"Do I have covid because I can't smell cat poop?"

At worst, Olivia has diarrhea 3-4 times in a row and may even vomit somewhere in between. Even one evening I was washing my hands after the second or third shit when she threw up. After a while I sat on the bed and didn't notice that Olivia pooped on the bedroom floor...

Kali has started to reject her Felix soup, where her medicine, laxative and Wenefro are hidden. I then decided to try Ipakitine for the kidney failure, which caused Olivia diarrhea due to the lactose it contains. Well, Kali still hasn't had the same effect even after many days. Ipakitine has worked well for Kali, and even with a laxative. It feels a bit like she could use even a little more laxative.

With her medication, Kali has become more restless. These days we call her an ADHD cat. She sleeps less than before, and often wanders around. It is also strange that after her illness/medication Kali's nose has started to darken. It feels like there are always more dark spots.

 

 

The pain consequences of pain stress?

I myself have suffered especially from pains and an inflamed feeling in the area of the teeth, mouth and jaw. The pain in that place of the wisdom tooth was startling, but luckily it went away.

I just can't stand how unfair it is that pain increases pain. Well, it is said that jaw and neck pain is common in thoracic endometriosis. (research on the connection between endo and jaw joint pain) Of course, I don't know what causes what, but biting teeth together and keeping jaws in the wrong position does not reduce the pain at least.

Regarding endometriosis pains, a week ago on Friday night, while playing Friday, I started having a nagging pain in my lower back from time to time. On Saturday, the interval between twinges kept getting shorter. There was also a stronger pain in one part of the upper thigh, so that one evening it was even more difficult to exercise. Those pains went away, until on Thursday the pain in the lower back started again, this time more permanently, so that it feels like I can't sit much.

 

 

And there would be so much to do on the computer these days. I still haven't had time to write or edit my novels this year. And the other day I started writing a new short story...

Weekend's fake party

After waking up on Friday, bad news came right away when I found out that my favorite Domen Prevc is not participating in ski jumping. I had been afraid for a long time that this would happen at some point. And Viaplay couldn't (of course?) show Friday's qualification on its TV channels or online. How often during the season I have to ask what exactly are we paying Viaplay for? Well, my spouse found a stream of a Polish channel online. Practices are also shown live in Poland.

Friday night I played for quite a long time, I finally got through main story of God of War Ragnarök. Or my spouse did, I outsourced all the bosses of that game to him. Too difficult game for me even on the easiest difficulty level. I will write more about that game later in some blog.

We were watching RE2 Randomizer race on Twitch when Olivia pooped on the bedroom floor at two in the morning. After cleaning, window had to be opened even though it was 18 degrees below zero (-0.4 degrees Fahrenheit).

 

 

I had a long dream where I was trying to get a friend to go party with me. I have a common nightmare that I have forgotten to put wine in the fridge. I probably woke up when I couldn't get my legs straight in bed when a cat was lying at the foot of it. At eight in the morning, luckily, I was awake when suspicious noises started coming from the windowsill, and Olivia jumped into bed to throw up. I rather quickly threw her on the floor.

I had been waiting for a long time to celebrate the New Year, i.e. drinking sparkling wine, and finally it was time. I was sure something would ruin it. Something in mine or the cats' well being.

 

 

Sometimes it has been difficult to get Kali to eat her food and the drugs hidden in it, and it's stressful. I myself started to have pain in my mouth a couple of days before the party, there was also blood. The place where the wisdom tooth has been removed. And it's certainly not the first time there has been pain over the years. However, I don't remember what year I had my wisdom teeth removed. I've begun to wonder if that inflamed feeling under the chin could be caused by the teeth. They suffered when I gritted my teeth last spring because of endometriosis pain. Well, I'm supposed to go to the dentist next summer.

It was exciting to try a new sparkling wine for the first time. Tutusaus, expensive, as much as 20 euros. As a great wine expert, I can say that it is good, i.e. as tasteless as possible.

In addition to sparkling wine, the program of the New Year's party included, of course, playing Friday. During the winter, it's always annoying that the ski jump delays the start of playing, even now. I got something extra for my party when I got to play with a certain streamer for the first time in a long time.

 

Olivia's sweet sixteen

My youngest cat Olivia turns 16 today.

