Progress Report

My friend, Mary, asked, "I wonder if he is not too keen on eating because he feels the tube in his throat?"

The thought occurred to me that the tube might be uncomfortable, but he sure doesn't seem to have a problem even when I pet him the length of his throat -- you know, when they lift their chins and let you know in no uncertain terms that THERE is where you should pet them? I don't know what kind of material the tube in his esophagus is made of, but the only thing that seems to be bothering him is the tape that holds it all in place. He scratches and scratches on BOTH sides of his neck, sometimes, but if I get him to sit down and start petting him ... kneading his belly and rubbing his face and chin ... he forgets all about it. There's also no redness or indication of inflammation or infection, which I'm keeping an eye open for.

The other thing that makes me think maybe the tube isn't UNcomfortable is that the vet has apparently done this about a million times, and other cats seem to have had no problem eating with the tube in place. I'm sure if I understood the mechanics of it, it would be clear to me how that can be true. I guess I just have to trust that the vet knows what she's talking about. She says she has had patients that have had the tube in place for months. One cat, she said, finally pulled it out himself after several months, and the owners were a little disappointed ... the cat had been eating on his own just fine for quite a while, but the owners were still giving him his medications through the tube, and were disappointed they would have to drop it down his throat again like a "regular" cat!

I really hope it's not months. I really want him to eat soon.

On the other hand, I'm going to keep doing it as long as it takes to get him well enough to want to eat. No question about that.

Last night, Amy was visiting, and I asked her to pet Mack while I got his food ready. "He bit me!" she explained, when I asked why he wasn't still in the ultra-relaxed position I'd left him in, enjoying a belly-rub. "I was just petting him and he bit me!"

I told her it was a good sign ... besides the catnip toy, she's the first thing he's voluntarily put in his mouth in ages!

Another good sign: he's grooming himself again. A while back, he had made a gesture as if he was going to groom himself, and then froze with his leg in the air. That was the end of that, until recently. For the last day or two, he's actually been licking his own fur -- which is really a good thing because an awful lot of liver pate has been spilled on it, and we've clean up as well as we can, but there's nothing like a sandpaper tongue (his) to do the job right!

Mack also walked by and sniffed Amy's glass of milk (which she'd parked on the floor by the couch) last night. The first time, she shooed him away, reflexively, since Lucky had been stalking it for a few minutes. Immediately, she realized the significance and told Mack he was welcome to as much of her glass of milk as he wanted. He returned later, but still didn't drink any. Baby steps ... patience. It will come.

He's locked up with his smörgåsbord again today. We'll see if he nibbles anything!

Good news about me ... I noticed my 2-day headache was gone after I spent about 50 minutes petting Mack last night, through one whole feeding (about 30 minutes) and beyond. He is doing so very well ... it feels so good to see him all relaxed and asking for more.

It's good therapy for both of us!