She lives

As I wrote last week at this time, our kitty Louise was in bad shape. In fact, she was so sick, that our veterinarian advised we begin thinking about end of life plans. Louise has been sick before--she has visited the vet's office a handful of times since last May when she came to live with us. But never before have we had to seriously consider losing her.

So when we got the news she was in rapid decline, we trusted it was true and prepared for the worst. I spent last Wednesday and Thursday nights sleeping on the couch with Louise on my lap. It wasn't very comfortable but it felt like the right thing to do.

Slowly over the following few days Louise started regaining her strength. She ate with more vigor, she walked with more assurance, and by Tuesday of this week she was climbing up and down the stairs with ease. She's seemingly back to her old 15-year-old self, and for now, that's a gift. We've been on an emotional roller coaster in the past few days. We don't know if we have days or months or years left, but it's all worth it if we get a little more quality time with her.

If cats really do have nine lives, I'd say Louise is probably on her 12th. But we'll take it.