The kids holler for me any time Scratchy is spotted exhibiting normal, aka pre-Scary Sickness, behavior.
“Mom! Scratchy’s eating!”
“Mom, come quick! Scratchy’s drinking water! Out of his bowl!”
“Mom! I saw Scratchy use the litterbox! He pooped!”
There is no privacy here.
I fed Scratchy in the music room today. He was curled up comfortably in the office chair (just like he used to do before he Got Sick!), so I figured I would just hang with him in there rather than bring him somewhere more comfortable for me.
That’s the only kind of tape we have in the house that would hold his tube against the back of his bandage. Just wanted to show you that. I’m sure duct tape would have worked, too….
Here’s a blurry soft-focus shot I took of my hand holding the syringe that has the water in it. I wanted to get a shot of the syringe with the food, because brown mushy food is ever so much more photogenic, but he was a little fidgety while I was feeding him and I was afraid he’d bolt if I didn’t have one hand scratching under his chin. (Of course, me dashing into the other room to get my camera may have had something to do with that fidgetiness.)
Scratching Scratchy.
You can see the shaved part on his leg, just below his chin in the picture above. He’s been shaved on three legs for various needle-related events, and his belly shaved for the flash ultrasound way back when this saga began.
He looks like his frat brothers played a little prank on him one night….
This is the crimped end of his feeding tube, after I taped it up. This is the method that has worked best to keep the tube end closed and keep liquids contained.
It’s been a learning experience.
Feeding time over, Scratchy wastes no time fleeing. Okay, not fleeing, really, but he’s definitely got more energy to burn and no time to waste lollygagging around.
Oh – and there’s this, too:
“Mom! Scratchy and Softie are sitting near each other! And Softie’s not hissing at him!”
And that’s the update.
