We have a new cat

[aishabintjamil]

Some of you have heard already that we'd been approached by a friend to see if we might be able to offer a home for an elderly cat belonging to a friend who was unable to care for her due to health issues. I heard the cat's age, which is alleged to be in the 20-22 range, and immediately thought "No one will adopt a cat that old, therefore we should." Yes, we have sucker written on our foreheads. Also we knew when this came up that Romeo, who had been fighting a battle with squammous cell carinoma since August, was not going to hang on much longer, so there would be a vacancy in the househould. So we said yes, pending meeting the cat.

We went to meet the cat and her person today, and the cat did not hate us on sight, so we brought her home. Her name is Truffles. So far things appear to be going peacefully. She's walking around the house exploring, but there have been no explosions or even great fits of hissing. So far so good. Undoubtedly there will be issues, but this is a promising beginning.

The caretakers at the kennel where she's been living (for a YEAR, apparently) expressed doubts outside the owner's hearing that she was really 22. They thought perhaps 15 or 16, based on the way she moves. At any rate, we have an appointment on Wed. with our vet to get her checked out, and some real bloodwork done. She hasn't had a senior profile to check things like kidney function since 2005, and she seems a little underweight.

We've joked before about there being an agency which sends a new cat when we have a vacancy, but it's getting a little unnerving. We got this email about Truffles out of the blue at the beginning of last week, and set up the appointment to meet her today. Romeo took a sudden turn for the worse on Thurs. night of this week (probably a heart attack, or possibly a stroke - he just fell over suddenly, and never really seemed fully conscious again), and we let him go on Friday morning). I'd feel a lot better about this kind of providence if it didn't seem to be anticipating events so successfully....

Comments

[aishabintjamil.livejournal.com]

As soon as she stops hiding under the bed so we can take some. Poor puss. She doesn't seem to mind the other cats, although she and Hex have hissed a bit, but I think she's just kind of overwhelmed. She can't have been getting a lot of people time, or all that much stimulation at the kennel. Although I was impressed that a couple of the techs came running out when we were about to leave because they wanted to say goodbye. When she settles in and is comfy enough to get a pic looking happy I think I'll email one over there for them.

I was fairly impressed by the kennel. It isn't quite as posh as the one Rob sends his kitties to, but the facility is nice, it's just on the other side of town, and they will do medications and fluid treatments for kidney cats. If we have anyone we need to board for Pennsic next year on account of medical issues (crossing fingers and knocking on wood that we won't) we'll probably just take them over there.

I'd ignored it because I thought it was primarily focused on dogs (It's called Sendaishi Pet Resort, and started out as a Malamute breeding operation, but they now do all kinds of boarding, training, and canine physical therapy/rehab).

She's what her vet records describe as a "Dilute tortoise shell". She's mostly dusty grey and orange, with very little white. The earliest entry on the vet record her owner provided is from 1992 which is when she way spayed, so we know she's at least 9. I'd say older, but probably not so old as her owner said.

[camilla-anna.livejournal.com]

Um...math check?

2010 - 1992 is 18.

[aishabintjamil.livejournal.com]

I was checking to see if you were paying attention....

[camilla-anna.livejournal.com]

Of COURSE you were. Ahem.