Hallelujah!

You've got to be tired of good news by now, right?

Well, I'll bore you with one more delightful fact: Mack has been spotted eating REGULAR CAT FOOD, *twice* yesterday, alone -- for the first time since he's been sick.

I've hesitated to announce "Mission Accomplished!" before now, for fear it would prove to be premature and overly optimistic -- but I feel pretty safe, now that he's overtly eating with the other guys.

That means we can gradually wean him off the Kitten Chow and Wellness canned foods.

The whole crew may get a treat now and then, but our goal is to get everyone on the same food again.
Every time I have given Reggie & Lucky little bits of the special foods, it has crossed my mind that I'm taking a chance that Lucky will get another urinary blockage (he's had 4-5 already in his lifetime ... most recently about 2 years ago). That's why everyone has been eating Purina ONE Special Care - Urinary Tract Health Formula for years and years. We had tried moving them to the older-cat formula because they are all really pretty much couch potatoes ... but even as an older cat, Lucky's body accumulates crystals that create blockages and threaten his life ... so -- Special Care it is!

We've been monitoring Mack's caloric intake since the tube was removed 1 1/2 weeks ago, just to be sure he's within a healthy range. The values have varied wildly, from a high of 442 (oink!) to a low of 129 (not nearly enough).

Based on what I've read at the website of the Hill's Prescription Diet a/d food that brought him back to life, a cat his size that is recovering from hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver) should get about 231 calories ... the vet estimated 273 ... so we're trying to be sure he's somewhere in that range.

My question is: what about a WELL cat? We don't want his weight to go so high that he's at risk of hepatic lipidosis again ... so I have to research what his range should be, now that he doesn't need to GAIN anymore weight. (At his last vet appointment, Mack was 9.25 pounds. This morning, on my unscientific scale, I'm guessing he's nearer to 10 pounds. Enough!)

Oh! One more detail: Mack's neck has healed beautifully! The area that was sore around the feeding tube, as well as where the tube entered, is all closed and healed with no complications at all. He's still a little bare, of course --- I'm surprised how long it's taking to grow back that fur on his neck and legs --- and I've discovered the true purpose of cat fur is to insulate unsuspecting humans from scalding themselves on the true body temperature of a healthy cat. Zowie! They're warm!

Our next challenge is getting a good night's sleep ... Mack has still been in our bedroom with us, and (affectionate as it is) I'm not getting much sleep when Mack decides to park on my chest and poke his nose into my face!

This is a small price, though, for having this cuddler back in true form. I find myself petting him and saying things like, "You're such a good boy ... and so ALIVE! What a wonderful kitty!"