Well, not really, but that's what my niece called him. We had a stress-filled weekend. It was the first time Lionel has actually had symptoms from chronic renal failure. He swelled up from fluid retention (but then so did I it was so hot & humid in So Cal) and slept most of the weekend away. Another first was his hiding behind the couch because he was feeling poorly. But by this morning he was doing his regular tap dance on my chest to wake me at 5 am. And when I got home this evening he was nearly frantic with worry because some guy was replacing the planks on the deck outside my door, using a very loud saw. Rescue Remedy to the rescue! He's all mellowed out now. Amazing how quickly this stuff works for him. Normally they advise that it takes maybe a week to have full effect. Not so with him. 5 minutes max and he's purring up a storm. And I think he's convinced he's speaking perfectly understandable English too. Talk, talk, talk. Telling me all about his eventful day. The vet who originally diagnosed him with CRF told me to try to keep him on a low-protein diet and have a chemistry panel again in six months. She was ok, but neither Lionel or I felt really close to her, you know? So today I called this lady vet who has a mobile vet service here in Laguna. Just her message when I called the number was so reassuring that I felt better already. She called me back and asked all the right questions and reassured me in all the right ways. She doesn't do the exam in her truck, too stressful for the cat and too many chances of losing them in transit from the house. She does teeth cleaning as part of the visit, without anesthesia. One of the things that she says on her message machine is that she only offers euthanasia in the home for those cats that she has a personal relationship with. She made me cry with that one. So, Lionel and Nancy will meet on Thurs morning. I'm so relieved to have someone I trust instinctively with his health. He can tell I'm feeling less worried too, he's just a little play bug tonight. Such a relief to have him playing again. Here's a shot of him yesterday, being his most adorable self, sleeping in as comfortable position as he could get. When he's this precious, I feel like I need to buy a bassinette. What a precious baby lion cub.
