Requiem for the World's Cutest Kitten

Oscar in His Final Sunbeam on His Last Day

 

I realized some time ago that Oscar (like Billy before him) no longer bounded up the stairs like a limber cat in his prime. Simply put, he was no longer a young kitten. Blood work in past year said he was declining; it said he had both kidney disease and lymphoma. His behavior changed as well; he was a suspect in a number of urine stains around the house in past few months.

Life went on, until this week.

Monday morning, Oscar stopped eating; he left most of his breakfast. Mid-morning I called Kenmore Veterinary Hospital to have him checked; their first appointment available was this afternoon (Wednesday).

Tuesday, he did eat half his breakfast, and at noon he stomped into my office demanding lunch. He actually killed half the food left over from breakfast, his most solid meals in a day and half.

That was all he ate before going to Vet this afternoon.

When he was examined, his heart & lungs were normal. However, he was slightly dehydrated and virtually all his lymph nodes were swelled. Based on that and the previous bloodwork, the diagnosis was metastatic lymphoma. Knowing how badly Oscar would take any treatment, we made the sad choice to cut short his suffering. Thus with great sadness we announce that Oscar, age 15 and a half, was put to sleep today shortly after 4 PM at Kenmore Veterinary Hospital. He is survived by his sole remaining housemate, Penwiper.

A Good Thing

I think we did a Good Thing.

During what turned out to be the final summer of the Brothers Catzilla, we acquired three short cat towers, mostly to encourage Billy to take incremental routes up to desks and counters that he had leaped onto in a single bound in his prime. He took some of the hints but not all of them.

Oscar may still look like the World's Cutest Kitten, but he now is 14 years old (the same age we adopted Emily). He doesn't act as spry as he used to. Oscar (harmlessly) missed the jump onto my desk a couple of weeks ago; now each time he looks up from the floor to my desk, he hesitates and measures the jump two or three times as if he is not sure he can make it. 

Over the weekend we put shortest Memorial Billy Tower at the corner of my desk; Oscar took one look at it and bounded up.  And better still, nearly every time he looks at my desk, he comes up via the tower without hesitation.

My desk and I are almost too popular now.

Oscar napping on the tower newly positioned for bounding up to my desk

Smooth Operators

The cat weigh-in was smooth as silk again last night. Doing it weekly helps, as it gets them into a routine.

I realized the scale wasn't out while we were eating, so I popped up and grabbed it before Oscar showed up. This smooths things later, since equipment is not banging around.

When Oscar did show up, I popped up again and got the treats out, which promptly got his attention. 

As I headed around the kitchen island, Oscar, thinking I was headed for the stairs to deliver them to him, raced ahead. 

I was actually headed to Penwiper's room to let him in. When PW recognized this, he picked up his pace to a sprint, and dove off the counter for the door as I opened it for him. Then I headed back to the counter.

Oscar immediately got a clue (he knows PW let into his room means food), and came back into the kitchen. He hopped on the counter before I could get treats on the scale. Treats were offered to Oscar to get him off the scale (to reset it), then on the scale (to weigh him) and then off to the scale (to make room for Penwiper).

Lather, rinse, repeat with a released Penwiper.

Life was good.

Give Blood

Oscar is at the vet, a 90-day follow up his thyroid zap In August. (We can also toss his radioactive litter this week.)

Vet tech: "Oscar, we need a blood sample."

Oscar: "Nope. Nope. Nope. You want blood, take your own, human."

I left him there while they plan their next move.

Billy's Lab Results

Billy, age twelve and a half, was back in to the vet Wednesday for blood and urine samples. This morning, I got the results when I took Oscar in for his own regular exam and shots.

It's official, Billy has the beginnings of kidney disease, the same arena that claimed Her Emilyness a decade ago. This startled and somewhat saddened me; I sort of expected Billy, if not to live forever, or to seriously outlive his brother.  That doesn't sound as likely now.

Our senior prince has good years left, of course.  Exactly how many, the doctor was vague about.

Short term actions: Switch him to all wet prescription food and recheck in a year.

