Cooper in May

This May is coming to a close. Next week we welcome June, and I am looking forward to sharing more food with you and of course pictures and stories with Cooper. Today, I am sharing what the month of May has been like for Cooper.

Week 1 – Complete change in food

Starting at the beginning of May, Cooper lost interest in his food. The food he once loved and devoured, he started to shun away. Cooper had suffered from a flare up in April, and I suppose the food he was eating no longer seemed appetizing. Since Cooper has a specific diet, I cannot just go to the pet store and pick up any food. All of his food comes from his vet. To make things more complicated, Cooper cannot digest hard food, and we have gone through every brand and flavor of wet food available in stock. Cooper’s digestive system is extremely sensitive, so the tough love route of leaving the food out until Cooper will eat is not an option. If Cooper does not eat on a regular basis, his system flares up. Thankfully, the vet helped and special ordered options that they do not keep in stock. While waiting for the order to come in, they even supplied Cooper with some samples. Cooper loved his new food choices, along with a few that he will not touch. But, we are finally getting Cooper back to a routine eating schedule!

On a side note, to the person that offered the theory that cats do not taste food rather they taste texture is sadly mistaken! They clearly never had a cat, or had the ONE cat that was not finicky!

Week 2 – Head tremors

Week two of May brought some excitement for Cooper, but not in the best way. Cooper started having head tremors. I took a video to send to his doctor. Cooper was behaving normal otherwise. His doctor kept in touch during the week to monitor him. Every day that week, I took Cooper to the office with me. I work a 9 to 5 office job, and fortunately, the office is pet-friendly! Cooper loves going to the office with me. He gets to explore and look out the windows to watch the birds. However, by the end of each day, Cooper is wiped out and falls asleep in a chair next to my desk!

Yep. That is Cooper hard at work!

In all fairness, Cooper was not having the best week. He was not feeling that great, and I was working hard to keep him eating, taking his medicine, and monitoring him on what was wrong. We did not know if Cooper was suffering from some mild seizures or something else. Fortunately, Cooper had a scheduled injection (for his arthritis in his lower back) set up at his vet by the end of the week.  Saturday arrived and Cooper and I went to the vet.

This is not the look of appreciation from Cooper. Cooper knew where we were going. The vet is so good to Cooper, but he does not make it easy. He has the warning label on his file “WILL BITE”, and frankly they have every right to put that warning label on his file. Cooper is such a sweetheart at home, but he turns into a little monster at the vet! Fortunately, Cooper’s doctor was working that day, and she did an ear smear. It turned out Cooper needed ear drops and a good ear cleaning. Cooper has medication that is topically applied to his ears, and some of the residues had collected in his ear canal. Cooper and I left the vet with ear drops for the next two weeks and I had an education on how to clean Cooper’s ears from now on. Fortunately, No doctors or techs were bitten or scratched by Cooper during the visit! 🙂

Week 3 – Ear treatment & cleaning

Cooper was not having any more head tremors, so I left him home to carry on as usual. He was eating great, and he received his ears drops fairly well. However, it was time for his mid-week ear cleaning! Cooper was not happy, but I managed to get his ears cleaned. The ear cleaning solution is a liquid and I am sure it feel strange when the solution trickles down his ear canal. But we have to keep Cooper’s ears in good health. Regardless of the necessity, Cooper was pretty mad at me for a good 15 minutes.

But, Cooper forgave me and his ears perked back up once I offered him some treats! This has been our routine with ear cleanings since. I clean his ears, he gets mad, and I offer him treats to end on a positive note.

Week 4 – Back to normal

With the start of the month with a complete change in food, head tremors in week 2, treatment in week 3, Cooper is having a great close to the end of this May! I am looking forward to a 3-day weekend with Cooper. Life can turn on a dime. That goes for the good and bad. When Cooper shows signs of a problem, I have to act quickly. We have been so fortunate this month to have had solutions to put him back on track fairly quickly. Cooper is back to enjoying the birds from his favorite windows. Greeting the raccoons and opossums that visit our back yard near the sunroom at night. And, of course, is back to his nighttime kitty karaoke! Thank you, Cooper, for the middle of the night entertainment! 🙂 I am glad you are back to your habits, both good and it just comes with the territory.

I am looking forward to great June for Cooper, and I hope to have some great stories to share next month!Also, Cooper and I are working on videos to show you in the near future too!

Have a great day!