Life With Ogre-mi

It was just like a normal cat with Ogre-mi, before being diagnosed with CKD. We feed him once in the morning and once in the evening. In the evening he'll be released from the confinement of his room and into the living area. Feeder would play with him with his favourite mouse, but first the sitting on Feeder's lap ritual should not be forgotten. 

After he'd diagnosed with CKD, we moved him into the master bedroom with us. He was too weak to move around the house anyway. The daily routine also had many changes along with the terrible news. Force feeding food, medicine, and subcutaneous fluid, twice a day. The doctor said everyday is a bonus. We had a bonus of close to 2 years.

Over months he got better and his Creatinine reading had dropped from over 2000 to around 300. We were thrilled. Every visit to the clinic there was improvement on his blood test result. Nevertheless the routine had to carry on. It got easier because we didn't have to force feed him anymore. He was eating willingly with appetite. To a point where the vet said we need to control his body weight to not reach 6 kg. He was at 5.8 kg. However the routine was taking so much of our time and it was eating us up, especially me. But we never love him any less. Ogre-mi was the best cat still - obedient, loving, playful, cute. He was everything I'd hope for in a cat. He brought me so much joy.

And then we moved to our new house, with Ogre-mi. He and Panda-mi got used to the new environment almost immediately. When he was first diagnosed we didn't even dream that he would survive until then. He stayed one and a half year in our new house. By then he occupied the whole double storey with Panda-mi, roaming around freely. I think he loves his new house. 

Panda-mi tagged along with Ogre-mi all the time, until Donkey-mi came along. Then he switched his direction to tagging with Donkey-mi. Probably due to the fact that Ogre-mi is older and play with him less. But Ogre-mi did play. He would jump up onto the platform above the TV, and he would play on the cat staircase, jumping onto the topmost cubicle usually, then looking down on his humans and his fellow kyoudai. Yes, for sure. Ogre-mi is their aniki - and always will be. Although this aniki sometimes bully them - slapping their heads and faces. I remember looking at their interaction was the most rewarding thing to do at home. That was when things were good.

Ogre-mi's health started to deteriorate more or less during the time when I was outstation working in Fuzhou, China. But we brushed it aside at that time, thinking it was nothing.