Oscar, as always, was both grumpy and healthy.  Sufficiently grumpy that he got the wrapped-in-a-towel-in-the-backroom exam, but he's back home and free now.

Family Portrait

Wednesday  morning, something happened which I'm not sure has occurred since Penwiper arrived years ago -- all the cats more or less in the same place for more than ten seconds.  And war didn't even break out.

I was even able to get a picture.

The Four Feline Overlords, Together at Last.
(click for a larger view)

R - E - S - P - E - C - T at the Spa

Oscar and Whitey got their spa day for their teeth and nails on Wednesday.  However, they didn't consider it that.

Reliable reports had Whitey asking for his lawyer all the time he was awake.

However, Oscar made Whitey look happy.   He was sufficiently fractious (their words) they could not sedate him normally, and instead gave him an injection in the rear flank.   This made him recover more slowly, to the point that we were advised when calling to check on them that he may need to kept in a safe room over night.   So +Katherine Derbyshire prepped the downstairs lavatory (she wanted the larger more familiar library, I wanted the smaller safer bathroom), and off we went to check on them in person and hopefully rescue them from the clutches of the vet.

I think Oscar would say evil <expletive> vet.   Oscar's motor skills were iffy, but his lungs were just fine -- upon our arrival in the back treatment room, he gave a hiss worthy of a cat twice his size.    He was in the wrong (larger) carrier, but we decided to let him stay and stuff the larger Whitey into the smaller carrier for the ride home.   Our vet was vaguely disappointed by our decision ... at least he said that he would pay good money to see us transfer Oscar between carriers.

Yea, right.  We didn't need the money, and we are not that stupid.   We know to respect an annoyed cat's personal space.   (Her Emilyness taught us well, many years ago ...)

Whitey, who wasn't in the second carrier yet, went in fine.   He did continue to meow for his lawyer, of course.

We got home, locked up Oscar in his safe room, let Whitey out wobble around, and got everyone an early snack.  Neither cat who went to the spa ate much then or at dinner time, which was no surprise.

Oscar got released on parole at 9 PM, and was wobbly but in moderately good spirits as soon as he was free.  He did want to cuddle, but he also was hissing with the least provocation.

Both boys recovered their appetites the following day.

Saving the best for last ... the blood work for each of them was fine.

Take Three: Oscar at the Vet

A week after the Catzilla brothers went to the vet, it was Oscar's turn.  I took him personally.

He's healthy, has lost a half pound (which vet liked), strongly objected to having his temperature taken (we skipped it again this year), and like Whitey needs his teeth cleaned.

Since Oscar doesn't always handle shots well and, like all the boys, is a strictly indoor cat, we skipped the feline leukemia shot.

We'll bring Whitey and Oscar in together for a spa day.   Oscar will get a basic blood work done while sedated then to make up not taking his temperature.

Birthday Kitten(s)

Lots of small things have been going on, which hopefully we'll get to later in the week, but today is simply:

Happy Birthday Penwiper!

Yes, Fluff for Brains is 3 years old today.  

Also, Oscar is 5 sometime this month, we don't know exactly when.

Photo Weekend Extra: Equal time

No sooner did I save my previous post than Oscar came along and asked how come Fluff for Brains gets all the attention.

Oscar is not amused. 

Photo Friday: Mom's Home, Pile On!

+Katherine Derbyshire traveled on business from Sunday through Friday afternoon, and she was indeed missed.  Within minutes of her getting home, she was directed to resume her duties as senior self-heating cat cushion for Oscar and Billy.

Katherine the Self-Heating Cat Cushion

Only Penwiper routinely uses me as a self-heating cat cushion, I guess I am too fidgety for Billy and Oscar.

Photo Weekend: Oscar Plays Wii U

We recently got a Wii U, and Oscar decided to join us.   Sort of.

Oscar Snuggling During Wii U Time

Okay, what he really was doing looking for a rub (and rubbing back, hence the blurry head) while Katherine had her hands full.  But he's still a snuggly kitten.

