get fat don't die

Years ago, when there was very little help besides hope for people with HIV, I subscribed to a short-lived 'zine called Diseased Pariah News. It was short-lived because the editors kept dying. But while it was around, it was irreverant and outrageous, and somehow helped me cope as I sat with friends who were getting sick.

One fun feature was a recipe column called "get fat don't die," featuring sinful-sounding recipes that would make a cardiologist roll her eyes in despair.

This all brings us to the present where the kitty has been slowly slipping away, losing an ounce here and an ounce there, starving to death quite literally. A few weeks ago, I had a long talk with a vet tech about how to get her to eat. The problem is that keeping the cat on a healthy diet is crucial to maintaining her small reserve of kidney function, but her special kidney food isn't always fully attractive -- it doesn't totally suck, but it's just not always that interesting. On the other hand, the vet pointed out that we could start thinking like the Italians and say that now that she's elderly, she should eat whatever she wants.

We've started a funny dance around the food dish, petting the cat to get her juices going, warming her food, adding just a little bit of water but not too much, making sure the food is fresh, feeding her times a day when we're home, carrying her over to the food dish and petting her some more, hanging out in the kitchen so she has company while she eats.

And a few weeks ago, we started occasionally putting a few treats on top of her food. And then... we went out and bought tuna (for humans) and started giving her some. I think Juliet's view of heaven is bowls of fresh tuna as far as the eye can see, interspersed with flannel-covered down pillows in the sun. Sleep, eat, sleep, eat, sleep, eat.

... and... it's working. At this week's weigh-in, she was up a quarter pound -- the first time she's gained weight in months, and certainly the biggest leap she's made. It's worth it. (But let me tell you -- the next cat will get a bowl of grub and that's it -- no more hovering or cooing.)

Get Fat Don't Die!!