Maxing Out

Tuesday, August 13, 2024

The veterinarian who recently examined my kitty Maxwell called and said that his bloodwork reveals the very early stage of kidney failure. Max is approximately 17 years old, give or take, and I resist imagining him not being around, underfoot and in my way, or on my lap purring and contented.

Max’s inoculations were updated during that vet visit, and since, I have debated whether to allow him to go outside a little. This late in summer there are few helpless young critters, if any, to maximize his hunting success. The veterinarian said that tasty and highly digestible mice are a perfect kidney-friendly food.

In his earliest years here, Max was an outside-only kitty and hung out in the chicken coop area. Nowadays, plenty of mice still run around there, but I hesitate to let Max go out. He’s been inside for a long time and, while wanting to go out, is accustomed to in-house confinement.

Years ago, I lived in Los Angeles and volunteered with a kitten rescue organization. I absorbed some rules that made sense, the most important being “inside-only,” which reduced dangers from traffic, predatory critters, and unkind humans. That rule still resonates with me.

My concerns now are about heavier vehicle traffic here in Central Oregon from exploding population growth. I worry about new neighbors coming from the city living and being unaccustomed to roaming cats. Those weren’t big factors in Max’s earlier free days.

So, the jury’s out on Max’s future, whether inside only or outside partially. It doesn’t help to weigh in a potential kidney failure journey. Meanwhile, all will be on hold, and I will focus on shopping for prescription kidney food, and weighing that against the benefits of delicious, digestible mice.

Dear Friends: It’s early, I’m over-worried while first-time imagining no Max. Diana