Need Caffeine!

I noticed last night that Dock has not been sleeping in those odd places any longer.  I would assume that is because her current dose of medications are helping.  This morning though, I was enjoying a McDonald's coffee when Dock decided she wanted to try it.  As I am a coffee-holic, she has been exposed to coffee uncountable times, and has never taken any interest.  This morning she decided that the swill sitting on top of the lid would be tasty and licked it up readily.  I'm sure if I had the lid off, she would have put her face right into it, likely spilling it all over, including into my keyboard.  Thankfully I have learned that I am a klutz, and the lids stay on for my own safety. 

 Dock is currently enjoying a sit on my lap, after having drank her fill from a bowl sitting in the sink.  She's my soft, cute lady and I don't want to move her, but I do have to get ready for work.  Ah, what is another few minutes of cuddle time gonna hurt :D

Why does she keep trying?!

Dock has an obsession about being on the kitchen counter.  Especially if I'm doing dishes, so I try to do them when she is stowed away in her room eating. (That is so Mace doesn't bully her out of the way and get her food, poor girl will starve)  Today was no exception.  I was getting coffee ready, and had to move a few dishes into the sink.  Sure enough, there she was, ready to hop on the counter.  Due to her bad knees, she doesn't have a lot of strength to get up, so I have a little mat for her to give her some foot traction.  Despite that, she still doesn't make it sometimes, and lands hard on her already delicate frame.  You think she'd learn that she doesn't always make it, and it hurts.  But she still tries, and makes it about 75% of the time.  This morning though, she must have some weakness as she tried 3 times before I made my way into the coffee maker.  (You can't help but hear it when she falls).  Getting the brew started, she jumped again, and would not have made it had I not caught her back end and hoisted her up.

I Really Don't Like Mace....Really I Don't!

I was watching Dock and Mace play for a few seconds this morning.  I grabbed my phone quickly in hopes of gaining proof that she can tolerate him.  I know she feels good when she can have a boxing match and not growl or hiss at him.  Today, the match was in full swing for about 1 minute before I found phone and was able to get it set for video.  After a swipe or two, Mace noticed something in the doorway, and the match succumbed to a more curious instinct.  The other pic here is Dock mid jump.  She loved playing with a peacock feather.  But the feathers don't last too long around here as she tends to eat the feathers, and then leave them in a pile of saliva type vomit for me to find the next morning, or step on in the middle of  the night.

I woke up last night to something downstairs.  I did not get up, as the sound was brief, but I know it was Dock.  Mace was in bed curled up beside me snoozing.  It sounded like she was scratching at the couch cushions, but she has no front claws.  I found no evidence this morning that it was a seizure, and the only seizure I have seen was localized around her head and was not full body.  I'm not even sure if she would bring out her back claws, or if she'd have used her hind legs to that extent to make that kind of noise.  For now, I will assume it was not a seizure, and maybe she was dreaming, or found some odd little toy to play with.  She did find a paper ball last night (her favourite "everyone is in bed, so I now want to play and make noise" toy), so maybe she rediscovered that.

I also noticed that she is hungrier.  She is starting to scavenge a bit, and even took to licking the inside of granola bar wrappers.  She needed some weigh put back on her, so I'm giving her a bit more here and there.

Sitting at the computer,  I have a cat standing on my lap.  And now, she is sitting.  Dock still is a curiosity to me.  Her odd behavior has reduced some since her meds were increased.  Occasionally still some weird things such as licking out of the dishes at 4 am.  She also NEEDS to be on the counter when I'm doing the dishes.  She's lurking, waiting for me to put up a bowl, a storage container, pot or pan with some water on it.   Glasses are no good as she can't reach the bottom of them very well.  And plates just don't have enough water on them.    I did a load of plates/glasses about an hour ago, and she just looked at me like "where are my damn dishes?!"  Ah well, I'll just watch her as she stares at walls or demands pets.

I work long days on Monday, so the dishes have usually piled up a day or two.  And now, Dock is taking it upon herself to help with them whenever she can.  Any pot or tupper ware with any water on it requires her to lick it.  She is making alot of noise as she gingerly walks around the glasses, the silverware, and plates to get to the bowls that actually hold water.  Maybe it's the added pred and the thirst that goes along with it.  Maybe it's the fact that she's hungry (also maybe due to the pred) or she is developing an eating disorder.  Either way, I thank her for her contribution to the house work.

Snow is flying up here.  Finally a touch of the winter I was waiting for.  Will only last a few days though, rain and warmer temps coming later in the week.

I'm starting to second guess my thoughts on Dock's behaviour.  I'm not sure if I'm turning into a overly concerned mom and looking to much into how she is acting.  Or if I'm being super sensitive to it because I am paying such close attention to her. Hell, I'm paying such close attention to her that I think her eyes are  not constricting/dilating well.

 I talked to the vet yesterday about how Dock has been a bit spacey, like she's just wandering the house singing "la-la-la".  This is likely not due to the increase in her meds.  I'm to stick to the plan right now, and maybe take her in to check her eyes and cranial reflexes.  If she is having issues with her eyes, that can contribute to the vacant look, and possibly indicate that the meningioma is farther advanced than we suspect.  For now, a nice warm heat vent for her on this snowy, canadian day.

