Maya is nearly fourteen years old, and in the past months she’s started to show signs of disease. I suspected kidney disease as she began to lose weight and interest in food and was wasting away. She was down to skin and bones and weighed less than six pounds. So off we went to the vet for an exam and blood work.  Turns out not only does she have kidney disease, but she has hyperthyroidism too.  Not wanting to leave her at the vet hospital, we started with sub-cutaneous  fluids and an appetite stimulant to see if we could get her interested in eating again.  In addition, the vet supplied a thyroid diet for her.  Well, the sub-Q fluids and appetite stimulant did their job and she started showing an interest in food again, just NOT the thyroid diet. So, not one to give up, we bought her canned cat food (the kind that comes in the tiny cans), and gave that a go.  She loved it and began to eat (like a boss), and has put on weight.  After a couple of weeks of this, I reported in to the vet, and we started Phase II: once daily thyroid meds.  Luckily, these come in a fishy-flavored chew which she finds quite the treat, so I don’t have to subject Maya to getting ‘pilled’ daily.   In a week or so, I’ll take her back for blood tests to see how she’s doing.

So, for now, she’s holding on. She’s still affectionate, and is not isolating herself. I know that when the time comes, she’ll let us know. For now, however, she’s not just hanging on, she’s doing pretty well.