this post is a combined version of two emails sent this year to family and friends

In January Bubz had her annual jabs and the vet saw she'd lost weight since July & more since last January. At this point I was also told she was probably arthritic in her rear right leg. He took blood and asked me to get a urine sample. That involved putting small plastic beads in her box. Bubz *did not* approve the first time, but she point blank refused the second time despite needing to 'go'!

The results came back with her having early stage renal failure and early thyroid problems, and I was told that she had to go onto a renal diet. The first box she ate, but not with much gusto. Then I was given (a.k.a bought) some liquid medicine - for her thyroid - to mix into her wet food and this was definitely going too far. She stopped eating almost entirely. I bought some more renal food and she reduced interest in any food and that was ignored. She was just eating the bare minimum, just to stay alive, but nothing else. Understandably she was so floppy she wasn't doing anything beyond lie on my lap every chance she got.

Last Friday I rang the vet as an emergency because I was watching her waste away. had a very long consultation and was told to try her on her 'mainstream' food just to see if she'd eat that, and they gave her jabs for anti-sickness, pain and one to kickstart her appetite as well as something to rehydrate her. I pushed the vet for a guesstimate on her life span, and was told that it was probably months rather than years. I told the vet I would not attempt giving any more renal food. She wouldn't eat it and would starve to death eventually, so she's on ordinary food, and I'm waiting on a powder supplement for her kidneys that'll go in her wet food. I'd rather have her for a shorter time but have her eating something than seeing her go on hunger-strike.

We brought her home round the long way round to get her some of her old food. I'd donated what I'd got when she started on her renal diet so hadn't got anything in the house. Anyway Friday to Monday she guzzled all the wet food and some of her dry food so she'd put on 100g over the weekend.

She's off the thyroid liquid and is on some cream that is put in her ear lobes, which is easier all round and I'm hoping when she goes for a checkup in a couple of weeks that her thyroid has stabilised and she's gaining weight nicely.

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But Bubz needed to be sent to sleep on Saturday morning. She'd been deteriorating for two weeks or so, but yesterday morning my PA Candice found her pulling herself [or trying to] into the hall from my sitting room by her front legs. Her back half of her body was totally limp as a paraplegic person is. We took her to the vet, arriving a few minutes before opening at nine, were seen immediately and the vet said something between two vertebrae had got kind of squashed or something like that - I wasn't taking much in at that point - and the only thing to do was to take the pain away for her.

I had my legs up on cushions in the evenings and Bubz used to curl up on my lap. Anyhow I asked Candice to come home for the cushions so I could say goodbye with her on my lap. So partway through the morning she had her final injection, and went very quickly. My sister Tricia came over a little later, I'd phoned her about 7.30 to tell her, and Candice WhatsApp-ed her before we left Bubz behind.

I'm so lonely, as you can imagine.

The photo below is of Bubz just before the injection. She was 17years 3months (and 9 days, if you want to be super accurate)

I have added new pictures and information to my posts.

They always have plenty of dry food and water!.

Their names are Panda (black and white) and Nancy (Tabby)
And I love them to bits and they love and trust me😀

Brief update! I have insomnia, then normal sleep length, (also called non 24 hour sleep disorder. .....Look that up if you want!) and I often sleep in the daytime    Which is why I can’t feed them wet food regularly.
LOL I’ve just thought! They sleep and wake when they want and so do I. !!! ha ha!

Picture of them eating

For the time being I have decided to take my cues from them.
As previously written they were given 4 pouches a day, often all at the same time, plus an unlimited amount of dry (due to a sleep problem I have, I often can’t feed them twice a day)
They are not perturbed if the wet food is many hours old if it is still wet and not dried up, as sometimes when I feed them the next day I will leave the previous day’s leftovers out and they will eat that as well as the fresh food.
I have recently been putting down 2 pouches once a day, and that is almost all being eaten, also they still have an unlimited supply of dry food.

I would leave good quality dry food out in a bowl- for them to graze on all day.  I would then only offer wet food once a day to start with.  Offer a small amount and if they are hungry they will eat it.  Most cats like their food fresh, straight from the packet.  My guys get wet food in the morning and again at tea time.

Good luck

Let us know how you get on