Tiger, my eldest cat, recently turned 12 years old. She has been a part of our family since 2013, when my husband and I adopted her and her sister, Lily, from Project Purr. I still remember that day vividly. We were casually walking through the Mall of Louisiana when we stumbled upon a pop-up cat adoption event. My husband and I locked eyes with these two adorable kittens, and it was love at first sight. Lily caught his attention, and Tiger stole my heart. Since they were littermates, we couldn't separate them, so we adopted both and brought them home. That was the beginning of our journey into the wonderful chaos of a cat-filled household, back when we were still "normal" people with just two cats.

 

They were only six months old when we adopted them, and from the start, they were the most joyful little bundles of fur. One of the most endearing traits they shared was their sensitivity to the energy in the house. If anyone raised their voice, whether in excitement or frustration, these two would come running to meow and calm everyone down. It was mostly Lily who led the charge, with Tiger following close behind, mimicking her sister’s behavior. They had a hilarious habit of standing on their hind legs, as if trying to physically lower the tension in the room. Football cheering in our house was kept to a minimum for this very reason!

 

These two were inseparable. They ate together, groomed each other, and even followed each other around the house like little shadows. You would often find them sitting next to each other, casually nibbling each other's butts (a quirky feline habit, but it always made us laugh). They were like two peas in a pod, always in sync.

 

Sadly, in May of 2021, Lily passed away suddenly. She hadn’t even reached her ninth birthday. The vets think it may have been due to a heart condition, but it was so quick and unexpected that we were left in shock. Losing Lily was devastating for us, and I was especially concerned about how Tiger would cope without her sister. Thankfully, our household has grown over the years, and having a full house of other pets seems to have eased some of Tiger's grief. Still, the bond they shared was irreplaceable.

 

Over the past three years since Lily's passing, we've been hyper-aware of Tiger’s well-being. As cats age, it’s inevitable that health issues will arise. She had been slowing down, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary—until this Labor Day weekend.

 

It was Saturday morning, and I noticed Tiger behaving oddly. During our morning routine, she just stood there, staring blankly at her water bowl. It wasn’t a typical stare either; it was a distant, almost vacant look. As the day went on, her behavior grew more concerning. She would paw and scratch at the water bowls but not drink, which was completely unlike her. Tiger has never been the kind of cat to play with her water, so this was alarming. She was also lethargic, uninterested in food, and barely moving except to shift from one blanket to another.

 

With it being Labor Day weekend, the vet was closed until Tuesday, and the only local emergency vet was MedVet. Unfortunately, I had a horrible experience with them about ten years ago, and I couldn’t bring myself to take Tiger there. They seemed more concerned with making money than genuinely caring for my pet back then, so I opted to care for her at home until our regular vet reopened.

 

 

In the meantime, I did everything I could to keep her hydrated and comfortable. I fed her low-sodium chicken broth, Pedialyte, and water through a syringe. Occasionally, she’d show small signs of improvement, but for the most part, she was listless. There were moments when I feared she was slipping away entirely, her eyes blank and unresponsive.

 

When Tuesday finally came, we rushed her to the vet. After bloodwork and a fecal sample, the diagnosis was heartbreaking—Tiger is in renal failure. Her kidneys are failing, and she’s currently staying at the vet for three days to receive IV fluids. They’ll redo her bloodwork after that to see if there's been any improvement. As of now, she still isn’t eating, though she’s been drinking small amounts of water on her own, which gives me a glimmer of hope.

 

Today, September 4th, the vet gave her an appetite stimulant. She’s shown interest in the food, but hasn’t yet taken a bite as of this post this evening. I’m trying to stay hopeful and positive, but it’s tough. I asked the vet what stage of kidney failure she’s in, and they said she’s in stage 2, possibly early stage 3.

 

I hate that this is how I’m introducing Tiger to the world in such a vulnerable state, but she deserves her story to be told. She’s a fighter, and I’m holding onto hope that with care and love, she can bounce back. I took a photo of her this morning during my visit at the vet. You can see the IV in her paw and how thin she’s become. It’s heartbreaking, but I’m trying to focus on the fact that she’s still here with us, still fighting.

