A Chapter Closes

There he is, my pretty boy. I don't remember when I started calling him that but the why should be apparent. A week ago I thoroughly traumatized him with a trip to the vet to address his weight loss issue. He was diagnosed with a likely kidney infection. Then I further traumatized him with administering antibiotics in pill form to treat the infection. He was not happy about this. We switched to liquid amoxicillin a couple of days later. Steinie had figured out how to cough up the pill it took two adults to poke down his throat. The liquid was easier to get into him and seemed to be helping. But just as antibiotics can have an adverse effect on the human gut, so do they affect the feline gut. He has the runs and wasn't interested in eating his treats and has been having trouble keeping down what little food he does eat. This morning I decided the trauma of medication would stop. Einstein is still very loving and cuddly and gets around like a cat half his age. But it's clear that he is on a downward trend. I'm choosing to love him and comfort him as best I can and if he seems to be suffering at all to make one final trip to see the vet. I know that there are so many huge problems in the world and this is tiny by comparison. But the loss of a beloved pet tugs at your heart like nothing else. Pardon me while I nestle in with my pretty boy and decline to answer the door.