Vincent’s Morning

Vincent is a typical cat, with his primal instincts still pretty intact. He migrates his “nest” every few days (I bet if I counted the days, it would be an EXACT number of days). Heidi does this too, so Heidi also has these primal instincts.

But one thing does not change, though. Vincent will jump onto the bed and wake me up every morning. The only time he might not do this is when he is not feeling well.

So, Vincent woke me up this morning….at 4am! We came downstairs together, with Tabs. It’s really nice seeing Vincent trotting down the stairs happily.

Then, he waited for breakfast. Every meal where Vincent WANTS to eat is a great blessing. Appetite is one of the best gauge of wellbeing. If an animal does not want to eat (when it should be time to eat), it could mean that the animal does not feel well. So yes, having an appetite is perhaps the greatest blessing there is, for all living beings! And I mean “having an appetite” and not “gorging oneself silly” (this only applies to humans, of course).

Vincent ate a lot today. He started with Cubgrub chicken, then Monge (three flavours), then Cindy’s Tuna Chicken (he loves the gravy) and he also asked for kibble.

Semua mahu!

Such a blessing to see him eating so happily.

Today is his antacid day (it’s on alternate days), so I managed to catch him before he went upstairs for his 7-8 hour siesta (this is his pattern now – he sleeps in the morning). The antacid (which is just 5 little granules) is given with Complivit. Vincent likes Complivit (which is a multivitamin). He doesn’t like Kaminox (which is also a multivitamin with the iron that he needs for making blood). I think it’s just a case of not liking liquids. Complivit is a paste. Kaminox is a liquid, but Kaminox is specially formulated for kidney cats and especially for those who have anaemia. It is THE supplement for Vincent. Both are not medicines, they are multivitamin supplements. Or more accurately, they are multi-nutrient supplements.

I also have not given Vincent his Orozyme for many days now because I did not want to pump him with too much. Vincent is a soldier and has pride, so force-feeding isn’t something a soldier likes to be done unto him.  I have to respect that too. But again, Orozyme is a paste (Vincent doesn’t mind pastes) and he actually likes it. It also serves to help with oral hygiene and will keep the mouth ulcers under control. We have reached a long way from the days where his mouth smelled so, so badly and where the ulcers had pus and were like craters on the moon (on his tongue). Those days are gone now and I hope they will never come back. Even during those weeks in July and August, Vincent never gave up. He WANTED to keep eating and since he could only eat the smoothest type of food, he found a way to tell me what he could eat – raw liver and raw chicken fillet cut to a specific size so that he could “chew” them with his gums and so that the big enough size would not hurt his mouth ulcers as badly as smaller pieces would.

Vincent FOUND a way to tell me all this. It’s amazing, isn’t it? His willpower to live in the moment is amazing. He tries very hard and he doesn’t give up easily. I think that is a personality trait of Vincent’s. We were not wrong to call him our soldier then!

People who have done their research on animals and who have had hands-on experience with animals say that animals live in the moment. They live life to the fullest IN THE MOMENT.

How wise! If humans would adopt this and not insist on harping on the past or dreaming about the future (while neglecting the present), I think our world might just be a better place and relationships between humans might be better too.

Now, let’s see what else happened this morning.

Vincent came back down for a second breakfast. Yay! Gone are the days when he could only eat raw liver and raw fillet. Now, he eats Cubgrub, Primal, canned food and even kibble. The trick is in knowing what he wants to eat or which flavours. He had always been a choosy eater all his life, anyway.

Ginger and Heidi are eating again. But Tabs is not.

This is how Vincent tells me he doesn’t want “this flavour” or “this food” and that he wants something else. I have to read what his eyes tell me. In one meal, he can ask for 4-5 types of foods. Maybe as a kidney patient, that’s just the way it is. But the good thing is, he knows how to tell me.

Okay! I got it right!

After his second breakfast, I managed to give Vincent his Fortekor (which he likes, I’m told it’s tasty), Azodyl and Kaminox. I’m reducing the Kaminox since he doesn’t like liquids, and giving some Complivit instead (because he likes paste). I managed to give him Orozyme too. This one, he likes.

And I also trimmed his nails. Once his nails were trimmed, he is somewhat calmer. Maybe that’s the trick – trim his nails!

Indy: I’m easier…I don’t migrate and I am not so choosy when it comes to food. 

But when it comes to food, Bunny is the easiest to feed! He wins paws down!

But someone might give Bunny a run for his money, so to speak. Guess who?

Buddy!

I’m also so glad I discovered that the short pink needle can do subcut in the shortest possible time (THREE minutes only!) – all thanks to Connie, who told me that her dog’s subcut only takes 3 minutes.

Source: https://myanimalcare.org/2019/01/06/vincents-morning-8/

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AnimalCare is a registered society that promotes caregiving to street animals and helps in their neutering and medical needs. AnimalCare has a Medical Fund, Food Fund and Education Fund.

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