 

For anyone who has pets, you know the vet bills can pile up quickly. So far, we’ve spent $622 on her care, and there may be more costs as her treatment progresses. If anyone would like to donate towards Tiger’s medical expenses, it would mean the world to us. Every little bit helps, and we are so grateful for any support. Donations can be made via PayPal at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or CashApp or Venmo @closetsamples—just make a note that it’s for Tiger.

 

Even if you can’t donate, your thoughts, prayers, and well wishes are deeply appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read about Tiger and her journey.

 

Here’s to hoping for better days ahead for our sweet girl.

Full disclosure: I’ll be cross posting this on my other site, nolacrazycatlady.com. I just wanted to mention this so that there is no confusion. I own both sites and it is me, Ashley, posting this to both sites.

 

 

 

 

 

This morning I woke up hoping we'd get some good news. Unfortunately, Tiger was still not eating. The appetite stimulant didn't seem to do much for her and she was very dehydrated. They had been starting her on the lowest dose of fluids because of her heart, but because of the dehydration, it's more critical to get her the fluids at this point. She started at a 5, then upped to 8, put down to 4 overnight, then back to the 8 when they had more eyes to keep a watch on her. They have now upped that to a 12, the amount they would have liked to start her at but didn't because of the heart murmur. As soon as I got the call I went in to spend some time with her and brought her some of the Chicken with extra gravy Friskies that she loves along with the collars (not to leave there, but for the duration of our visit) of her two buddies to just give that familiar scent to her. While not much, she did eat a little bit of the gravy, possibly getting in some really small chunks, on her own. She was syringe fed 10ml earlier so I was told if she ate any it may not be much. It's a small step, but the fact she had some on her own gives me a tiny spark of hope that I am holding on to that just maybe she can turn this around and bounce back. While there is no cure for kidney failure, it can be managed with medication and a special diet. But she needs to rehydrate and be able to eat on her own - especially being a senior cat.

 

Your thoughts, prayers, well wishes, and if you can, monetary donations, would be so helpful right now and much appreciated during this time. I will keep an update in this post if any donations are received to keep full transparency. 

 

Update as of September 5, 5:15 pm

 

 

When I went in for Tiger's evening visit I was informed she had vomited the little bit of food she had eaten. However, she was definitely more alert with me! I opened up a fresh can of her Friskies chicken with extra gravy and she ate down about half the can. Mainly gravy, but that is a huge improvement, especially for her to do on her own. That means today is the first day she ate by herself. So we need to see if she can hold it down. That and see what her blood work comes back as tomorrow as that will determine her next steps. I am feeling a bit more hopeful though. She was drinking water more normally, lapping it up with her tongue. She was more alert and aware of me. She had a more normal pur. She even licked her lips after she ate a bit! She reacted some when I scratched a spot she usually enjoys. It's small things, but grateful for them. She's a real fighter and I can tell she's trying her darnest to hang in there. Paws crossed for good news tomorrow.

 

Tiger is coming home!! She is not out of the woods yet, however, she did hold her food down overnight and her blood work numbers are in a more normal range. The vet said she is definitely a different cat than when she first arrived. She still has diarrhea, but she is eating. She's currently only eating the Friskies, not the K/D wet food that she will need as part of her new special diet. Right now, the focus is having her eat and of course her fluids, but we do need to try and slowly transition her to that K/D diet as it is specially formulated for her condition. So I am just trying to prepare a space for her to take it easy and get everything ready to bring her home later this afternoon. 

 

I made an Amazon wishlist for items for Tiger. I will update as needed, but currently only has stairs to help her get to the window without trying to jump and hurt herself and the Friskies she likes. Once I confirm the exact K/D food for her that she needs to be on, I will add that as well. Should you wish to help Tiger in this way, Tiger's Amazon wishlist is here.

 

Update as of September 6, 7:15 pm