Living Things

Outside this morning with the dogs, listening to birdsong and a woodpecker and a far off flock of Canada geese when I heard a strange sound.  Something like a street sweeper, though it is Sunday and they don't do that in the country anyway.  So, I decided it must be an oil or gas well letting off pressure.  The trees that wreath our home throw sounds and it was hard to tell where it was coming from.  I looked north as the sound came closer and saw a great flock of blackbirds flying toward me.  I downloaded this photo of a starling mumuration from google as my camera can not do a decent job (perhaps the camerawoman too.)

They were everywhere in the trees - up and down searching for food and startling I guess.

It was a thrill to watch them.

Startling starlings.  

I carried Midge out for a lie in the sun.  She didn't acknowledge the birds.  I have been giving her syringes of chicken broth mixed with cat food and water.  She won't eat and has gotten considerably weaker.  I've done all I can.  She did get better after the transfusion, but I can't keep doing them.  The medications have made no difference.  I am going to take her in the morning to the vet.  It is time.

La Chat

Midge the cat.  She is lying in a patch of morning light, peeping at me to see what the heck I'm doing.  Better not be anymore syringes of chicken broth and meds.  I got her to eat a few teensy bites of raw chicken liver from my finger.  

I came home from Christmas holidays and quickly surveyed the animals.  Midge and Teddy would usually be the first ones there.  No Midge.  Unpacked, etc.  Still no Midge.  Went to look for her and found her curled up in her bed in the garage.  Not a good sign.

Midge is the fattest and furriest animal of the lot.  Her fur is legend.  If you remember, I had a feral cat colony at the barn and fed and kept them on birth control for three years...  Five of them that were spayed etc. lived up at the house and came and went through the doggie door.  I tried everything, even once putting tin foil on all the countertops, trying to dissuade the cats from leaving dirt they roll in and cat hair all over the house.  Clothes, furniture and even in my mouth.  Finally, the doggie door was closed and the cats relegated to a life outdoors.

On New Year's day, I called the vet, but it was closed.  I put her on antibiotics for three days until Monday morning when I took her to the vet.  Checkup and tested for feline leukemia (neg) and given a long acting antibiotic shot.  Wed. morn she was worse instead of better.  Went back to vet.

She was in bad shape.  IV fluids, other meds and kept getting worse.  Her red blood cell levels extremely low.  Finally, a blood transfusion as a last resort.

Here she is curled up with Sister.  After a week at the vet, still on meds, she is not much better - weak and hardly eating nor drinking.  Went from healthy? to near death in two weeks.  

Midge isn't a cuddly cat.  Her mother's name is Mean Mom, who misses her terribly outside. If Midge wants contact, she'll usually just walk by my leg for a tiny swipe against it and I might get a swipe down her back.  It has to be her initiating the touch.  I love her anyway as I do all my animals (even Mean Mom who tried to scratch my eyes out once and slapped my glasses off.)  I'm not sure Midge is going to make it.  I certainly don't want to prolong the inevitable, if that's the case with Midge.  Maybe a false neg test, microplasmosis (I think that's what they called it), or infectious disease.  If that were the case, I would think all the antibiotics would have begun to work.

Meanwhile, I am stuck at the farm, caring for her and don't know what next week will bring.  I hate the worrying - makes my heart palpitate, so I try to keep busy.  Don't want to have to take her back to the vet to board her.  Some animals are not meant to be caged and I know Midge was miserable that week (even though the vet said at one point she was pretty loopy and out of it.)  I never board my animals as I know it is too stressful for them and me.

Oh Midge.  I don't want to lose her.