I wouldn’t say he was pleased about me “abandonating!” him for a whole 34 hours, but he seemed very pleased when he knew I was home again. And me? I was over the moon. Thing is, I know this cat is clever enough to keep himself fed and watered because I know he really wants to live. I just had to trust that he’d wait for me. And he did.
Córdoba was wonderful, the whole experience was so full of STUFF that it’s going to take days to process it all and get photos edited and articles written. But for now I am happily sitting here at home with this gorgeous darling next to me on the sofa. Peter is out doing a tapas tour. I knew I couldn’t come back from Córdoba and then turn around and leave Azar again an hour later. So Peter is out there bringing in a bit of bacon and I am here answering a monster pile of work emails and sorting through photos. With this beautiful boy beside me. Life is good…
casa azahar 
That’s lovely!
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I have to confess every time I’ve popped here to check for updated my heart has been in my throat. I’m so pleased all is well.
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Oh. I am just so glad to hear news of the sweet boy.
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Wonderful!
I took Benjamin to the vet the other day. The vet gave him his shots and then suggested that it was time to have his “senior cat” blood and urine tests.
We got the results and he has the start of kidney failure. He now eats only wet food and will be getting a blood pressure medication. My baby is now officially older than I am (in cat years, of course).
He has been very put out that my nephew, his wife, their son, Rottweiler, and cat (Sylvester) are with us for the next month. He and Sylvester fizzed at each other when they first met and Benjamin has been hiding under my bed but I was shocked to see Sylvester wandering out from under the bed the other day! They are getting along fine.
Cam the Rottweiler is another matter. He loves cats but Benjamin simply is not having any of that. We have the cat gate up to keep Cam downstairs and that seems to be working. Last night, however, Benjamin tempted fate by standing a few feet away from the sleeping Cam watching him. I am glad that he didn’t actually wake him.
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I can’t imagine a cat gate keeping out a determined Rottweiler. Maybe Benjamin thinks that Cam loves cats for breakfast. On toast.
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We have a baby gate across the stairs so the cats can come and go. Cam seems to regard that as a barrier and doesn’t try to get across it, even though he could. He’s a very sweet fellow, even if he appears to have the sweets for me. I have to cut the cuddling short because he gets rather… excited. He moons at me from across the room. At least someone does… 😉
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They have been “watching” each other. Poor Benjamin got down into the basement while Cam was out for a walk or asleep and then got “trapped” I couldn’t find him and got all worried. Then I heard rusting and crunching from the basement and found him chowing down on forbidden crunchy food belonging to Sylvester… straight from the bag! There was much hissing from Benjamin but bemused silence from Cam as I carried him past and took him upstairs.
This afternoon I found him locked in the linen closet. He had apparently been there all morning. Poor lad.
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It’s really lovely how everyone cares so much about Azar. He’s having his usual after-brekky under-the-bed “me time” right now but I’ll chase him into the living room soon for a snibble and his meds-in-malt snack. Damn that tumour! Because I think his kidney problem had pretty much stablised and he might have had a couple more good years by staying hydrated and taking his daily meds. I’ve noticed a soft puffy bit on the lower part of the tumour lump which almost feels like there is liquid in there. I’m wondering if I should take him to the vet’s and see about having it drained, but I’m really not sure about traumatising him like that, possibly for nothing.
I forgot to mention the young’uns. Of course I wasn’t worried about leaving them together overnight as they are best mates and are both in rude health. But I could tell they were happy to have me at home last night too. Luna kept tearing around the apartment in a crazed kitten frenzy while Loki stretched out on the table with his beseeching face on, waiting for (and getting) regular belly rubs. They both got in a few rounds of the “string game” with me and I let them out on the terraza while I hung up some laundry and watered the plants, which they loved. I used to worry about getting them back inside, but it turns out Loki is easily herded – I just have to clap my hands and say “Loki, time to go in” … and he goes in! Luna requires scooping up, which thankfully she makes easy. She could make me chase her ten times around the rooftop but when she knows it’s going in time she’ll sit still and let me pick her up. Shame I can’t leave them up there on their own.
And that’s the kitteh update. Still ploughing through photos and working out which articles to write. Should be a busy weekend.
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We’ve grown to love your kitteh clan. Even grumpy Lua garnered her share of virtual admiration.
