TRIPAWDS: Home to 22969 Members and 2152 Blogs.
HOME » NEWS » BLOGS » FORUMS » CHAT » YOUR PRIVACY » RANDOM BLOG
Sweet Pea – Soft tissue sarcoma at 16

The night we brought Sweet Pea home after her surgery she was interested in food, not eating like she was famished, but definitely more interested than she had been and it was good to see her ‘wanting’ to eat. I think she was really happy to be home and we were definitely happy to have her back home. Unfortunately her interest in food didn’t last and so we had to start syringe feeding her. She also found the kitty tent/bed to hide in and at first I was ok with it if she felt more secure, but after a couple of days it seemed that’s where she wanted to stay all the time. In fact when I went to get her out of it one night I realized she had peed in it and was just laying in the pee……..{heartbreak moment; big frown}. I realize now that that incident was a blessing in disguise as I decided to throw out the tent and after that Sweet Pea just started laying out in the open on the bed, which is what she did prior to her surgery. I was happy to see this and it hit us then that we needed to encourage her along and not let her hide away. Understandably all that she has been through in the last several weeks had taken its toll and her confidence and her “normal” had been greatly shaken. We needed to make her feel extra loved, spend extra time with her and give her lots of praise for all that she did do and let us do.

I contacted the vet to ask about the amount we were supposed to syringe feed Sweet Pea since we had never done it before. I also mentioned the pee incident as well as asked if we should “strongly encourage” Sweet Pea to be out and about. The vet confirmed our thoughts on getting Sweet Pea up and about and she gave us a suggested feeding amount via syringe. She also suggested that we put Sweet Pea in the litter box about every 4 hours. I was happy to have some better direction on caring for our senior girl and I’m happy to say that all has gone well. What I found was that if the litter box was close by, Sweet Pea would go in it and use it. This means that during the night when she is sleeping on the bed, there is also a litter box on the bed (I know, some might cringe), and if Sweet Pea is laying in her favorite chair in the living room, there is a litter box within 3 feet of her. She has used it every time since making this adjustment.

This past weekend (Labor Day weekend) we have seen some baby steps. She comes out of the room when the door is open and will hang out with us in the living room. Her walking is still a bit unstable (it’s still so soon after surgery and she’s a bit weak from all the weight she has lost) and she will stop and rest after a handful of steps, but she is getting better about remembering to take her time and that her one leg is no longer there for support. I feel that this will continue to improve the more she is up and about and as she regains some weight/strength.

Another baby step is that she has begun drinking out of the water dish on her own again. My hope is that she will move on to the food dish next!!

Posted by on September 5th, 2017 at 6:45 pm


5 Responses to “Recovery”
  1. 1

    Well done Sweetpea & Mum & Dad!
    What a beautiful old senior girl you are! Our kids don’t ask for much do they? And if loving is all they want, then they shall have an abundance of it!
    Stewie has three feline siblings and they all think that having a litter box in each room is bloomin genius! Good for you, for doing whatever it takes!
    Sloppy kisses from Stewie๐Ÿ‘…๐Ÿพ
    & all the very best from his adoring pack,
    Petra, Paul, Mr. Spike, Chester Molester & Miss Lily ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพโค๏ธl

  2. 3
      benny55 says:

    Awww Sweet zpea, yoy look so comfy all snuggled on your pillow.
    And YAAAAAAAAAY FOR BABY STEPS!!! BABY STEPS DURING RECOVERY EWUAL HUGE GIANT STEPS!!! YES INDEEDY!! Sweet Peas is showing really good progress!

    And applause to you for being so creative and understanding when it comes to meeting Sweet Pea’s needs! You are really tuned into her and an outstanding advocate for Sweet Pea! EXCELLENT JOB!!! ๐Ÿ™‚

    I know it’s hard to be patient during recovery. I also k ow once you see improvement and once you see the sparkle start to come back, it’s a huge relief! So I hope you are feeling very, very, relieved!! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Cheering for you Sweet Pea!! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Hugs

    Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!

  3. 5
      Purrkins says:

    Yaaaay for baby steps!

    I am happy you called the Vet & got some directions on syringe feeding Sweet Pea that is a lifesaver in cats!! Also glad they suggested putting her in the box I did the same thing with Purrkins I put him in the litter box! It doesnt matter if some people would cringe ! We understand and say YAAAAY to you for the litter box on the bed! We do what we have to help our animals ! I even held Purrkins stable in the litter box to help him go potty. After day 2 we figured we needed to cut our litter box out to help him get in and out easier! Is the litter box have a lower lip? Something you might want to consider . Or a step in and out to make it easier.

    Some people say let them figure it out on there own and it tore my guts out watching Purrkins flop around! What worked for us was I just guided him! I Held him stable, let him feel what that felt like. I put his one foot in the middle and would let go but be right there so he could see what that did. That helped he understood & became less frustrated.

    A lot of senior kitties take longer to get thru recovery and that is ok! You are doing great syringe feeding her until she is ready to eat on her own and then if she is not eating enough continue syringe feeder her! Turkey & gravy baby food is nice to have on hand & easily syringed! Sweet Pea might even lick that up!! They make a chicken and gravy & ham & gravy all kitties have different taste but our kitties favorite is the turkey and gravy! I have heard a lot of others like ham & gravy!

    Did they prescribe a food for Sweet Pea to be syringed there are foods formulated for critical care to ensure she gets all the nutrients she needs. I hope the syringe feeding is going ok for you both! Hang in there this is early in recovery!!! Any concerns just call your vet again! Your never alone in this! You can post here or post on the forums !

    We are all here cheering Sweet Pea on!!
    Hugs ! Chin & ear scratches to Sweet Pea
    Holly & Purrkins

  4. 7
      kazann says:

    Awww, dear little Sweet Pea, you are doing great! You never know what a cat will do. My Mona would flop around and then suddenly get up and race around the house, and then go back to flopping. Sweet Pea, you are so wise to start with baby steps.

    Lots of hugs,
    Kerren and Tripawd Kitty Mona

  5. 9
      jerry says:

    She’s my hero! And so are you. I’m so happy to hear those baby steps are getting a little bigger each day. And nope, no cringing here about the litter box on the bed. We’re all pretty much so crazy about our animals in this community that we totally get it and would do the same. Whatever works to get them feeling good again. Kudos to you.

    Here’s to more great days ahead!