Photo Weekend Extra: Sports Sunday

The boys love to watch sports with Katherine.  And yes, she was watching, the flash makes her close her eyes.   (I have no idea how she can be faster than a flash.)

Photo Weekend Extra: Purr More, Meow Less

Since we moved to Washington State, we've always worn our support for pets on our sleeve.  Well, actually, it's been on our cars, with specialty plates that include a donation for pets.

However, we splurged recently and upped it notch with our new and improved pet plates:

Oscar and Penwiper Converse About Our New Licence Plates

We'll let you guess which car got which.

Oscar's big adventure

Ever since we moved into the Kitten Farm West, we've been dreading the day one of the cats decides to explore the garage. But we always thought it would be Fearless Billy, or Door-darter Whitey. Not Oscar. Oscar would never do that!

Yep, guess whose tail I saw vanishing into the garage as the laundry room door closed behind me when I came in last night. Yikes!

The good news is that we have a very strict protocol: the garage door must be closed before the house door opens. The bad news is that Drew was expected home at any moment, and would unknowingly push the button to open the garage door automatically.

(The intelligent thing to do would have been to call his cell to warn him. I wasn't calm enough to think of that.)

Being Oscar, he instantly decided the garage was a Bad Place, and hid under the MINI. Under the exact geographic center of the MINI. It's a small car, but not that small: I couldn't reach him. He ignored kitty treats.

There is a moment in every frustrated parent's life where they say "F@#% it, I don't have time for this!" and resort to brute strength to get their recalcitrant child to do what they want. With Drew's arrival imminent, I stuck a broom under the car to chase him out.

He hissed, he growled, he ran straight for the house door. Which was closed. When I got close enough to open it, he ran back under the car. I chased him out again... we played that game a couple of times, then I got to the door fast enough to open it and he went through as if shot from a cannon. Right through the other three cats who were hovering on the other side of the door.

He's none the worse for wear. He even ate dinner normally, which surprised me. Often that kind of trauma sends him into hiding. Here's hoping he's learned his lesson.

Photo Monday Special: Happy Birthday, Penwiper

On this day in 2010, Penwiper was born.   Here's a picture of Penwiper doing what he does naturally, being in the center of trouble for his tiger housemates.

Penwiper, The Center of It All

Photo Friday: Oscar and the Stealth Tank

We test drove a camera equipped stealth tank around the house a few weeks ago.  While it didn't terrify the feline overlords, it made them curious and a little wary.  Below is the tank's view of Oscar inspecting it.

Oscar Eying the Stealth Tank (from POV of the Tank)

Photo Friday: Oscar After the Vet

I'm delighted to present Oscar after his annual checkup and vaccinations.

Oscar Relaxing in my Office After his Checkup

The vet gave us more kudos for our weight management.  The vet thought Oscars's teeth should be cleaned (say next year), and that he's generally a healthy boy.

Due to strong objections from Oscar, the vet never did get Oscar's temperature.

Last year's visit didn't go so well, when for over a day afterwards Oscar's legs were weak and he generally seemed under the weather.  This year, after he calmed down, he was relaxed, mobile, and even social.

Some nasty hisses went Penwiper's way after approaching too close while Oscar was still chilling, but Penwiper could use a few lessons in manners anyway.

Best of all, Oscar ate dinner normally.

There was the small matter of him soiling his carrier (and couple of spots in the house after he got turned loose), but those were easily cleaned up, and hey ... it was a stressful afternoon for our smallest Overlord.

Photo Friday: Dawn Patrol

The day after Katherine posted the picture of Oscar up close and personal, three of the four boys were sharing her side of the bed as the sun came up.

Billy, Penwiper, and Oscar with Their Favorite Self-heating Cat Cushion

As always, click on the photo for a larger picture.

Photo Weekend Extra: Oscar at Work

Oscar continues a long tradition of cats helping Mom work. He's not as big as Billy, and certainly not as big as Billy and Penwiper together, but he makes up for it by resting his bony little elbow on my throat. The closeness is kind of sweet, breathing aside, since it facilitates head butts and other snuggles. Makes photography more difficult, though.