 

 

Olivia's mother Kali is my oldest cat (18). They both have chronic kidney disease, as does Olivia's father. So great genes?

In addition to kidney problems, Olivia has chronic diarrhea. Over the past few months, she has started to poop on the floors.

 

 

Olivia's appetite is really good these days. Most of the time, she wakes us up in the morning by demanding breakfast. The reason for this is that she would like to eat mostly wet food. However, when I introduced Orijen kitten, Olivia started to eat dry food too. Olivia and Kali like it really much, and the bowls are empty in record time.

I add to Orijen kitten another dry food which is intended for chronic kidney disease, and the idea would be to gradually switch to kidney food completely. I bought Brit Renal with high hopes, but it has big kibble and I want small ones because Kali doesn't have many teeth left. Brit Renal cats do eat, at least among that Orijen kitten. The ingredient lists of those kidney dry foods are terrible to read, just vegetables and no meat.

Olivia has a grain-free diet, she gets Porus one for kidney failure and Kaopekt for diarrhea. We'll see how long we keep trying that grain-free, since it clearly doesn't help with diarrhea. Olivia dreams only of cereal-based cheap foods, such as Felix and Whiskas. Whenever I turn my back she's eating those from Tabitha's bowl. Nom nom. Grains good, meat bad.

As a memory, a picture from April 2008, when I got Olivia, and she could still fit in my lap...

 

The balance of fear

Taking care of three old and sick cats could be a full-time job. When you have to give different substances and medicines to three cats and make sure they eat them, it's a bit stressful.

 

For Tabitha Apelka twice a day for hyperthyroidism. Tabitha has become anti-medicine, or rather anti-cat treat. She suddenly decided that absolutely all the liquid treats (Miamor, Vitakraft, Sheba) are crap, and so she could not eat her vital thyroid medicine hidden in them. So I had to start giving Apelka hidden in a small amount of food. And then the food has to be of the kind that Tabitha certainly likes. And if Tabitha's nose is blocked, it must be wiped with warm water several times a day. It's not as simple as it sounds either. Boiled water must be just the right temperature, neither too cold nor too hot. And Tabitha mustn't be sleeping somewhere hidden, so I can't treat her nose.

For Kali, for chronic kidney disease, WeNefro twice a day. PEG every other day or as needed. Once a day Mirataz to the ear, alternate days in both ears so you should try to remember which ear's turn it is. Fortunately, Kali is eating and pooping for now, and voluntarily takes her kidney and constipation medicine.

For Olivia, Porus One once a day for kidney failure. Kaopekt for diarrhea if needed. Have to keep an eye on the bathroom visits all the time so that she doesn't poop on the floors.

Often, when going to bed, I wonder if all the cats have been medicated, what has been forgotten?

I guess we should donate Tabitha's treats to homeless cats. So it's not even enough that the cats cost a lot of money. So much of it also goes to waste. Olivia's different drug trials. Tabitha's treats. Foods that my cats won't eat.

 

 

I should have weighed Kali earlier. I would be interested to know how much her weight has increased now during the fattening course, because she looks like she has gained weight. I myself have lost weight again, I don't know if I should be worried. Well, maybe the muscle has just turned into fat. It's been many years since I last weighed less than 50 kilos (110 pounds). Tabitha's weight has stubbornly remained the same, at exactly three kilos (6.6 pounds).

I haven't been outside since it's been freezing as low as -34 (-29f). This old picture came to mind, which is apparently from February 2007. It's really warm inside, especially when the radiator is burning next to me when I'm trying to sleep. Even the chocolate melts, just like in summer.

 

It is interesting that last winter I suffered from ice-cold feet, the blood did not seem to circulate in them at all. But now this winter there hasn't been a similar problem. One could imagine that it is due to covid. That is, because it has been a longer time since the infection. In any case, a new covid infection would be a really bad thing. When it is known that covid damages everyone's (100%) blood vessels, and of course also otherwise. It's terrible when the news tells about sudden deaths of young people all the time. Excess mortality is grim, and public health work is dead.

 

Best products for cat's chronic kidney disease

Believe me, I have tested them all. Two of my three senior cats have renal failure. When my youngest cat Olivia was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease I tried all the CKD products I could get my hands on. So much wasted money!

