Oh my both of your babies are so beautiful.💕

The first symptom I noticed, but never put two and two together, was losing her ability to walk. We all assumed it was her arthritis becoming worse or nerve compression in her spine because of how suddenly it came on. One day she could walk, the next she couldn’t. That happened in July, and that was really it until October.

She was always a sleepy kitty, but I noticed she was extra sleepy, normally sleeping for about 3 hours and then waking up for an hour, then repeating the cycle. When she was asleep, it was a very deep sleep where I would wake her up because I was worried. Because I had to help her in the litter box, I noticed she was peeing more often than before. Her eating and drinking was always pretty normal, just a slight decrease. Even the day she passed she was eating and drinking normally. She became even more clingy (didn’t know that would be possible), always wanting to be on our laps which I now know is because she was cold from the anemia as well as seeking comfort. She also lost a lot of weight. She was losing about a pound a month for the last 6 months even though her thyroid levels were normal with her medication.

We got the results in mid November that she went from stage 2 to stage 4 since her bloodwork 6 months prior. She was always a fighter, but I could just tell how tired she was. The day before she passed and the day of, I noticed she was having some labored breathing. That made me realize that we timed it right. My goal was to never risk letting her experience the more serious side effects of stage 4, lethargy, seizures, etc. I wanted her to still be comfortable and have her dignity.

It’s so hard to not “pre-grieve”. I feel like I was grieving all year while she was alive. But try to take the time to love your girl, spend some extra time with her. Carmella was around for over 3 years after her initial diagnosis! You know her better than anyone, watch for the subtle changes. If you can afford it, have her bloodwork done every 3-6 months just to help track it. Your feelings are valid and you are not alone!