The vet called and we spoke for about 20 minutes.

Dodo does not have hyperthyroidism, which surprised her because of his great appetite. He does, however, have Stage 2 Kidney Disease. Kidneys do fine with 60% of its function remaining; if he drops below that, it requires some medical intervention, although there is no cure. Dodo’s right at or under 60% so there are markers of the disease in his tests. There’s extra protein in his blood, which means the kidneys aren’t filtering that out as they should be. He’s got concentrated potassium in his urine, which means the kidneys are not retaining it and is letting it pass out in his urine. He’s also anemic, and the kidneys are the organs that send the signals to the bone marrow to produce red blood cells. The anemia isn’t too bad, but it’s there. So the treatment will be 2 oral meds — one twice a day, one once a day, to supplement potassium, and to lower his blood pressure. High blood pressure adds strain to the kidneys so it progresses the disease faster. I asked for the meds in suspension liquid form so Dodo won’t spit it out (or as much of it). I’m going to have to squirt meds twice in him before work and once after work, or vice versa, for the rest of his life. His life expectancy at this point is something like 2 years, which isn’t too bad considering he’s 14, so at 16, he’s got a longer life than a lot of other cats without kidney disease. He’s also going to have to be on a prescription low-protein diet, which the vet’s office sells, so I’ll have to pick up a bag later when I run errands when the cleaning people are here.

I asked for symptoms to anticipate. She said as he progresses to stage 3-4, if the blood pressure remains high, he could have a stroke and in cats, it usually paralyzes their hind leg(s). If the blood pressure is fine, then as the disease progresses and his kidneys fail to filter out what it needs to, Dodo will have more protein buildup in his blood, which will make him nauseated. Then he’d eat a lot less, and may throw up more often. His only visible symptom so far has been the “increased vocalization,” as the vet puts it clinically. He’ll also continue to drop weight. He was down 0.7 lbs since he as last in there, and his weight had been declining for the past 3-4 years. She’s happy and surprised he’s eating so well, so that may be a good sign of his vitality. She said every patient is different; once they hit stage 3-4, some pets surprise them and with continued treatment (such as fluid shots under the skin), live another 6 months.

I keep thinking that if he has to be put down in a couple of years, that’s old enough for Allie to miss him. I think about how I’ve had him since he was 3. I think about how resentful I was at his yowling, when the yowling is really a sign that he’s uncomfortable — the ONLY sign he gives. No peeing/pooing outside his litterbox in protest, no bothering us, no scratching other things, just doing his own thing and yowling when he’s on his own. Even last nite, I was able to pet him after just one yowl and he’d calm down, purr, and settle next to my side of the bed and curl up and sleep. I’d known he was going to die or have to be put down at some point since I’ve had him, but I didn’t think about it much because it would send me into a panic. I was just hoping the decline of his life wouldn’t be due to some horrible progressive disease. Now it looks like we know what’s going to take him.

God, I’m such a crappy cat-mom.