Warning. Long'un.

An interesting week.

First our youngest cat, Smudge, who will be about four next month went missing for a couple of days. Thats not unusual, because he's usually very much an Out Cat. He's also quite a feisty little lad. Usually he will only allow youngest daughter to pick him up for instance.

Smudge is a stray that adopted us when he was a kitty. He's always been a big eater, but has always been tiny - compared to our other cats.

We were a little worried because over those two days and nights temperatures hovered just above freezing.  But since he had a long record of his collar and and name tag disappearing, we strongly suspected that he had a second home, so we weren't too concerned. Out Cats do that.

The Bear spotted him stretched out on teenagers trampoline. He allowed her to pick him up and carry him in,   and that was the first alarm bell. He allowed me to turn him on his back and cuddle him while Bear got him some food. He just laid there, blinking at me with his big green eyes. Ding number two. He'd lost a heck of a lot of weight, and he allowed me to put him in the dog basket, his favorite place, and amazingly, cover him up.

We made him an appointment with the vet, and after a few days were he rarely ate, lost his meow, the vet did a blood test and told us we had a very poorly  puss. He believes he has Feline Leukemia, known as FELV Plus, which he was probably born with.

Effectively, his immune system is knackered. There are some very expensive treatments available. The vet says that it would probably be a waste of money. In a human, we'd be looking at going for it because of the length of our lifespan. However, because a cat averages about 16 years, he said it would be wiser to manage any infections as they happen, and he should live a long and happy life with the the condition.

He's had an antibiotic injection, and for the next few days we have to give him an penicillin tablet twice a day, and he's perked up no end. He's eating well, scrapping when we pick him up, meowing again, and sleeping lots, but won't go out. Down side? He's pooping and peeing all over Tots The Teenagers 'converse' shoes........

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Had another mini-stroke a couple of days ago. No probs. Used to it. I would advise anyone to dial emergency services and get admitted. I didn't. Otherwise I'd be in and out like a yo-yo. I'm an 'interesting case' so they would keep me in for up to six weeks at a time, to teach medical students. Bless 'em, but thanks, but no thanks. I just emailed my docs to let them know :) NOT recommended, ok?

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My favorite practice nurse retired last Friday. Same age as me (mid fifties). Y'know, The Lady, who also ran our local stroke club, has been a rock in my life for fifteen years. I had lots of questions. Does she still teach young nurses? Will she still phone people to ask how they are? Most unprofessionally, I grabbed her and gave her a cuddle.

"Aw!" she said. "Thats sweet". Aw heck. Sweet in my 50's.

I walked away. I don't do goodbyes.