2023 Sept-Dec, Care and Wellness, Cats, Creature Thoughts, My Family, senior pets

Missing Missie (Nov/Dec 2023)

Posted by Gayle Nastasi on
Missie Misfit: 31 May 2008 – 2 Nov 2023

Creature Thoughts, November/December 2023: A Note On Feline Renal Failure

Missie was fifteen. She was active, lively, funny. She enjoyed chasing the dog around the dining room table, hanging out in the sun on her perches and beds, and being with the family. She was in great health, vibrant, and well.

Until she wasn’t.

Renal failure can hit that way. It’s a very common problem in older cats. Missie is my fourth “kidney cat.” Sasha’s kidney disease was chronic, he lasted a very long time with daily fluids and home care. Merlin, Sachet, and now Missie, however, left me due to sudden onset acute renal failure.

Once Missie’s symptoms (drinking and peeing a lot, though she was still eating and playing at the time) began, she was gone in under a month. She really had no other warning signs; other than the two mentioned, she seemed fine at first.

We did blood work and found a major problem. We threw everything at the disease: various medications and subcutaneous fluids became a daily routine. She was great for her fluids, very patient. Not so much for the medications, so we went through a compounding pharmacy to find easier ways to get them into her.

It was all to no avail. The disease had crept up on her, not letting us know she was ill, and took our girl away from us like lightning.

Our family is still in a state of shock. This is one of the rare, brief spans of time that this house has been without a cat. When my parents first moved in here back in 1988, within a couple of months a little tabby-calico girl, Morning Glory, had adopted them. After Morning Glory came Blackie. My mom passed away in 2006, and within a few days, Monkey showed up. When Monkey went missing, it was only a few months later that my dad adopted Missie.

When Pop passed away in February of 2010, my husband, son and I moved into this house, and from that day on, we belonged to Missie.

For the first time in over forty-five years I don’t have a cat in my life. Everything around me feels all wrong.

It’s impossible to believe that Missie is no longer physically present in our world. I look for her everywhere, expecting to see her in her old favorite spots. I still head into her “private space” every day or two, thinking I have to scoop her litter box. All of her things are here … her toys, her cat tree, her climbing shelves, her carrier, even some of her food. Some of that will go to Cinder, my daughter’s/son’s cat next door. Some will just stay. I’m sure there will be another cat, someday. Until then, we’ll keep it all safe, because it will eventually have some-kitty new to love it. Plus, we just don’t have the heart to give it away.

I have had so many clients who have had to deal with kidney failure in their cats. Some studies have indicated that up to 80% of cats over 15 years of age will experience kidney disease. In many cases, if caught early, home care can extend a cat’s time, and give them good quality of life, for quite a long while. It’s important to make sure your elder cats have annual senior bloodwork. Keeping track of those numbers can go a long way towards catching renal issues early.

And then there are those, like Missie, whose blood work looked good on their last check, and whose kidneys just decided to shut down anyway. Sometimes you can know ahead of time.

Sometimes you can’t.

I miss you, my beautiful, sweet, sometimes naughty, and brilliant girl. I will look for you in the dreamtime, and hope to walk beside you again someday. Fly free, play with the starlight, and give Pop a kiss for me.

Some Feline Kidney Disease Information