Resident NoHo mascot cat Sweetpea is dying.
Always a low-energy cat, in recent years she's mostly slept the days and nights away, getting up to eat and use the litter box and spending the rest of her time dreaming little cat dreams. It was kind of like having an animated pillow.
She normally snuggles up to the nearest warm body at night but now she wants to be by herself at the foot of the bed, flattening herself out like a small tiger-skin rug. (Although she's one of those black and white "moo cats" so she looks more like a cow hide with a cat head.)
She is 18 and has been with me since she was a runty little feral cat missing the tip of her tail and the fur on her ears who had to be bottle fed. Once she learned about tuna, she made up for lost time and at one point, topped the scales at a whopping 22 pounds. (She wasn't fat, she was just "big boned.") She is very sweet but not the smartest cat I've ever known.
She's been losing weight in the last few months and in the last few weeks has weakened alarmingly. She's now reached that stage, familiar to all cat owners, of deflated paws and general weakness. Her kidneys are failing her and there's nothing the vet or I can do except make sure she's comfortable and hoping for a gentle leave-taking.
I wish I could be tough about this but I can't. And I do not feel like writing...
The next NoHo story, "Hard Rain" will be up soon.
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