Sadly, I had to say goodbye to my 18 year old scrappy street cat last week. My wallet had decided that she was more important with our acupuncture sessions since she was older than Dudley. So she had a year of successful acupuncture sessions once a month for her arthritis and chronic respiratory issues. Now that she is gone, we are moving Dudley into her spot to provide treatment for his leg and shoulders. He does amazing with the acupuncture…I need to bring a pillow or a book for the 25 minute session because he completely freezes up once the needles are in. My acupuncture vet did probably 30 needles along his spine, back leg and shoulders and Dudley was completely still, after one complaining groan. He battles falling asleep the entire time. I don’t have to keep him company like I did my elderly GSD mix. He just stays on the floor and huffs at random.
Tonight, after his session, we went for an evening walk back into the woods across from my house. Dudley did a full loop of around 1 mile without having to stop and rest or tiring out. He usually will tucker out halfway through and slowly meander back, smelling everything and taking a break. It was so good to see him being able to poke around, run up to me as I walked ahead and also see that he felt good. He does have some restrictions that I have recently become aware of needing to reinforce, however. Dudley has an obsession with fern diving. He will burrow into the sword ferns in the woods and roll about underneath them. I thought it was so cute to see him going bonkers and snorting dirt, leaves, etc. He wasn’t rolling in anything stinky, just enjoying the glorious smell of the forest. And then we were walking back and I noticed that his muzzle was extremely irritated. He has a bunch of welts on his face from fern diving that thankfully didn’t turn into open sores. So that will not be an option for his version of forest bathing!
I had the last 2 weeks off from work and we went out to our spot along the river (the unofficial dog park) every single day. My neighbor would bring his 3 dogs out and meet us there as well as meeting up with at least 3 or 4 other dogs that were early morning walkers. I am amazed at how social Dudley is considering his background. He loves dogs, people, anything that will pay attention to him. His foster mom said that he must have belonged to someone at some point before he ended up on the streets in Houston. Dudley is a very conflicted dog…he loves meeting new people but with me, it took almost a year for the bond to really set. He’s not snuggly with me, but he watches me constantly. He’s happy to see me, but it’s more of a half hearted tail wag. We are getting there though!!!! I can turn around from my desk and see him staring at me…and he is doing amazing at riding in the car!!! He has graduated from sitting on the floorboards to riding in the back seat <3 We even went for a short car ride with my 7 year old nephew in his booster seat with Dudley sitting in the back seat next to him and it was fine!
First, I’m sooo sorry about your kitty. That is a long, long life! You gave your kitty everything for a great time on earth as a street kitty.
I love Dudley updates. To see the progress he’s made since you joined us really makes me so hoppy! Especially happy knowing that he wasn’t actually attacked by a ‘pine or anything, that’s what I assumed until I took a closer look at the needles. Duuuh!
He’s such a good boy. Always great seeing his adventures and knowing he’s doing better and better on so many levels. Enjoy your sunshine and summer!
my Alice cat was such an amazing little girl. She showed up in our back yard in Virginia in 2008 and actually brought a kitten that was not hers to us. Alice was spayed already when she showed up through TNR and still brought us a kitten that was not from her I fed them both and provided shelter for them for several years until 2013 when the kitten she brought us suddenly disappeared. We ended up having to move back to Oregon in August 2013 and ended up bringing her with us after trying to find her a barn home. The feral cat rescue I was working with helped us get her approved to fly because they saw that she was bonded to me. Alice flew across the country, stayed one night at my brother’s house in Portland, rode in the car to the Oregon Coast, stayed one night at my sister’s house, stayed 3 nights in the house that my brother was remodeling for my parents and then finally moved into the RV we would stay in for 3 years. For 3 years, she wouldn’t let me touch her. She had my indoor cat to hang out with and slowly gave us little glimpses of hope by coming closer to us. We moved into the trailer I currently live in 2016 and she was forced to accept me in her space. She started sleeping on me and after my other cat passed away, she totally became my friend. She realized that I was cool and that I was a good space heater during the winter 🙂
She was so accepting of any changes in our lives and was able to adapt. The last few years of her life, she became blind and was going through a very slow process of kidney failure. I knew it was becoming a hospice situation this past year and just wanted to let her tell me when her body was done. It was very apparent when she was ready to go and I was able to be there with her to the end, giving her love and comfort. Dudley is amazing with my parents cats..basically ignores them and doesn’t get aggressive when they puff up at him. This winter, I am planning on moving our shop cat into the trailer when it gets colder. She has weathered many winters in a cold shop but I want her to have her senior winters with us where it is warmer. Joey is a friendly girl and is comfortable with dogs…Rather than deal with the stress of a kitten and Dudley, I’d prefer to bring in a seasoned cat who will need somewhere warm in the winter. Joey has no problem adapting and loves sleeping on a human so win win!!!