Kitty Delenn's update: post-treatment!

[hyphenate]

Delenn came home Friday. I've mostly been out of the house for a couple of days, so I couldn't update sooner.

First of all, she came through the iodine treatment very well, they said. She didn't have a great drive home, though, as she was very restless, and tried to keep poking her head through the carrier!

Oliver (my other kitty) had been ecstatic that she had been gone for those few days--he got treated like a single cat!--so when he saw her come in the house, he looked at me beseechingly and essentially was pleading with me: no, she can't be back! They are not very close at all. And she throws her weight around: an 8 yo male who is about 10 lbs is scared of a 15 year old female, whose last weight was 7 lbs, 4 oz!

She seems to be a little more strung out, though. I'm sure some of it is the result of not being home during her treatment, and I know that it will likely take a month for her to become normal again, but I must confess: she is driving me bonkers!! She is yowling from the minute I wake up until long after I've actually slept!

The literature says not to hold her as much for two weeks, because they still have some radioactivity, so it makes it worse that she can't be held or patted very often. Although she was never a lapcat, she does seek out touching and scratching her on the cheeks.

She's still ravenous, but I'm trying to feed her less when I do feed them--Oliver doesn't care for the canned food anyhow, and they have free choice of dry all the time. Several years ago, when all the kits were still with me, they had free choice on dry, and only got a can about twice a week. And they did well on that. Delenn now feels that being fed 1/2 a can (the big, 13 oz ones) is her due, and she makes her point rather loudly!

I'll do a snapshot of her shortly, and you can see how thin she is.

She's quiet at the moment, but I have to give in and get her some canned stuff before she starts yowling again!

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Thanks for the update. Hope she continues to improve.

It is so sad that we cannot touch them so much after this treatment. This is just when they need to be loved and held...

[Pathwalker]

2. I am so happy for you and your kitty!

Thanks for the update, and keep us informed! Best wishes for all three of you. :hi:
:hug:

[Warpy]

3. Well, she can afford to pack a few pounds on

so you can feed her some cat candy to make up for the lost pets. My cat is especially fond of Temptations Savory Salmon.

You do want to be careful with the kitty litter, most of the radioactivity is going to go out with the urine. You can flush it or send it to the landfill, though, diluting it is the best bet and both methods do just that. Disposing of it daily is a hell of a lot safer to you and your other kitty than being a slob and waiting until they give you dirty looks on the way to the pan. (that reminds me, guess what I need to do)

Leaning down and petting is safer than hugging and lap time. Radiation is cumulative, though, and unless you fly planes for a living and get Xrays every 6 months, you're probably not going to run into any increased risk.

I've given close care to patients with iridium implants (highly radioactive) and it barely registered on the badge I wore. Just don't let her live in your lap and make sure the other kitty isn't exposed to too much of a load in the litter box and you'll be fine.

[kestrel91316]

4. I wouldn't be holding back on her food. She still has increased caloric needs, and needs to GAIN

weight if she is thin.

But it sounds like she's doing great. This is typical. I've never had one NOT do well in 25 years of referring them for I131.

[OneGrassRoot]

5. It's really such a blessing to have you on here...

Thanks for your insights, words of wisdom and comfort regarding our animal friends and family.

And :hug: for delenn.

:hi:

[Catherina]

6. Thanks for the update.

Here's to MANY more happy long years together!

[blondeatlast]

7. Love to hear about her progress. I don't know how I'd stand being unable

to hold my Spark much--or worse, how he could! Here's to her full recovery and mcuh more time for mom and kitty! :hug:

[TuxedoKat]

8. Thanks

for giving us an update on Delenn. Glad she is doing so well. :)

[AndrewP]

9. That's good to hear :)

[arikara]

10. Thanks for the update

I was wondering how she was doing.

:grouphug:

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. Good, kids are like that

And strung kids take a while to go back to themselves.