Button Bunnies on the Loose/1-yr CRF Anniversary

Spotted in the wild...Ravelry user ainsleygrimm has finished an adorable set of Button Bunnies in The Wool Dispensary's Greater Poison in Circus Popcorn.  Can bunnies and cats be friends?  Apparently, if both are cute enough!

Ainsleygrimm is actually a knitting friend of mine who also happens to be a fellow cat animal lover.  She works in her family's veterinarian office and was beyond helpful to us last year when Robin was diagnosed with Chronic Renal Failure (CRF).  To manage his condition, we've been giving him subcutaneous fluids every day - something that seemed so impossible a year ago, but it's amazing how quickly you can get used to something.  Lisa was kind enough to give us an in-home demonstration since our how-to at the vet office didn't quite stick (I was sick, it was my birthday, we were still so shocked & stressed out about the diagnosis...and the cat wasn't terribly cooperative, either!).  It made a huge difference to get a sub-q lesson in-home, so we really can't thank Lisa enough for all her help!

Which brings me to part two of today's entry - today is the 1-year anniversary of Robin's diagnosis.  I'm happy to say that he's still doing very well.  A few of his numbers are creeping up - unfortunately, that's just something we'll have to learn to accept.  Overall, our vet is very pleased with how he is doing and I still hold out hope that we have many cuddly years to spend with our little buddy.  Now that I work from home, Robin & his sister Tilly are my constant companions (I like to refer to them as my 'coworkers'), and they're really awesome cats to have around!


It may seem like a lot of work when you have a sick kitty - Robin gets pills in the morning and evening, 100-150 cc's of fluids every day, and is on a special low-protein diet (meaning we have to feed the cats in separate rooms).  Trust me, it's not as tough as it seems,  and it's totally worth it - as you can see, Robin repays me every day with love and snuggles.  There are days when he follows me around the house because he just wants to be where I am.  Sometimes, he just wants to spend the day in his room (the enclosed porch), lying on the massage table that's set up to catch the late-day sunlight.  He loves hanging out with me in the kitchen while I'm cooking, and often will sit in an empty chair at the table when I'm having lunch (he's also been known to join us for dinner).  Every morning, he literally is jumping up and down and hanging off of the kitchen counter as I dish out his favorite meal of the day (the extremely stinky but apparently delicious Royal Canin LP Morsels in Gravy).

He's got good taste: A Merino/Silk and BFL Roving pillow

Considering everything he has to put up with on a daily basis, it's amazing that he's still so good-natured - and he is truly happy to be alive.  I've had people tell me that he's lucky to have cat-parents who are so dedicated to keeping him healthy, but honestly, I kind of feel like we're the lucky ones.  Having to deal with all of this stuff (and confronting one of my worst fears, NEEDLES) has put many things in perspective for me.  We don't know how much time Robin has left to spend with us, but however long it is, we're going to make sure we enjoy it as much as possible.