Most vets only recommend renal diet foods to cats with CKD, but it's even more important to use products which bind phosphate and reduce its absorption from the intestines. If you want the easy way and not to force-feed your cat it's crucial to find renal products that your cat will take willingly, preferably mixed with food. Usually these products need to be given twice a day.

There are surprisingly many CKD products available, but at first I only knew about Pronefra's existence. It's in liquid form, so it's probably the best option for those owners who have to force feed their cat. But since I wanted to avoid that I kept trying others.

 

My cat Olivia is a fussy eater, but she gladly took Ipakitine mixed with her wet food. Unfortunately Ipakitine has lactose as a filler, and that makes absolutely no sense at all because most cats are lactose intolerant. So is my Olivia, and Ipakitine caused her diarrhea. So in conclusion Ipakitine is tasteless and odourless, and most cats will eat it willingly. But it is not suitable for those who can't digest lactose.

 

My oldest cat Kali is now 18 years old, and she was recenly diagnosed with chronic kidney disease aswell. She takes Wepharm's WeNefro voluntarily, mixed with soup wet food. Wenefro seems to be a good product, it has many ingredients which fight against complications renal insuffiency can cause to cats. Where to buy WeNefro? I'm sorry, I haven't been able to find international webstores which would sell it.

 

I give Olivia Porus One, mixed with wet food once a day, and she eats it willingly most of the time. Porus One is different from many other CKD products. It's black powder, and it looks like gun powder. It's actually activated carbon. It's important to mix it really well with wet food, so the cat won't notice it.

 

Renata is also a powder in single use packets. It smells bad, and neither of my CKD cats wanted to eat food if Renata was mixed in it.

Direne tablets Olivia refused to take, even if I crushed the tablets and hid the powder in her food.

 

What are the symptoms of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in cats? The most scary thing is that there might be no symptoms at all, so it's crucial to take senior cats to annual vet check ups and take the blood tests. A cat with renal failure might pee and/or drink a lot.

Dinner for Zero?

New Year's Eve was already ruined when I missed the classic Dinner for One. Actually, I checked television program listings many times in advance that it is not on tv in Finland. In one service, it was only visible in past programs, not the future ones. On New Year's Eve, I was just about to complain about the topic on Twitter and looked for the program on Yle Areena. I told my spouse that it was in Areena, and he wondered why I didn't watch it when it was on TV? What?! He told me that when I watched Yle in the morning, it showed that the next program is Dinner for One. What?! Thanks for telling me? He thought I noticed it. Well, I didn't notice. :(

And the good news continued when my favorite Domen Prevc was disqualified in the qualifying of the New Year's Day ski jumping competition because the jump suit was too permeable. I had been paying very close attention to that suit for weeks because of its dirty rear. Well, maybe it's hight time to change the suit? (And another favorite of mine, Andreas Wellinger, who has been doing surprisingly well lately, is the subject of a suit scandal)

New Year's Eve's Foodora's McDonald's order was incorrect, I didn't get a dip and my spouse didn't get a cinnamon bun. :( And I myself decided not to drink sparkling wine now, and save it for a better time.

 

How was the past year? I lost my job, I have no income, all three of my cats are old and sick. Someone with hindsight could probably argue that a poor person shouldn't take three cats, or maybe not even one. Cats' medication, well-being and expenses are stressful.

A year ago I promised to finish writing/editing my two novels, the oldest and the newest. Did I do that? No way, Jose. I did make quite a lot of progress. Now I promised myself to focus on the novel I most want to finish in the coming year. From which I originally made a short story (the first one in this short story collection) and I knew even then that it was only the first step, the actual goal of that story is a novel. At the moment, there are a good 26k words. Of course, that debut novel should also be worked on so that I could finally enter it into Books on Demand. I decided to put my short stories back on Amazon since they can't be removed from Goodreads.

But of course, the most important New Year's resolution is to play Friday the 13th: The game as much as possible. My favorite game of all time only has a year left to live. :(

 

 

For New Year's Eve, of course, I played Friday. I was supposed to continue playing past midnight, but a toxic Jason made a rage quit and ruined the party (when Jason leaves the match at a critical point, the game glitches), and I didn't want to continue anymore. But I did play for more than 6 hours straight.



We welcomed the new year by watching fireworks from the kitchen window with my cat Tabitha. My cats are not afraid of fireworks, they just marvel at them.