scene of the crime

I woke on Saturday morning to a crime scene in miniature -- blood-spattered sheets, drops of blood leading across the bathroom floor. The alleged victim sat quietly with a bloody mouth. It gets grosser, but basically, we seem to have entered a new phase, one that is initially disturbing, and probably doesn't get much less so despite some habituation.

Juliet's tumor is at the point where it occasionally lets go of some blood, including clots. I don't think it's painful, but apparently swallowing blood can induce nausea. I'm supposed to clean her mouth out with a squirting device filled with warm water. The first few times I tried it, we both found the experience upsetting, though we're both a little better at it now. In fact, Juliet seems to accept it at this point, especially now that I'm not getting her entirely wet in the process.

On Saturday, I almost took her into the vet, but instead, talked to the Saturday vet tech twice. At one point, I asked whether cleaning her mouth out was more for her benefit or for mine and was reassured that it's good for both of us. Today I called the clinic to get advice about feeding. I think that Juliet is eating a little less, though she's still cleaning up much of what's in her bowl. Still, she's not reacting to her food with as much enthusiasm as she was last week.

On my next visit to see the doc, I'll ask where this new phase puts us in the overall plan. Having no experience with this disease, I don't know what to expect, so I freak out easily. Obviously, there is only one ending, and it's not happy, but I suppose it's a matter of timing.

In other health news, Juliet may have gotten back some tiny amount of vision. Robert and I have both noticed that she's more aware of our presence when we're in the room with her, and she seems to react a little bit to lights being switched on.

And her blood pressure is slowly, but oh so slowly, coming down. We're checking it about once a week. So far, no horrible strokes or neurological complications, thank goodness. We go in for a half-week check tomorrow (I think it's to celebrate the acquisition today of an even tinier cuff for the vet's borrowed bp machine).

Acupuncture treatments continue with good results. Last week, Juliet was especially feisty and even with me holding her would not allow Dr. Randy near her front paws. He was a little concerned about getting bitten, so we just dropped that part of the treatment.

Over all, Juliet's coat gets ever more beautiful and she seems to become increasingly alert. She seems a little more awake these days than right after she went blind; I'm assuming that re-learning her way was exhausting.

A friend dropped by last week to say goodbye to Ms. Puss; I'm hoping said friend's visits will become like the Cher Farewell Tour -- frequently repeated.