update on Chum

He's off the IV fluids, but still on antibiotics, is eating cat food again but hasn't had a normal bowel movement in 10 days. His only output has been 2 hard little nuggets about half the size of my thumb. So now he's on a stool softener, twice a day and he needs to eat small meals every 2 hours until his bowels are regulated. I am blessed to have the flexibility to stay at home to get him healthy again. If I worked outside the home, most likely Chum would be in a worse situation. Not to say I'm a fricking miracle worker or anything, I'm just very grateful for the flexibility I have in my work and volunteer schedule. Chum is requiring a LOT of care but as long as he shows signs of improvement, we'll continue to do everything we can.

So I fed Chum the second round of his stool softener which gets mixed into his food. He ate a couple bites then walked away and before I could scoop in and grab the dish, Wrigs had already gobbled up the rest of it. "Poo Watch 2010" has officially begun for both of them. Wrig's tummy is making gurgling sounds and I am wondering if I should fashion a diaper out of a Shamwow and tie it to his bottom.

One big sign of improvement is that Chum is starting to jump up on the bed again and actually cuddle a little bit. Problem is, Wrigs gets REALLY jealous and has to insert himself into Chumley time. Here he keeps trying to touch Chum on the back so I had to hold his paw. And yes, I blurred myself out of this pic because I wasn't feeling too hot that day so I spared you all some gore.



Here are a few videos taken over the last few weeks. The first one is dark because Chum was inside his "hole" eating some baby food. Listen closely to the "num num nums."

And you'll note in the other 2 videos when Chum is about to throw up, how he'll rush over to the throw rugs. I've learned to keep a few old magazines handy and when I hear his guttural heaves I'll rip a few pages of the magazine and quickly shove them under him. And if you decide to use this trick at home yourself, just make sure to get your hands out of the way. I never knew cat vomit was so warm.