Friday, March 04, 2016

Our Princess is not Well

Over the last few months, we've observed physical changes in our oldest cat Samantha (Sam). She looks thinner, and at times appears to be out of breath after minimal exertion.



Last week we took Sam to the vet to have her checked out. After reviewing her x-rays, the vet told us that fluid is building up in her thoracic cavity, and that she may be in the final stages of life. He also told us that 4 to 6 months may be all she has left.

The news was devastating, but not entirely surprising. Sam is not a young cat, she's 14 years old, and from what we've discovered, that's about the average lifespan for cats like her.

We are holding out hope that the vet is wrong, but since we can't know for sure, we are keeping an especially keen eye on Sam, and trying to make her as comfortable as possible. She is taking a couple of different medications to help reduce the fluid build up, and while she's not as mobile as she used to be, we haven't observed as much labored breathing, so for now, it seems to be working.

Hang in there Sam, we aren't ready to say goodbye just yet.