Earth Day and diabetic cat

Seven years ago today, I graduated from Brigham Young University. At that time, I thought I was done with homework forever.

But now I have to write five papers in the next two weeks! 

Wednesday was the last day of my class about American history since 1877. That was my easiest class this semester, since the professor is more laid back and there aren't as many assignments. Now I just have to write a historiographical essay for it.

Also on Wednesday, I had my environmental history class. For that class, we watch prerecorded lectures, then talk about them over Zoom. We are graded on participation, and sometimes it can get a bit awkward, so I sometimes ask superficial questions so I can get a good participation grade and so we don't have awkward silences. (There is also one student who is eager to show off how much he knows, even when it's not entirely relevant or helpful.) We have been discussing the twentieth-century shift from conservation to environmentalism, and since it was the day before Earth Day, I asked if the shift in emphasis from Arbor Day to Earth Day is a result of that shift. Arbor Day used to be a much bigger deal; the first Utah legislative session in 1896 declared it one of the state holidays, and it remained so into the 1940s and maybe even into the 1970s. My professor didn't know, but he said it would be an interesting topic for me to research.

Then on Earth Day itself, I wanted to see if the new trail in North Canyon was completed. The last time I went to North Canyon was the day before Thanksgiving, and I met a man who was working on the new improvements, and he made it sound like the new trail (next to the dirt road) would be done soon. Well, it wasn't done, but there were lots of flags and ribbons marking what I presume will be the new trail. Some of it surprises me, because it looks like parts of it will be next to a steep dropoff into the stream.

Of course, I went to North Canyon almost every day last summer and fall, so it was strange to see all the grasses matted down from the winter's snow. It was almost as if the forest had been mowed.

But I didn't get that far up the canyon because there was still a lot of snow, and I knew it would only get worse. It's so unusual, because I don't feel like North Canyon is that far away or that high up, and yet all the other nearby trails are completely dry now.

That same day, I also made veggie burgers, my favorite food. I have several veggie burger recipes, and this particular one uses almonds, oats, onions, chili powder, and egg (so it's not vegan). There are other flavors that I like better, but these are the easiest to make, and my parents both loved them, which isn't always the case.

The saddest part of the week was on Saturday. We took Jimmy to the vet because he has been drinking a ton of water lately. I have been going through so much cat litter! We last took him to the vet on March 8 because he hurt his leg, but we knew we had to take him again. Which is a problem. In order to prepare for the vet trip, I brought in his kennel so he could get used to it. And he spent a lot of time sleeping in it.

On Saturday morning, I had him chase his laser into the kennel. But as I approached, he suspected that something was up, so he darted out and hid under my bed. We went into my room and closed the door, then my mom used my shoes to push him out from under the bed. I grabbed him, and then it took both of us to force him into his kennel, while he unhappily meowed the entire time. I think it would be impossible for just one person to get him in it! 

The vet did a blood test and told us that he is diabetic. He told us that we could give him insulin shots. In the morning, we would have to feed him thirty minutes before his first injection. Then four to six hours later, we would have to make sure he had food available. Then we would have to feed him thirty minutes before his evening injection, which would be exactly twelve hours after the morning one. Phew! Not only would that be difficult and expensive, I don't think Jimmy would tolerate us giving him those shots twice a day, since he doesn't like it when we pick him up. The cure sounded worse than the disease! The vet said that if we couldn't commit to the exact insulin schedule, it would end up being worse for him. So we opted not to do that. We will change his diet to include less fatty foods, but we will just let him live out his life. The vet told us that within six months, his eyes could turn white, and his kidneys could fail within a year. This is all very sad for us, of course. But he is already eleven or twelve years old (the average lifespan of a cat is fifteen years), and who knows what other health problems he inherited from the Humane Society and his previous owners. He already has lost three of his four main teeth. 

One comforting thought was that with our previous cat, Jenny, the vet told us that cats' blood sugar sometimes spikes when they are stressed. And taking Jimmy to the vet certainly stressed him, so maybe that's why he registered as diabetic. But clearly something is not right, since he's drinking so much.

It isn't just the water, though. It used to be that he would jump up on my bed, my chair, or whatever else I was sitting on so he could sit on me. But for the last month or so, he will only jump up on two couches to spend time with us.

It is so endearing to have him rub his head against my face and purr. 💖

He used to spend a lot of time under my bed, but now he spends most of his time in the living room.

My mom had an old red plastic bag in one of her craft boxes from the 70s or 80s. This plastic bag disintegrated into a sort of red confetti. Today I found Jimmy with the red plastic all over his fur. I don't know where he was or what he was doing to get it all over him like that!

I will cherish the time I have left with this mortal cat.