 Shadow. 18 December 2003 - 27 May 2019
Today, we're honouring our little Shadow girl. She came to us on January 2, 2017.
Shadow was a spayed female about 13 years old when she came to us. I just loved her little white whiskers!
Her biggest challenge was her weight. When she arrived she was refusing to eat or drink and so went straight in for a check up with new veterinarian. After 2 days here tiny strides forward were accomplished. Shadow began to purr while be petted and on the second day began to groom herself. So, she is starting to feel much more relaxed. Yay!!! Still not eating consistently but the Cyproheptadine we have been giving her, would eventually result in a positive breakthrough on the food front.
Once she is eating consistently and has settled in we will take her back to see her vet to determine what calorie-reduced diet will be best for her. She is 18.06 pounds or 8.19 kilos. So, she has a way to go and it will have to be done very slowly as it can become very dangerous for a cat to lose weight quickly. In general, we will feed Shadow as if she weighed 2 pounds less than she does, or 40 fewer calories a day. Once a 2 pound reduction has taken place we will readjust her caloric intake downward every time she loses a pound, until we hit a healthy weight for her. Then it will be an easy task to maintain it. Getting there is the tough part. The average indoor cat should have 20 calories per pound to maintain a healthy weight. Shadow should weight about 10 pounds so should be eating approximately 200 calories per day to maintain that weight. Shadow needs your encouragement, support and best wishes.
By early January, 2017 we discovered that Shadow loves to be hugged! After a few tries with her being too nervous to be held for more than a few minutes, she suddenly started asking for hugs by reaching out with her little front paws. She is such a little sweetheart and a very well-mannered and well-behaved little cat.
In June, 2017 Shadow had a great weigh in on her veterinarian appointment: she is down 2 whole pounds from the high of 18 pounds when she joined our sanctuary to now a much more svelt 16 pounds. Good girl, Shadow! That, as anyone knows who has had to battle extra pounds on a kitty, is quite an achievement. She will be continuing her prescription Metabolic wet food until she reaches a goal weight of between 8 and 11 pounds. She is 13 years old, so every pound gone helps her chances of living a longer healthier life. She can now run after toys and her housemates, and jump like an athlete on to higher obstacles and longer distances. We're so proud of you Shadow!
May 25, 2019
Shadow has done very well since coming to us on 2 January 2017. Under the care of our veterinarian we have been able to trim her weight right down to a healthy level and this past few months she has learned how to navigate stairs - something that she was never able to do. She has an absolutely wonderful temperament - never a cross day in the time she's been with us. She has a purr that raises a decibel meter. Even the technician at our vet's office was surprised just how loudly she purrs. Her little motor runs as smooth as a Lamborghini's!
At the beginning of this past week - always happens on a long weekend - she started to go off of her food and I noticed that all was not completely right in the litter box department. We keep kennel cards on all of our charges so we know exactly when a turn in their health occurs and if there are any unusual events.
Shadow's bowels were a little slow, but moving. Bladder seemed to be working well. We intervened, first with Lactulose and when that failed to have the desired effect, with Restoralax. That, too, failed to produce the desired effect.
So, in she went for a doctor's exam on Thursday. Everything appears normal, her heart and lungs sound good, her temperature was at the low end of normal.
X-rays, however, showed there was some buildup in the intestines that needed to be cleared. An enema was given and she has passed some of the stool. The enema should have cleared it all, but it has not. The x-rays also showed that there was a lot of gas in her stomach and throughout her upper intestines. Her veterinarian advised that he could not determine from the x-rays if she had a mass of any kind blocking the stomach or intestines. There was nothing obvious on the x-rays and it has been recommended that once the bowel is cleared that we proceed with an ultrasound on Shadow to rule out the existence of any masses.
May 27, 2019
Our hearts are broken!
I am sad to say that Shadow's condition deteriorated rapidly through the early morning hours, today, and on her exam with her vet, this time he was able to palpate a significant mass in her lower abdomen. There was no expectancy that she would ever recover any quality of life and given her age of 15-1/2, the decision was taken to provide her the peace that she so rightly needed.
Her ashes will be returned to Pets Niagara and are to be interred with our other sanctuary pets at Sandy Ridge Cemetery in Eden, Ontario. We miss you so very much, Shadow. You were a wonderful little pet and companion to your other sanctuary mates.
We want to thank all of Wilson's Animal Hospital staff and Shadow's veterinarian for all the care that they provided to Shadow during her time with Pets Niagara.
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