Re: Simon update

[Wheezercat42]

(I do hospice care for people.)   As the body prepares for death, the body shifts energy from the digestive system to the other organs - heart, lungs & brain mainly.  Many people will ask for water up to the last day or two, but will refuse food for the last week or two.  because their digestive system is shut down, they aren't hungry.  Making them eat is like making someone who's just gorged on Thanksgiving dinner eat a huge, extra rich dessert.  Syringing a little to see if he'll take it is okay, but try to resist making him take more than he'll willingly eat.  Let him guide you about his water and food intake.  Keep it available and keep it appetizing - this is an excellent time to offer special foods he's always adored but didn't get to have often - but in general, do him a favor and don't force feed.  It's also normal for them to become comatose (nearly to completely unresponsive).  They're still aware of you and what's happening to them and they can still hear, it's just that they don't have the strength to respond anymore.   Keep in mind that it's not unusual for cats to purr when they're in pain.  The frequency of the vibration of purrs is healing and comforting for them.  It's also not unheard of for them to not want to go (Legolas didn't want to go).  When his body's ready to go, you'll know.  Watch out for/expect severe congestion and restlessness.  You might even hear his breathing sound like air blown through a straw into milk or a thick liquid.  It's normal.  If he starts a long mournful wail (death howls) he's very close (probably within a couple hours).  The howls may or may not happen, and they also may or may not indicate pain or anxiety.  They can be very difficult to hear though.  When I heard it the first time, it really freaked me out.   It takes a very strong person to stay with an animal through a natural death - it could be peaceful and calm and everything will just stop, or they could end up struggling and having a very difficult time before the end.    I hope that when Simon's time comes, his end is peaceful and he just slips away in his sleep.   Kathy "Every time you meet a situation, though you think at the time it is an impossibility and you go through the tortures of the damned, once you have met it and lived through it, you find that forever after you are freer than you were before." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt