Thanks to everyone for thoughts and prayers earlier. {{{{{{{ hugs }}}}}}}

After I talked to the vet myself this afternoon, it became clear that it was time. I came home from work early and knew I was right when all he wanted to do was hide under tables instead of snuggling on the couch.

Harrier Jump-Cat. Rumblepurr. Fearless gang leader of Carlin Manor Apartments. (Seriously. They were gathered on our doorstep looking for him when we came back for the next load of stuff after he'd already been moved to the new place.) Brother Dingbat. (Short version: Fight. Infection. Shaved spot that looked like a tonsure.) Diablo the Neurotic, Kitty of Legend.

Cat of many names, with the softest fur of any cat I ever met, even as sick as he was at the end. I'm always surprised when I pet other cats and they don't feel like that; it was more like bunny or ferret fur. He went purring, with both of us there.

I'm going to be startled as hell when my alarm actually goes off tomorrow.

We know we did right by him. I am a big ol' sloppy mess right now. Apologies in advance for not replying to comments.

A fellow opera ensemble member has agreed to stop by and give him his meds while we're out. So that stress is taken care of.

Must find her a nice prezzie in FL.

Also, there is eating and drinking, if not with enthusiasm, then at least sufficient. brainiacfive discovered that he would eat if you held the dish up by his face; the theory atm is that he's not liking bending down to eat/drink for whatever reason. So his dishes are now on phone books. Looks odd, but whatever works.

After frantically throwing on some sweats and heading for the emergency vet clinic at 6:30 this morning when he sat next to his milk/vitamins dish crying at me and refused to touch it...

It appears to be some kind of infection, separate from the weight loss/anemia issue (for which the leading suspects remain heart disease and cancer; either way it probably didn't help in the bacteria resistance department.). He's also lost more weight, over a pound since his October visit, so he's now under 10 pounds for the first time in his adult life. (You may guess from this that he is not a small cat. He was about 12 pounds in his king-of-the-neighborhood prime.)

He has a low-grade fever, and the vet confirmed my theory that the lump in his neck is a swollen lymph node. There is still the possibility that cancer is involved there, and they want to do a needle biopsy on it if he doesn't improve after a couple days on antibiotics.

(Amusement factor of the day: Bubble gum flavor amoxicillin, obviously the same product as for pediatric use, but this packaging says for veterinary use only. Because we all know how much cats love bubble gum! *snerk*)

So now I just have to find someone to come and give him the antibiotics twice a day between Thursday morning and Monday afternoon. But it looks like I don't have to worry about flying off and leaving him on the verge of collapse. *whew*

Many thanks for prayers and thoughts, and for putting up with the fretting on your flist.

Without wanting to be melodramatic, I'm hoping Diablo will be with us through one more Christmas, but trying to be prepared for the strong possibility that he won't.

( Details and fretting. )

Any thoughts and prayers would be appreciated. (I apologize in advance if I don't reply to any comments.) He's sixteen years old, and I've been sort of mentally preparing to adjust to him being gone since we noticed the weight loss in August. But he hasn't seemed unhappy or uncomfortable until now, and adjusting to that is a lot harder.

So about 45 seconds ago, there was this odd wobbling-metal-thing sound coming from the kitchen. Couldn't figure out what it was, but since there's only one other living occupant of the apartment, called out, "Diablo, what are you doing?" Odd quiet sound continued. Went in the kitchen to find him on the counter, licking the metal spoon I've been using to stir the stew in the crockpot.

Cute darling babykitty? Fourteen is a perfectly respectable lifetime for a cat. I recommend against goading me further. >-P

( Well. That was fun. )

( We now step briefly out of chronological order to bring you last night's pictures of Diablo actually using the kitty condo! )

( Industrious me )

It's good to have a proper workspace because, after all, it's only six weeks to Halloween! ;-D And as serendipity would have it, on my way back to the household area at the thrift store, I ran across this:

( The Find! :-D )

I had already figured out that even better than my senior prom dress was this ( vintage chorus girl dress )

( Made it alive )

All in all, considering it's been almost 11 years since the last time he was in a car for more than 20 minutes, I'm counting my blessings.

Tired now.

...in Chicago from Columbus. All road trips should be with BigLittleBrother in his big comfy pickup. Or at least more should be.

Slightly stiff. (7 hours in a big comfy pickup is still, y'know, 7 hours.) Latest batch of Stuff From Home put away quasi-neatly. Missing my Jack.

Had fun taking BigLittleBrother to PotC at the dollar show. (Yes, I know it comes out on DVD Tuesday. Your point?) Got caught up on Angel and squee'd at Dru. Got reacquainted with Diablo, who's pretty much a big ol' purrrrific skritchie slut anyway, so I have no idea whether he cares who I am. (He's 13. There were always a few bats in his little kitty belfry, but they've multiplied of late.) Ate. Lots.

Was shocked on Saturday to learn that Peggyann, the one-of-a-kind little Southern firecracker who ran the Gatecon costume competition and whom I loved to bits, had died suddenly of a brain aneurysm earlier in the week. I'm having that weird fannish brand of survivor guilt where I feel like I should have gotten to know her better. I remember a lovely little quick lunch at the cybercafe across from the hotel, getting our ducks in a row so I could get the award certificates created before everything got too insane; and how excited she was about the fabulous "action figure" (a customized Amidala doll) someone had made of her alter ego and given her. (It really was too cool.) I even had her mostly talked into letting me dress her up as Lya at one point. There's something I know will never happen. Other things, I'll never know what they are.

I feel like I should send at least a card or something to her family, but they have no clue who I am. Just one of the 400 closest friends she went to hang out with in Vancouver once a year. It won't be the same without her.

As for the rest... Slept in a lot. Had a scratchy throat and minor sniffles. Used same as an excuse for sleeping in a lot. Accomplished almost no writing. Didn't even take script out of bag.

Good thing I enjoyed the sleeping in, 'cause it's gonna be a busy couple of weeks!

I think it went pretty well. There were some tough questions that I think I handled well (e.g. "Your previous experience doesn't seem to have much with letter composition" -- little does she know! *eg*). Now there's just the waiting. They have other second interviews into tomorrow morning, and said they'd call me tomorrow morning however things fall out. {fidgetfidgetfidget}

The woman who's retiring is planning to leave in mid-September, and of course they want to have her train the replacement, so having me start after the 27th will be tight, but I think doable.

Looking more and more like I'll have to give up Gatecon, tho. :-/ The year my dad's planning to go with me, too. I'll get over it, but it is a bummer.

Forgot to mention in my summing-up of last week that Diablo the Neurotic, Kitty of Legend has an upper respiratory infection. It used to be a piece of cake to get him to take liquid penicillin -- just mix it up with some CatSip (the milk treated so cats can tolerate it, that you find in the pet food aisle) and he'd lap it right up. Dunno if it's because they gave him a different antibiotic this time or what, but after two doses he suddenly decided not to touch the milk any more. So now we get to have Fun With Wrapping In Towel And Squirting In Mouth. {sigh} He also has a moderate heart murmur (3 on the scale of 6), and is having a cardiac workup along with his annual shots this Friday. The tests are going to run close to $200, so sacrificing Gatecon may end up being just as well. {heavy sigh}