Woman in the Middle

In case I haven’t mentioned this recently, Blackie is a big cat. When he topped out at 22 pounds his girth is what hit you directly in the eyeball. Now that he is a skinny old man cat, what really sticks out is how tall he is and how long his legs are. Recently, in preparation for the summer Olympic games I am sure, Blackie showed us some sweet diving positions, taking advantage of those looong legs of his. Too bad they don’t have cat diving in the summer games. I am sure Blackie would have been a gold medal contender!

(Looking over his shoulder to spot the pool before going into a triple flip death spiral)

(I thought the toe pointing on this one was particularly medal worthy!)

(Reaching for perfect form!)

(I think some points are going to be taken away on this one because his feet are not together perfectly.)

Blackie is 17 years and four months old this month. That is pretty darn old for a cat. The months since he turned 17 have been a challenge for him and for us. He has lost considerable weight and has become about as picky an eater as any mammal can become.

When he was at the vet for his pooping problem two weeks ago we had full blood work and urinalysis done. It shows nothing new. Same old “maybe this, maybe that” stuff that can only be conclusively diagnosed with expensive tests which would require putting him under.   In the end, we might get an answer, but, given Blackie’s history as an international cat of mystery, we have a feeling we would end up with more questions than answers. Meanwhile, no one thinks it would be a good idea to give him anesthesia.

On Saturday it was really bad, but we doubled down on the medicine and he perked up a bit. He can still jump up on the couch, the bed, and his eating table with no problem. He still purrs when we scratch his chin.  For some reason, for the first time in his life. Blackie has to, and I mean HAS TO, sleep with Hubby and I. We would not normally tolerate such nonsense as our queen sized bed barely has enough room for the two of us. But, when the very elderly cat decides he wants to be with you and only you, well, we let him sleep with us.

We have entered the indulgent days. A little lick of ice cream here, a bit of chicken there, and we shall see how much longer this little upswing in how Blackie feels lasts. Meanwhile, it is all about the cat in our house. But, then , it usually is.

Sometimes the sun can get a little too hot. Then it is time to stretch out on the floor and cool off.

Eldest Daughter shared an interesting theory with me. She thinks that  Blackie the cat isn’t a cat at all. She thinks he is an alien life form that is masquerading as a cat to study humans. She believes his natural (alien) form is some type of ooze, like the Odo character on Star Trek Deep Space Nine. She feels that this alien can’t completely hide his real, ooze like nature. You know, if she is right is would explain so much….

If you are still not sure that Blackie is an alien from outer space, this next picture might convince you!