Today is a normal Friday....so far

Dock has been doing well.  The increase in her Prednisone dose means she is more hungry and eating her breakfast much better.  She does seem to be a bit more dazed as she walks, almost a bit spacey.  She is bright and relatively alert.  I'll speak to the vet to see if that is the Pred or maybe the illness.

No So White North

This has been the warmest winter ever.  It has snowed 3 or 4 times, with the snow staying only for a day or 2.  We have shoveled the sidewalk once and the temperature is typically -3C to +2C daily with a few days reaching +10C (50F)  Dock is missing the snow.  She likes to sit at a window with the blind open and watch the world, either when it's really nice so she can feel the sunshine and breeze and see all the people, or when it's snowing.  I have to say, I miss the snow this winter too.

I remember when she first came home.  I got her at 6 years old and she was a bit solitary at first.  She was with an older couple that could not longer care for her, so she was not a cuddly cat.  That is why she is my Diva.  Does what she wants, when she wants.  I wasn't sure if she was going to stay with us.  I kind of just brought her home without talking to the hubby.  Told him that we could take her back if he wanted, or if it didn't work out.  He was the one that sat with her in the spare room and she made the first move of coming out to head butt him while he read.  When we went to bed that night, she wandered into the house to see us, and he invited her up on the bed.  That happened again in the night.  From then, I knew she was going to stay.  She has been with us for 10 years now.

Today she decided she would rather eat Mace's food and she dove into it right beside him.  She never does that, she usually gets pushed aside by him hovering his breakfast, so she just lets him go to it.  This morning, she decided she was hungry and dammit, Mace is going to share.  I just had to call her name, and she came to her own room for her own breakfast.  I'm shocked that Mace even allowed that in the first place.  As I said before, she does occasionally tolerate him.

The Great White North

Today is a bit colder than it has been this winter.  Dock has been finding it enjoyable to lie beside the heat vent.  Right now, she's just content to feel the warm air.

Her behavior has been pretty good but it appears that the meningioma has altered where she wants to spend her time snoozing.  The other night found her asleep on my husbands computer desk.  And when he came home from work on Monday, she was curled up on the dining room table.  She has never even set foot on that table as far as I know.  She has also laid down in front of the back door, and on my computer desk.  I have decided to keep myself giggling a bit to start a photo diary of the odd places she is sleeping.

When I discussed the sleeping arrangement with my vet, she asked me if I thought it was an acute change in her sleeping patterns.  I think it is, as until Sunday, she was always at her spot on the couch, (except for that one time in the dining room) or the heat vent.  We've decided to increase her Prednisone a bit to see if that helps.

Where will she be next time.  Where ever it is, my response will likely be the same.  "DOCK....What The Hell.....Oh Well, Whatever."

Start of the trip

This is my first blog ever, but I am hoping to share my story of my wonderful cat that has meningioma (a tumour on the lining of the brain)

Let me first introduce myself and my family.  I am Carla and I live in St. Catharines with my husband and 2 cats Dock (DLH) and Mace (sphynx).  Mace is a 5 year old little hell raiser that keeps us on our toes, and likes to pester poor Dock.  Dock is a 15 and a half year old long haired diva that could care less about Mace, but will tolerate him enough for the occasional wrestling or boxing match.

Dock has been pretty healthy until the last few years.  She has early kidney disease, and has had surgeries to repair ruptured cruciate ligaments in both back legs.  She has been on 2 pain medications for the arthritis associated with the surgeries, as well as monthly injections.

On January 12th, she started acute onset of odd behavior.  I thought she may be going senile.  She sleeps on the couch mostly, or in front on a particular heat vent, and does not travel upstairs much, except in the morning when it is time to wake us up for food.  But this night, she came up about 4am, meowing her little head off and decided to spray the wall and urinate on some clothes.  The next morning, she was having her mandatory sleep time, but on a pillow on the other side of the couch.  Odd....  I didn't think too much of it, but I would be sure to check with my vet if this strangeness keeps up.  That same day, she decided that my husbands sweater in the dining room corner would be the next greatest bed.  Ok, now this is getting weird.  Lastly, after being on the computer for a bit that night, I was unable to find her.  A search of the house revealed her on the back of the couch in the basement (which we never use, and in her 15 years, she has never slept on).  

Dock was also being more vocal, as well as more "sucky".  She would insist on sitting in front of the computer screen and just stare at us.  Putting her down, means she just has to jump back up again.  

A chat with the vet on the Saturday meant I would need to bring her in for some testing.  A few items on the diagnosis list was senility, possible organ dysfunction, pain induced behavior changes, or a possible neurological condition.

Monday saw me in the clinic with Dock.  A number of tests were run including her thyroid, urine.  Her kidney dysfunction, while stable, was now showing she was losing potassium.  All other tests were normal.  So B12 injections and potassium supplements on top of the other meds were started.  

On Sunday the 14th, Dock had a small seizure, focused on her head.  It was short, and would not have been noticed had I not been sitting beside her.  That pretty much confirmed the diagnosis of Meningioma.  Due to her age,  we decided not to proceed with testing to confirm the diagnosis as it would be costly, and I do not think she would do well with a major surgery to remove the tumour.  She is now on Prednisone to reduce the inflammation around the tumor, and she is doing well, though she is still sleeping in odd places.  

Thank you for reading our story so far.