Message board topic:

It has not been a good weekend here. Orion's meds for his lung issue was causing MAJOR diareha like I have never seen, and it was black, which I know id bad. We stopped the antibiotic last night after 3 days of black pudding. We gathered some up for the vet to see Monday and I'll bring it in (they are across the road from my office). Orion gave me a major scare this morning. He syncope this morning and lost consciouess for about 3 minutes. He was way too out of it after to even get up and when he tried he fell over. I carried him to his bed and put it on my lap and brushed him and talked to him for 20 or so minutes. When he was more with it I was able to feed him, but he was too weak to stand at the dish so I fed him by hand. Honestly, I thought that was it today and was crying for a while. It was not to be today, but we are so close now it is hurting and as of today tears are welling up when I think about it, I suppose becauise now it is more real than it has been before. He is still a bit dehydrated and the diarrheais not helping, so I have been using a 0.5ml suringe today and squirting wanter in his mouth every 30 or so minutes (I have no sub-q fluids here and he never took well to getting fluids). He is letting me do the water 0.5ml at a time, which is good.

Funny, this morning while he was in my lap, all the cats came over and were sitting or laying on the couch with Orion and myself. Sometimes you just gotta wonder how much they know.

The vets in town are not allowing people in the building because covid is so bad in our country now. It is killing me that I will have to take him to the vet building and had him to someone at the door and never see him again alive.(crap, tearing up again) How do I cope with that?

Andromeda, always one to know when I am upset, has been sitting in my lap licking my hands while I try to type this, so I hope there are not big errors from her doing that. :)

Well, for now Orion is as well as he can be in his condition and laying in his bed on the master bed. I am in one corner and he is in the opposite one sleeping.

Sitting on the bed posting like this reminds me of all the posts right after ^Leo^ would have a seizure at night.

Andromeda moved next to me and APollo just made his home on my chest/belly and it is getting very hard to type, plus time to give Orion more water, so I'll end this post here. Thank you all for keeping him in your thoughts. I am unsure when it will be time, but we are very close now, best guess is a few days to 2 weeks if we are lucky.

Oh, David, I'm so sorry you are having to go through this.  Just know we are with you in spirit with our comforting purrs and prayers.  Peggy and Laila

David I am so sorry to see this about Orion They are the same way about taking cats at my vet with covid in knoxville but they did have a special room for euthansia where you could be there. And when I had to let Rosie go there is a service in Knoxville called Lap of Love that came to my house.Sympathy and Take Care. Tim

I've been figuratively "holding my breath" for days, hoping to hear some good news about Orion.  I'm so sorry for what you and Orion are going through.  I hope Orion's time is none too soon, but when it is, I hope Orion just slips away in his sleep.  I saw the other 2 sleeping on the couch together this morning.  I think the others know something is wrong, even if they have no idea what it is.

Piggy and Van Gogh have been a source of absolute delight here, but Orion and what you're going through is on my mind constantly.  Still always hoping for the best.  John

For those who have the patience to get to a journal entry:

Journals Page 50 - Sept. 3 2003, First ever images of Orion and his capture story!

Journal Page 49 - Sept. 6 2003, next images ever taken of Orion as he was at the vet staying.

Journal Page 48 - Sept. 22 2003 we debate keeping Orion. Pictures of him at home.

On my way.  It's been a far too short 17 years.  John