How does a voicemail left on June 9th float around in the ether until June 16th? The message about my check-in time for last Wednesday arrived this morning.
It isn’t the first time I’ve had this experience.
Just proves that nothing may be relied upon in this modern world.
.
Steroid injections are helpful but there are temporary side-effects. These can be managed if one is sensible.
Which, sometimes I am not.
An early night would have been helpful.
.
But I was finishing the last of a series of exciting spy novels.
How could I put it down one chapter from the end?
It would not have mattered, except:
.
Poor little blind Lucy had some sort of anxiety attack.
At night she tends to suddenly sit up and call out, as if disoriented, but she always settles down again and goes back to sleep.
Not on Wednesday night.
Lucy has always been rather a drama queen, screaming blue murder at the smallest thing.
Those calls I know to ignore. But her insecure wails are pitiful. They pierce my heart.
.
So I talked to her and she calmed down. After 5 minutes, the wail resumed. This continued. I spent time sitting by her, petting her, but not ten minutes later, she was calling again.
Moving her onto my bed would not help because that’s not where she wants to be.
She appears to want me in my chair, next to her cozy bed.
.
The steroid headache now turned into a cracker. But somewhere after 3 am, I fell asleep only to be awakened at 5 by dear little Patches: “Good morning!”
Too early to start morning rounds, I retreated to the back room, behind a closed door and put my head down, but in that room I could hear the constant drone of the Radon pump, like an old fashioned dentist’s drill.
.
After an hour of that, I staggered out to face the day and perversely, got a second wind.
Having expected to spend the day in a state of collapse, I found I had more energy than in a long time, even spending time in the garden. A little time.
But this morning, it was hard getting started, so I agreed to accompany Grant on a quick shopping trip. Maybe it would wake me.
As I waited in the parking lot, I was suddenly overwhelmed by the need to put my head down. Like jet lag after an over- night flight.
.
Last night Lucy had reverted to the two brief wails at about 10 pm followed by another at 3 am.
These I can deal with, but Wednesday night I was desperate. Lucy had a check-up recently and I know there is nothing physically wrong.
It’s that her world suddenly went dark and I can’t imagine how insecure she must feel.
.
It is particularly difficult in a multi-cat house. My staying in a closed room alone with Lucy just isn’t an option.
And Lucy is not a lap cat, nor does she like being carried around. So what does one do?
Has she had enough? She is elderly, but she’s not sick. She still seems happy except for those insecure moments.
.
If I thought she was suffering, I could entertain the thought of letting her go but right now I cannot. It would be a betrayal.
Most of the day, Lucy sits beside me as I type, purring as I put my hand out to remind her I am there.
Since first owning a cat, I have dealt with quite a variety of issues and if you decide to live with pets, it is your responsibility, so I have never minded, till now.
This is a challenge I don’t know how to deal with. I half-joked about getting Lucy a guide dog, but although she might well take to it, I doubt the other 10 would.
Thank you, Carolyn, for your beautiful photos and your story of daily trials and tribulations.
Let’s hope things will get better, or at least your sleep!
Joanna
I think your cat is reacting to something not physically seen. As if she’s sensing something approaching. Furthermore, without physical sight (I think?), perhaps it leaves Lucy more open to the movements in the world that exists alongside ours. Stay safe, Carolyn.
Quite possibly. Toby and Lily go down to the basement and carry on long “conversations”. It sounds as if they are wailing in distress but they have been doing it for 5 years and they are fine. Never been able to figure it out, but cats are mysterious creatures!
As I often say, the cats are lucky that they allow you to live in their house.
I had to look up what a Radon Pump was, as I had never heard of such a thing.
Best wishes, Pete.
Oh, poor Lucy … I also thought it must be hard for her not to see what’s going on around her. How do you know what they think and how they feel – it’s difficult to say the least. Can you imagine Lucy getting a guide dog … it will be a best seller 😉.