R.I.P. Kimo 7/13/04-6/16/22 

Our handsome mancat Kimo crossed the rainbow bridge today around 2:00pm. He had been sleeping most of the day. We are grateful that he passed in the comfort of his own home with family nearby. He was about a month shy of celebrating his 18th birthday on 7/13/22, so he live a long, full life. You may recall our other elder cat, Sabi, passed in early 2021. The two of them were adopted together from the Petaluma Animal Shelter on 9/14/04. They were inseparable at the shelter so we adopted them together and we named them Kimo & Sabi (like Kimosabe, from the Lone Ranger TV series). Kimo and Sabi continued to be BFFs until the “Great Walkabout of 2011” when Kimo got out of the house and didn’t return for over 2 weeks. After that, he considered himself to be superior to all other beings in the house and he and Sabi had a falling out. Besides thinking highly of himself, he loved playing with bags, sparkle and crinkle balls, feather toys and he couldn’t resist a catnip toy. He had a special bond with Kiera from the first day we brought her home as a baby. He would sleep by her crib and watch over her wherever she was napping. He would come running to comfort her if she was crying about something. In turn, she would sneak him food from her high chair. He loved hanging out with Paul (aka Daddykitty) in his office – sitting on the windowsill, sleeping on the printer, or walking across the keyboard. He killed one keyboard by knocking Paul’s drink over it and almost killed a monitor by pushing it off the desk. He often napped with me and got under the covers with me on cold mornings. He always sat on my lap when I watched TV. Kimo never really had an interest in bonding with Sherman (our 4 yr old)
, though Sherman persisted – mostly pestered. Sherman learned the only way to get close to Kimo was to catch him napping, then sneak up to snuggle beside him. Sherman appears sad and confused. We’ll definitely be considering a companion for him in the near future. Kimo’s passing is in line with a long list of other cats that Kimo and Sabi came to know through cat blogging which began (for us) in 2006. Many of those other blogging cats have passed or are in their elder years too – kind of an end of an era for many of us. And these crazy cats brought us humans together as friends – some of the most supportive friends I have come to know and love. I know I have a ton of photos posted here, but I had a hard time picking just a few. Plus, it was a good way for us as a family to process and celebrate Kimo’s life. Thanks to all of you for your virtual hugs, prayers, and support.

 KIMO UPDATE:

Kimo returned to the vet today for some more poking, prodding, and an ultrasound. There's a lot going on. His spleen is inflamed, looks like he has a cyst on his liver, and some sort of mass in his colon. Nothing can be definitively ruled out unless we have biopsies and more tests for everything - and we simply can't afford it. We're pretty sure, based on some other tests and his eating habits, that he also has pancreatitis, and that can be managed with meds. So, for now, it's kind of a wait and see situation. His current meds are improving his appetite, and our main goal is to get some weight back on him. The vet gave us a new pill-pocket flavor and he seems to like it, so it's easier to give him pills again. That's all we know for now. We have no indication, other than weight loss/gain, how he will improve and how much longer he'll be with us. We're looking forward to his milestone 18th birthday in July. He doesn't seem to have any pain, and other than his normal old geezer cat crankiness, he's huggable and lovable. Today he's in a good mood and happy he found his favorite (well loved) sparkle ball to play with. Hug your furbabies. 💗

 Kimo need some healing vibes sent his way. He has been losing weight the past several months, throwing up frequently
, and not wanting to eat much. Today we had more lab work done (results later this week), and he got some IV fluids because he was a little dehydrated. We also got him some meds to ease his tummy troubles and stimulate his appetite. Next week he will have an ultrasound done. Best case scenario it's something like IBS . . . of course, we don't want to think about the worst case scenario. For now, he's happy to be home and continues to contemplate cat world domination.

 Happy 17th Birthday, Kimo!

Birthday

Happy 17th Birthday to our sweet Sabi over the Rainbow Bridge.

 

 R.I.P. Sabi 7/3/04-1/28/21

Our sweet Sabi passed in his sleep sometime this morning between 10-11am. He was a wonderful boy. My handsome mancat who had two heart shapes in his fur. A big love bug, very patient with Sherman, good spider catcher, loved feather toys and schmousies, the timekeeper of meals, big talker, cat blogger, and couch snuggler. He and Kimo were BFFs at the animal shelter so we adopted them together. That's why we named them Kimo & Sabi (Kimosabi = friend). We are so grateful that he passed in the comfort of his own home, own cat bed, and surrounded by family. Thank you to all our friends, family, and Cat Blogosphere pals for sending your virtual hugs, prayers and support.

 On 12/7/20 we learned from the vet that Sabi has intestinal cancer. We hope we have a few months more with him, but one never really knows with these things. We’re going to treat him with Prednisone to help keep his appetite up a little and make him comfortable. We will not be treating him with chemo. Please refrain from recommendations or advice. We have already done a lot of research and know what our best options are for Sabi based on his age (16.5), personality, health history, etc. Your love, support, and heartfelt wishes are always welcome though. We’re going to give him the best Christmas ever.