear! if that's not a story to get you in the spirit of the season i don't know what is.
so awesome!
i echo heywood--story of the season!
that's what christmas is all about!
great to hear, matt!
give that little guy a wave from his uncle todd.
Toonces truly has a "Wonderful Life."
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