Just when you think your cat is on his last legs. . .
By Suzieqmom
@Suzieqmom (2755)
United States
January 31, 2011 9:50pm CST
My big, beautiful orange maine (c)oon is almost 15 years old, suffers from diabetes, IBD, pancreatitis, cataracts, arthritis, and more. He has spent the last three days sleeping on our bed (VERY unusual for him), even refusing to get up to eat much of the time. I really thought this was it, and began preparing myself.
Well, after taking another very long nap today, he woke up, hopped off my bed, and began chasing our two kittens around the house! He played for an hour with a catnip mouse, jumped up on the counter to say hi to me while I was going through the mail, and generally is acting like a young(er) cat. Cats are amazing, aren't they? No wonder people say cats have 9 lives! 
1 person likes this
7 responses
@balarao24 (5)
•
1 Feb 11
some people believe in superstition that cats have nine lives.
because can survive falls from high places with few injuries.This gives the appearance that the cat returns to life after they met with an accident.
the ability to cat sustain these accidents that would kill humans because some advantages they posses. these are their small size and light body weight soften the impact when they fall from heights.
since cat lands all four paws at the same time, the impact from landing is absorbed by by four paws equally. in addition cat bend their legs on landing, which cushions the impact by spreading the impact.
@Marik0202 (19)
• United States
1 Feb 11
to true...they are little survivors....the house i purchased four years ago came with four semi feral cats living underneath the porch.talk about a surprise! anyways i live in the desert with no natural bodies of water nearby, and yet these guys were here who knows how long....and yes they adopted me and not the other way around lol
@Suzieqmom (2755)
• United States
1 Feb 11
All very true, but as a life-long cat owner, I can tell you there's more to it than that--they are resilient inside and out, and have the strongest will to live of any animal on the planet (probably because they know they are superior to any other animal on the planet).
@Suzieqmom (2755)
• United States
1 Feb 11
He is amazing--he has bounced back so many times, I think he has 18 lives. Why not? He has more fur, more whiskers, bigger paws bigger claws, and longer teeth than a "normal" cat, so why not more lives, too? 
1 person likes this
@daeckardt (6237)
• United States
1 Feb 11
It sounds like this cat is on his 9th life now. I would hope that he holds on for a while longer, but at that age and with all those problems, it is just a matter of time. I hope the bad day won't come soon, but like you say, you were already prepared for the worst. I just hope that doesn't happen for a while. It is possible that he could last a long time more or it could end soon. Maybe this was just his second or third life and he has a few more left. Good luck with him!
@Suzieqmom (2755)
• United States
1 Feb 11
You are right--I may just do that--especially with the February Triond incentive!
@Marik0202 (19)
• United States
1 Feb 11
Amen to that. I worked at a vets clinic, and it's astounding how often these boogers would pull through. No crossing the rainbow bridge for them. Two of my girls are 14, and if you look at them you'd never be able to tell their age based on their behavior. That's amazing though! Your cat with all those conditions at that age!! He's a tough cookie who loves his human mama very much!
