Well, the cat that I have owned for nearly 12 years and who is my namesake - Rhoobarb - became very ill this week. We'd noticed over the last couple of weeks that she looked to have lost a lot of weight. Her back was bony and her hindquarters very thin. We noticed in the last couple of days that she had not been eating much. Thursday she seemed lethargic, so my wife took her to the vet.
The Dr. said her heart was very weak and one kidney was large & the other, barely there. The bloodwork came back yesterday morning and one kidney had shut down and she had ~25% kidney function. The vet said we could try a specialist and, more than likely, surgery will be the only option. That will be costly and may not work well. She was so weak and frail - about half of what the vet says she should weigh - that the stress of an operation would likely kill her.
The vet said it was nothing we had done wrong; that this is common for cats and many times, by the time we humans are aware, it is too late. She wouldn't eat or drink, but once in while, had these spurts of energy where she'd jump up on the bed and want attention. But they didn't last long. Rhoobarb sounded pretty far gone, so I rushed home from work yeserday afternoon to be with her.
She was there when I was still very single, living in a condo in Warrenville, IL and brewing my first extract beer back in the Winter of 1998. She was watching with curiosity!
She was always there for me, so I was going to be there for her.
Rhoobarb left this world at ~4:45pm last night (5/29). I doubt she would have lived another 24 hours, she was so weak and exhausted. My wife and I were with her until the end.
When we returned from the vets office last night, my wife and I sat in the backyard and had a pint in her honor.
I'll post a picture of her later. She is sorely missed.
Rhoobarb - The Cat
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