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Good news all round
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About two hours ago Azar was resting comfortably on the sofa after having had a snack, then suddenly he jumped off and his tumour burst open! He then raced into the bedroom and under my bed trailing blood and icky bits behind him. After getting that cleaned up I coaxed him back out and he didn’t look too bad, other than being covered in blood. And his tumour, which had looked like a baseball, was almost flat again. Remember I said I thought there was a lot of fluid in there and maybe it ought to be drained?
Anyhow, I brought him back to the sofa, put him on a fresh towel and cleaned him up, but the shoulder wound kept oozing blood, though it was quite watery. Then Azar suddenly started hyperventilating and I thought he was going to die. After awhile he calmed down but then wanted off the sofa, and found a cool corner under the tv table (I’d closed the bedroom door because when he’s under the bed I can’t reach him). Then he started hyperventilating again. I lay there on my belly for about half an hour comforting him as best I could, massaging his paws, etc. He threw up once, then after that settled down. And he’s been there ever since, trying to find a comfortable position.
My dilemma right now is that I was supposed to get my chemo port cleaned this morning and have less than an hour to get to the hospital (it’s only done between 12.00 – 1.00), otherwise I have to wait until Monday. But I also think I should take Azar to the vet’s and have his wound looked at and properly dressed, and in August the vet closes at 2.00. I’m loathe to leave him but if I get in a taxi now I should maybe get back in time for the vet. Or wait until Monday for the chemo port? I don’t know what to do.
Thank gawd this didn’t happen while I was away!!!
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I’m sure I’m not alone in watching closely for updates. There are a lot of people out here thinking of you and Azar at the moment with a lot of love and hope.
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I know, and it’s amazingly lovely, Deb. Thanks!
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What a morning! So I called the vet (a different one – no longer trust Yolanda since she is probably responsible for the bad injection that gave Azar this tumour in the first place) and was told that since the bleeding had stopped and Azar was resting comfortably it was probably better to wait until tomorrow, which put my mind at rest (Yolanda isn’t open on Saturday). And then I was given the name of a creme that I could get at the pharmacy to put on the open wound so it wouldn’t get infected.
With that under control I left Peter with very clear instructions that he wasn’t to let Azar out of his sight (he was still under the tv table) and I did the fastest ever taxi run to the hospital and back to get the chemo port done, and then a quick stop at the pharmacy to get the antibiotic creme. I was gone less than an hour and came home to find Azar in the same position I left him. Whew!
Then I gave Azar some water, which he promptly threw up, and which made him so upset that he then hid under the sofa bed… I eventually got him back up on his towel on the sofa and he’s been happily resting there ever since. Now he’s getting very small drinks every hour or so that he is keeping down and he actually looks quite comfortable. But although the wound has stopped bleeding, it’s still open, so any pressure against it ends up with plops of blood all over the place. Good thing I have lots of old towels!
I’m hoping (and the vet thought the same thing) that the tumour bursting was actually a good thing, because it was all the fluid in the area causing Azar the most discomfort and making it almost unable for him to walk anymore. Seriously, the “baseball” now looks like just a small bump on his shoulder and, when he sits up now, he’s now able to do it much more easily than in the past few weeks and is not all hunched over.
What a clever boy. He’s been scratching at that LUMP over and over… and it finally gave way.
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Here’s Azar on the stripped-down blood-splattered sofa… it looks nasty but in fact I think getting all that crap out was good for him. That wound should heal over.
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Oh look at that perky head, he looks happier.
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Well it sounds yucky, but the release of pressure and the ease of movement must help, and as you say, he surely has to be more comfortable.
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Aw bless.
He doesn’t look overly concerned, does he? He looks almost nonchalant!
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Well, I am probably going to have to burn the sofa after all this is over and done, but I think Azar came through today with flying colours. The wound, although still open, is only seeping a little when pressed on (when Azar lies on that side) but I guess this means that all the built up fluid in there is pretty much gone. In retrospect it was ridiculous to think that such a small cat would still be living and breathing with such a massive malignant tumour attached to his shoulder. I mean, it was almost the size of his head.
Anyhow, I now have to transfer the patient over to my bed (I have plastic bags under the sheets on Azar’s side of the bed), with a visit to the litter box along the way. He hasn’t eaten anything since breakfast, which he threw up after the tumour burst, but he has been drinking small amounts throughout the day. Am hoping that tomorrow he’ll be fully rested and have his appetite back. There’s asparagus in the fridge waiting for him!
Hasta mañana…
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