Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Updates and Such

I see that my last update was on February 12, 2012. I have never been good at sticking with blogs. I have tried in the past and after a brief period of regular updates, I trail off for months without word, only to pop back up again to begin the cycle anew. Consider this a new cycle. Since I last wrote, my cat, Zephyr, who I introduced here, got diagnosed with FIP back in May. The symptoms started appearing in March but attributed them to stress from my roommates moving out. Turns out it was an early sign of his kidneys failing. I tell myself there was nothing I could have done. All my research tells me that the coronavirus infects almost all shelter cats and that veterinary medicine doesn't know why the coronavirus turns into the deadly and untreatable FIP virus. He's hung in there longer than I had expected and I'm treasuring each day. Every time he goes through a bad streak and I am convinced I need to take him to the vet to put him to sleep, he rebounds and regains his energy. Unfortunately I think his slow decline may be coming to an end. He has always been a lanky cat but he is now gaunt. His appetite is also disappearing. He still comes for treats, though. When he stops then I know it really is time. He is living like a king and I'm happy to treat him like one for as long as I can.
In other news, the county agricultural fair starts next weekend and I need to figure out what, if anything, I will be entering. It will be mighty hard to top the big purple ribbon I got last year.