Britches

I have two cats, Britches and Godiva. Britches is the one on the left, the larger of the two. She is fourteen years old.

I adopted Britches from the Humane Society. I remember going to the pound and seeing all of the cute kittens. They must have had at least a dozen there. They had the really cutesy ones--fluffy hair, big eyes, playful, etc. You know the kind. Then there was Britches. She was the runt of her litter, and she looked it. She looked less like a tortoise-shell calico and more like a rat that had gotten into many cans of paint. She needed to be bathed and fed. She sat in the corner of the cage, looked up at me and meowed. I was hooked.

So I brought her home, fleas and all. I took care of her, and in return, she has been there for me through thick and thin for the last fourteen years. We moved many times together. She met many friends and boyfriends. She helped me cope with break ups and lonely, dateless Saturday nights. She helped me study when I decided to go back to school. Well, ok, she sat on my text books, while I studied, but she was there.

And now at fourteen, she's a grumpy old lady. She only likes a few certain people. She still has the kitten glint in her eye when we play. She just can't tolerate playing for as long anymore. She hates it when people cough or sniffle around her. She literally bitches about it when they do. She loves to bathe in the sun everyday it's out. And that's about all of the activity that she can handle in a day, following the path of the sun across the living room.

She is sick. Well, there's something wrong, and without surgery, we don't really know what. She is only eating very little. She's lost more that a pound and a half now. When she does eat, she often vomits it back up. She has spent the last week in the hospital, getting IV fluids and tube feedings. I brought her home yesterday. She's back in her patch of sun on the floor. She's eating a little. She hasn't vomited yet. Is she better? I don't know.

I can't medicate her. AT the hospital, they gave her injectable drugs, but they expect me to pill her. I can pill my other cat, but not Britches. She won't let me. I've crushed the pills and mixed them with baby food (yum). She won't eat it. Without the medication, will she start to get sick again? I don't know.

The vet thinks that it may be cancer. So as long as she's comfortable, and not getting sick, she'll stay home. Once she starts to suffer again, well, I just can't let her go through that. She's had a long life. I can't let her suffer.

I'm torn. I feel guilty that I can't pill her. I don't know what to do. So I'm just taking it a day at a time. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

There will never be another girl like Britches. She's been a great pet and a great friend.